Old Wives Tales and Myths

1.   "Rumor has it that if you are carrying your baby high, it's a girl. Carrying low? Stock up on blue."

• This pointed to Girl for me! I've had several people, including my OB, tell me I was carrying high. 

2. "Legends say that if you are having a little girl, she'll steal your beauty. So, if you've got acne and other not-so-pretty skin blemishes, you've got a little princess coming your way. Dry hands and cold feet are signs of a boy. So, if you've got these ailments, break out the baby blue."

• Pointing to a Boy on this one for me! I've had dry, clear skin, and freezing feet my whole pregnancy,

3. "Take off your wedding ring, tie it to a piece of string, and hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circle, you are promised a boy; back and forth indicates a girl."

• Girl on this one, my ring definitely swung back and forth.

4. "Your baby's heart rate might be an indicator of its gender. If your little one's heart rate is under 140 beats per minute, you're having a little boy. If it's over, get ready for your little girl!"

• This one is also Girl for me. My baby's first heart rate at 9 weeks was 188, and the last time I got to hear it at 17 weeks, it was 155.

5. "Craving sweets? According to some, that means your going to have a little girl. Salty and sour cravings indicate a boy."

• This one is tricky. I've MEGA craved ice cream, specifically Cold Stone's Cake Batter (YUMMY), my whole pregnancy. Other than ice cream, though, and the occasional fruit, I've only craved salty and spicy. So I'll call this one Inconclusive. 

6. "Chinese birth charts use your age at conception and the month you conceived to determine the sex of your baby."

• The Chinese were wrong this time, at age 19 (20 according to the Chinese year) and conceiving in November, it claimed my bean was a Girl. Want to try the Chinese birth chart for yourself? Try it here!

7. "Has your spouse been indulging in your pregnancy cravings, too? If your hubby packs on a little sympathy weight, the tales say you're in for a sugary-sweet little girl."

• Another one pointing to Girl. My hubby has gained at least 10 more lbs than I have so far. Sorry, dear!

8. "Morning sickness means pink. If you're stricken with a queasy stomach during your first trimester, think ribbons and bows. If you sail through your pregnancy with little to no morning sickness, it's blue all the way."

• This one pointed to Boy! My grandma called this one; we took a poll on the way to my gender scan, and she was the only one going (out of me and 7 others) who thought it'd be a boy, and the reasoning she gave was that I didn't have much morning sickness. Guess she was right!

9. "If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have extra girl hormones in you. Your pregnancy will make you smile and be more happy if you are having a boy.

• I have definitely been moody (once again, sorry dear!) so this one would point to Girl.

10. "If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having."

• This one was Boy for me. I've had plenty of dreams of having a girl. However, just last night I did dream I was having a boy!

11. If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she's having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she's having a girl."

• Girl again. I can't sleep unless I'm laying on my right!

12. "71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having."

• Girl again! Way off on this one, I was 98% sure I was having a girl! I was so convinced, there were several times I would have bought pink if I would have had the money at the time. Don't get me wrong, I honestly really really wanted a boy, I just had a "gut-feeling" it was a girl. I would have been thrilled with a little princess too!

13. "If your areolae (the part around your nips) have darkened, it's a boy. If they have not, it's a girl."

• Girl. I won't go into detail, it's pretty self-explanatory!

14. "When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy."

• Once again, Girl. I honestly have had trouble getting enough protein in, because all I want is salad, veggies, ice cream, and french fries! I've had to force myself a few times to eat meat, cheese,  or drink milk at times for all the goodness they contain for my baby.

15. "If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy."

• Hey, finally another one pointing to Boy! I've had crazy headaches, especially during my first trimester. Although my blood pressure was pretty high during my first trimester, I was even put on meds for it, so I'm pretty sure that's the cause of my headaches!

16. "It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particular baby."

• This one definitely points to Girl for me! My hubby and I have known our first daughter's name will be Aletha Faith, Allie for short, since we got engaged. Aletha after my great grandma, Faith after his grandma. We've even known our second future daughter's name will be Willow Louise, after my late grandma, Willowscene Louise) since I found out I was pregnant! But for a boy, we'd "settles" on Ethan David and David Randall, as well as throwing around a few other names before finally deciding on Rook David about a month ago. David is my FIL's first name, and my husband's middle name, so we knew we were incorporating it in our first son's name since we got married!

17. "If your face gets fuller, it means you're having a girl."

• I think this one points to Boy. My face has stayed about the same, but I've lost a lot of weight with my pregnancy so far, enough that normally it would make my face look thinner, but technically my face does not look fuller, so I'll chalk it up to boy. 

18. "Get baby advice from a nephew or friend's little boy. If a toddler boy shows interest in your belly, you'll have a girl. If he ignores you, it's a boy."

• Unlike most expecting mommas, I have a 3 year old brother. He has definitely shown lots of interest in my belly. Just the other day he found two matching dinosaurs, kept one, and set one on my belly so "baby Rook play too". So this one points to Girl!

19. "If your age and year of conception are both even or both odd, it's a girl. One even, one odd means a boy."

• This one would point to a Boy for me! I was 19 in 2014, so one odd and one even. 

20. "A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception."

• I am the biggest worry-wart alive, I stress over every little thing, and at the time of conception I had just started a new job. My husband, on the other hand, is usually one of the calmest, most level-headed people I know. I definitely need him to balance my craziness out! So if this old wives tale is true, all of my babies will end up being Boys ;D

21. "If you eat the ends of bread, it's a boy. If you only eat the middle of the loaf, it's a girl."

• This is another one pointing to Girl for me. I have not been able to stand the ends of bread lately, but I used to love the "crust pieces"!

22. "You can find out the sex by going off of your parent's kids and the order. If you are the first born, you will have what your mother had but with her second child. If you are the middle child, you will have what she had, but starting with the third child. If you are the last child, you will have what your mother had in the exact order."

• My mom only had girls biologically, so not matter what order I was in, it would point to Girl! My parents adopted three more, two girls and a boy, so biologically I'm the middle child, in my family I'm the second oldest.

23. "Add your birth month, birth day, and age at conception, for example; if your birthday is January 1st, and you're 25 at age of conception, it would look like this: 1 + 1 + 25 = 27, 2 + 7 = 9. If the final number is even, it's a girl. Odd and it's a boy."

• So for me, 3 + 13 + 19 = 35, and 3 + 5 = 8, which points towards Girl, once again!

Conclusions?

Boy: 7 - 31%

Girl: 15 - 65%

Inconclusive: 1 - 4%

So there we go! Since I already know my baby bean is a boy, I definitely won't put as much faith into these my next pregnancy. It's embarrassing how much I believed these before I found out my sweetie is a boy. I can be kind of gullible!

Bonus Tip;

If a pregnant woman tells you she just found out what she's having, even if you're pretty sure she was wanting the opposite, NEVER say "Oh I'm sorry". Since I was so sure I was having a girl, a lot of people assumed I wanted a girl. Three separate people offered condolences when I told them it was a boy, which honestly, probably thanks to all my pregnancy moodiness, kinda stung!