Old Wives Tales

Before the days of ultrasounds many couples looked to cultural myths to try to help them solve the boy--girl question. And while Greg and I are quite content not knowing whether our little bundle will wear pink or blue, it's still fun to indulge the old wives tales.

The first one I heard is if you carry low you are having a boy and if you carry high you are having a girl.
My baby belly feels pretty centered, maybe on the low side. All I know is I can still touch my toes even though I can't see them when I'm standing.

The 'Pendulum Test' says that you take your wedding ring and tie it to the end of a string and let it swing over the baby belly. If it swings back and forth it's a boy, if it swings in a circle it's a girl.
Our pendulum swung back and forth.

They say the more morning sickness you have the more likely you are to have a girl. Although my lucky mother had two healthy girls and was never sick....hmmmm. I was happy to find that she passed those genes on to me!

There is also a myth that looks to the father's belly for the answer to the boy girl question. If dad packs on pounds during the pregnancy, then you are having a girl, if he doesn't gain a thing you're having a boy.
In spite of the constant supply of ice cream and weekly pizza indulgence, Greg still has the metabolism of a fifteen year old boy and is as fit as ever.

My naturopath told me that if your linea nigra (the line running down your belly) starts below your belly button you are having a boy, if it starts above, you are having a girl.
As of right now, I only have a line below my belly button.

The only myth that is close to having some kind of scientific backing says that if your baby's heart rate is under 140 beats per minute it's a boy and if it's over 140 bpm it's a girl. Our baby's heart rate is usually right around 150 bpm.

Finally there are those that say that your intuition can often predict the gender of the baby, in which case we will have a boy. It's fun to apply these myths to our personal experience of pregnancy, but overall, I love not knowing. This is the only time in life that we will get to know a being outside the bounds of gender roles. I know it makes shopping for showers more difficult, but it will all be worth it when we get to make that announcement after he or she is born.

So now you decide. I am adding a poll to see who thinks it's a boy and who thinks its a girl. We'll see the strength of these old wives tales in about six weeks!