Gender Prediction - Old Wives Tales

Tom and I considered moving when we found out we were expecting, but can’t seem to find a good rental. We’re happy in our current place, just a bit concerned about noise (not just from our downstairs neighbor but what sort of noise we’ll cause if the baby is a screamer!). Since we’re most likely staying where we are, we’ve started doing a lot of cleaning/arranging of the garage and closets trying to make room everything. Last night, Tom started creating a pile of things for Goodwill. I noticed there was little box and picked it up – It was basically an electronic Magic 8 Ball. You just turn it on, ask a question and a little red light stops on an answer. I asked it, “Will I have a boy?” and received “Definitely.” I then asked it, “Will I have a girl?” and received “Not Likely.” Tom was thrilled! We really don’t care if we have a boy or a girl (clearly just hoping for healthy!), it’s more of a fun, ongoing battle we have- He fears the dating years with a girl, and I fear that I’ll never have a girl and have 3-4 boys. Not that it would be a bad thing… Just that if I have a girl NOW, I will know if the next 2-3 are boys, I’m set with the one! Anyway, after receiving these obviously accurate results, thought it would be fun to find some old wives tales- Here are the interesting ones I found:

Gender Predicting Old Wives Tales

If you are carrying extra weight around your hips and butt, then it is said that you are having a girl. If you are carrying your baby high, then it is a girl. If you are carrying your baby lower, then you are having a boy.

If the hair on your legs is growing faster than it did before you got pregnant, then you are having a boy. If your hair on your legs is growing at the same rate as it did before, then you are having a girl.

If your face is round then you are having a girl, long and narrow means a boy. Along with that some believe that if your nose starts to grow or widen then you are having a girl because daughters “steal” mom’s beauty.

If your feet are colder when you are pregnant, then you are having a boy. If you feet are not any colder than before you are pregnant, then you are having a girl.

Direction of the Ring
In this test you hang your wedding ring from a string over your belly. If the ring swings back and forth your baby is a girl. If it swings around in a circle then it is a boy.

Fast Heart Rate
If the baby's heart rate is above 140 beats per minute, then you are having a girl. If it is below 140 beats per minute, then you are having a boy.

Drain-O Test
Some people are told to put a tablespoon of Drain-O in a cup and pee into it. If the mixture turns green you are having a girl. If it turns blue you are having a boy.

Cravings
If you are craving sweets and fruit, then you are having a girl. If you are craving salty foods and meats and cheeses, then you are having a boy. (No cravings yet…)

Do You Smell Like Garlic?
There are people that swear that the garlic old wives tale is true. They say that if you eat a clove of garlic, and the smell comes out through your pores then you are having a boy. If no garlic is detected then you are having a girl.

The Mayan Tale
If you are Mayan then you may follow their beliefs and use numbers to determine the sex of your baby. The Mayans take the mothers age at conception and the year of conception and add them together. If the result is an even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way! The Chinese have a similar way of determining the sex of a baby. (My number is 2037!)

In the Philippines
If the mother gets acne, then she’ll have a boy. A baby girl represents beauty to the mother. If the mother “went ugly” during pregnancy she’ll have a boy, and if mother turns out to be looking young and happy, she’ll get a girl.


All these are pretty interesting and definitely amusing! In a study that asked women with no previous knowledge about their baby's sex, the moms-to-be correctly guessed the sex of their baby 71% of the time.

On August 7th we have an ultrasound appointment in which we can find out the gender. We’re not going to and the nurse better not accidentally tell us! I may hurt her if she does. But my guess? A girl. What’s yours? A poll is on the right-hand side of the blog… Once we get closer we’ll do something more official and have family/friends guess the baby’s sex, weight and date of birth! Winner gets to name the baby! Kidding…

Friday, July 24th

Had my 16 week appointment with Dr. VDH - She was pleased I gained some weight and my stomach grew a little bit. I've been having a lot of lower back pain, but she said it's normal and I'm just experiencing it a bit early - Joy! She'd like me to gain 25-35lbs, so let's hope I don't gain 55-65lbs (especially when Tom's crossing his fingers that I will crave pizza/burritos!). I can't imagine what I'll be feeling in Month 8 or 9... Suppose I can't really complain if it's the only symptom I've had so far. And besides, who doesn't love lounging on the couch watching crap TV?

Monday, July 6th

Appointment with Dr. Blake for additional testing. No concerns... Just a typical test to ensure Ziggy is doing well. I was amazed at the detail of the ultrasound. Ziggy is only 3 inches long, but I could see his arms/legs/spine/heart/stomach. He was curled up real tight, but all of a sudden he started jumping... and jumping... I couldn't feel a thing, but it was as if he was using me as a trampoline and having the time of his life. Hopefully that doesn't occur months from now when he's fat and long!

14 weeks

Friday, June 26th

Second appointment with Dr. Van Den Heuvel - Took awhile for the nurse to find the heartbeat, but everything seems to be going well so far!

Saturday, June 20th

Ziggy's first trip to the mountains! Tom surprised me with a road trip to Big Bear. We had never been there in the summer so we went on a long hike, took photos of the lake, ate lunch and made the 2 1/2 hour trip back home. Quick trip, but a lot of fun!



Friday, May 29th

First appointment with Dr. Van Den Heuvel - She's young, personable and obviously loves her job. Huge relief that I don't have to break up with her and find a new doctor! We sat for 30 minutes, answered family history questions and asked one question. Yes, one. You'd think we'd have more! I know we did, just couldn't spit 'em out -

Baby "Ziggy" Zanetti's first photo


Officially have a new due date: January 4th!

Monday, May 11th

Results are in! I'm due December 19th.

Tuesday, May 5th

Off to San Francisco! No time for an appointment to confirm our results, so we'll have to wait until Monday!

Saturday, May 2nd

Tom and I had plans to do our usual "Urban Hike." We pick an area (Little Italy/Downtown, Point Loma, etc) and just explore - We end up walking 6-8 miles, and find cute homes/stores/restaurants along the way. Before we left, I decided to sneak into the bathroom and take a pregnancy test. I hadn't been feeling any different, but we had been trying since February and I realized that I was a couple weeks late. Test One - Positive. Holy crap... Test Two (of course I had to take two... who doesn't?!) - Positive. I thought about all the special ways I could reveal them to Tom, but I went the real creative route - I came out of the bathroom, thrust them in his face and burst into tears. Happy tears, but also fearful of his reaction - After all, when I went to all my pre-pregnancy appointments in February my nurse assured me it would take at least 3 months. And how many times did I reassure him it took most couples years? Would he be okay with the news? Freak out just a bit (house/money worries)? I had nothing to worry about. His reaction was perfect.