Gender Guessing: Old Wives Tales

I've seen a couple of people do gender guessing posts and I thought it would be fun to do one too. While I will be thrilled with either a boy or a girl, I am definitely hoping for a girl. The accessories are just TOO much to resist. Dan is hoping for a boy.

We have our anatomy ultrasound in a couple of weeks but in the meantime it's still a guessing game so let's have fun! I pulled together a list of Old Wives Tales (thank you Google) and we'll keep a tally to reveal at the end.

1. Cravings. People say if you crave salty food or protein like meat and cheese, it's a boy. Sweet cravings mean girl.

While I'm still interested in sweets (like chocolate milk), I've definitely craved more savory things like tortilla chips with salsa and sour cream. Tons of dairy, and lots of meat. Result: Boy

2. Mayan Tale. This tale says that if you add the mother's age at conception with the year of conception and the number is even then it's a girl, if it's odd it's a boy.

30 + 2016 = 2046. Even. Result: Girl

3. Left eye skin. When you pull down the lower lid of your left eye and see a "V" shape in the veins that means it's a girl. No "V" means it's a boy.

It took me a bit to figure out what this meant but when I pull down the eyelids, there is pretty much nothing visible in the right eye but tons of veins and "branches" in the left eye, including two that appear to form a "V." Result: Girl. 

4. Acne. If you have really bad acne it means it's a girl. If you have mostly clear skin it's a boy.

Holy wow. I have NEVER had worse acne in my life. It's probably my worst symptom. I'm still hoping it will fade or get less intense the farther along I get but so far, no end in sight. Result: Girl.

5. Shape of the mom's face. If you gain weight in your face and it becomes rounder it means you're having a girl. If you face is long and narrow, it's a boy.

My face is already more round (well actually square) but I haven't really gained weight in my face. Result: Inconclusive. 

6. Ring Test. Loop your wedding ring through a piece of string and hold it over your pregnant belly. If the ring swings back and forth, it's a girl. If it swings in a circle it's a boy.

We tried this with my ring and then with Dan's ring. We also each took a turn holding the ring over my belly. All four tries, the ring would swing back and forth. Result: Girl 

7. Shape of belly. If you carry high with a big round belly it's a girl. If you carry low with a smaller belly, it's a boy.

My belly is pretty high and round. I saw a picture of a maternity model on Old Navy and her bump was SO low. So I guess that's the big difference. Result: Girl. Also, a lot of people have told me if your bump is more spread out at opposed to really "popping" out, it's a girl. I have a pretty Santa belly so to me that says girl. 

8. Heart rate. If the baby's heart rate is below 140 bpm it's a boy. If it's over 140 bpm, it's a girl.

Every time we've heard the heart beat it's been above 140 bpm. In the 170s to be exact. I though that was alarming at first because that is not normal for an adult but the doctor said it was fine. Result: Girl. 

9. Baby Names. If you can only think of a specific name for one gender but can't come up with anything for the other gender, you're having the gender of name you know.

Dan and I had a girl name picked out in 2014. We can come up with nothing for boy names. I've tried and nothing is sticking. Result: Girl. 

10. Headaches. If you have frequent headaches you're having a boy.

I've only really had one headache and it lasted a miserable week. Once I started really increasing my water intake it went away. Result: Girl. 

11. Nose. If your nose is getting wider as the pregnancy progresses, it's a boy.

My nose has stayed the same, thank goodness. Result: Girl. 

12. Legs. If the hair on your legs is growing much faster than usual and your legs have gotten bigger, it's a boy. If your legs stay lean and hair growth is normal, it's a girl.

A little hard to tell because I shave my legs every day but my legs haven't gotten bigger and they are still smooth by the end of the day so I'd say normal hair growth. Result: Girl

13. Feet. If you feet are always cold you're having a boy. If they have stayed the same since before your pregnancy, you're having a girl.

Generally my feet are freezing in the winter, I typically have to wear two pairs of socks between November and March. This year they have felt just right. So this one is hard to tell. Result: Inconclusive

14. Morning Sickness. If you had no morning sickness, it's a boy. If you were sick or felt sick, it's a girl.

Thankfully, I had no morning sickness. A gift from God. Result: Boy. But this one seems really arbitrary since I've known plenty of women who were sick and had boys.

15. What do you think? Apparently, 71% of the time the mom knows what she is having.

This is a major bias but I want a girl so badly that I've convinced myself it's a girl. We'll see. Result: Girl. 

16. "Ladies" test. If your left lady is larger than your right lady, it's a girl. If the right is larger, it's a boy. Okay so apparently I have to clarify what this means since my mother asked me. "Ladies" refer to the milk producing features on the female chest. I didn't want to use the real word so as not to attract weirdo web spammers.

Well, my left lady has always been a tiny more well endowed than my right lady ever since I had any ladies to talk about. Since the size difference isn't unusual for me I don't think I can count it. Result: Inconclusive. 

17. Dad's weight. If the Dad gains sympathy weight it means it's a girl. If he doesn't gain weight, it's a boy.

This is hard to tell. It's winter hibernation season so Dan naturally gains a tiny bit this time of year and all the sour cream I've been serving hasn't helped. Result: Girl.

18. Side sleeping. If you are most comfortable sleeping on your left side, it's a boy. If you prefer your right side, it's a girl.

Currently I'm only comfortable sleeping on my back which apparently I'm not allowed to do starting at 20 weeks. Previously I always slept on my right side and that is still more comfortable than my left side. Result: Girl.

19. Toddlers. If a toddler shows interest in a pregnant woman, you are carrying the opposite sex of the toddler.

We hung out with a little boy (one year old) a few weeks ago and he wanted nothing to do with me except to get as far away as possible. Result: Boy. This past weekend we hung out with E and K. K is 3 year old girl and she was definitely interested in sticking by my side. Result: still boy.

20. Mom's beauty. If you feel like you are losing your beauty and your hair is dull and lifeless, you're having a girl. Because she is "stealing" your beauty. If you've never looked better and your hair is shiny and healthy, you're having a boy.

Sadly, I've never felt more ugly or self-conscious and that's saying something since I've never seen myself as particularly attractive. Acne is impossible to help or hide when you aren't allowed to put pretty much anything on your face. Also, my hair looks like a drowned rat. Result: Girl, she better be gorgeous.

Total results:
Girl - 14
Boy - 3
Inconclusive - 3

Well, I'd say the Old Wives Tales are predicting a girl by a pretty big landslide. Can't wait to find out!!!