Over the weekend, a friend of mine went public with the news that she's pregnant. She and her husband are confident that they are having a girl, based on the fact that she was so sick throughout her first trimester. Once upon a time, I might have bought that logic, but I have four other friends who are having babies this year, all of whom were sure their morning sickness indicated extra estrogen, but all of whom are having boys. And I know several women who were sure their easy pregnancies meant they had a son in the oven, and ended up with a little lady. True, most who had it easy ended up with boys, but not across the board.
So, I decided to explore some of the other gender-prediction theories, aside from morning sickness, to see if there was some truth to any of it.
I had a very easy first trimester, especially considering the fact that there were two in there. When I found out it was identical twins, I kept bracing myself for the toilet-clutching onslaught to begin, but it never did. Of course, everyone kept saying, "You're having boys, you're definitely having boys, I'm sure it's boys, don't you think it's boys?" And for some reason, it really annoyed me! Why couldn't girls go easy on their mamas in utero? My mom had an easy pregnancy with me, and an easy pregnancy with my brother, so maybe my good luck was just genetic rather than an indication of XX or XY.
Then, at our 12-week nuchal test, the ultrasound tech told us that she was about 75 percent sure it was girls. And still, people kept saying boys, which pissed me off even more. Again, what was with all this antiquated, old wives' BS that wouldn't allow for girls in my even-tempered belly? Don't get me wrong, I've always had a particular fondness for little boys, so it's not like I really wanted one more than the other. But if it was girls, as the tech seemed to believe, then stop insulting them by assuming they don't know how to behave!
My gender-prediction quiz was a big surprise — the results were pretty much 60/40, with more clues pointing to girl babies. I was craving salty and sour — boy! But the needle hanging over my belly went around and around — girl! I had clear skin and soft hair — boy! But their heartbeats were consistently well over 140 beats per minute (more like in the 160s or 170s) — girl! And, the Chinese Gender Prediction calendar said girl, so …
Well, they're boys, and when I found out, I was thrilled! And all of those tests — though, admittedly, fun to do — didn't really tell me anything. Yes, everyone was right that they were boys, and maybe my pregnancy was a little easier as a result, but for every old wives' tale that proved true, there was one that was totally false.
At the end of the day, I think that every woman is different, and every pregnancy is different. And when you finally do find out what you're having, none of it makes a bit of difference anyway. While it's fun to speculate and guess and play games to see if you can predict boy or girl, it's not a science by any stretch. So don't start painting the nursery based on morning sickness, a sudden craving for pickles, or a swaying needle.
Do you think there's any truth to the old wives' tales?
Image via Breibeest/Flickr
