When I was pregnant with Hector we decided not to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl. I suppose the desire to have a surprise for us at least outweighed the benefits of the practicalities of knowing the sex but that didn’t stop friends and family trying to predict through various old wives’ tales if we’d have a bonny baby boy or girl.
In my case the split between those who thought I’d have a boy and those who were convinced I’d continue my family’s tendency to produce girls was pretty much 50/50. Secretly I was convinced I would have a boy and I have a pretty good track record when it comes to guessing what friends and family may be having too.
My brother in law expects his first child this month so I suppose I have babies on the brain. He and his wife don’t know what they’re having and it reminded me of all those theories and tests that are supposed to foretell whether you’ll be blessed with a male or female. So for a bit of fun I thought I’d share some of them with you today and see which ones you rate and those that you think are utterly ridiculous…
Sweet vs Savoury
If you develop a somewhat mental sweet tooth when pre-pregnancy you were more of a savoury kind of woman then chances are you’re expecting a girl….or so the saying goes. On the opposite side, mamas of boys apparently favour savoury and sour foods. Or you could just be like me and develop such a desire for chocolate that by the end of your pregnancy you could be consuming half a bar of Green & Blacks (yes those LARGE bars you see in the supermarket) every single day…I’m not so proud of that.
The Shape Of Your Bump
This particular old wives’ tale is a contentious one. According to legend if you’re carrying high and all round then this means that you’re likely to have a baby girl. Conversely if you’re all out front and carrying low then it’s a male. I wasn’t lucky enough to have the typical neat bump that mamas of boys are supposed to sport unfortunately but that may possibly have something to do with the fact that I developed an addiction to the aforementioned Green & Blacks…
Train Or Horse
Ahhhhh the train or horse test. I was introduced to this ‘failsafe’ way to tell if I was having a boy or a girl by my very lovely midwife after my initial 12 week scan. She asked me if the sound of the heartbeat was more akin to a horse or a train to which I answered…a horse. Apparently that’s indicative that you’re having a girl…turns out that the test isn’t quite so failsafe after all. That said when I played the heartbeat back to Ste he immediately said he heard a train so perhaps I’m the ‘faulty’ one in all this.
Fast Or Slow Heartbeats
The same midwife who told me about the Horse or Train test also introduced me to the fast and slow heartbeats theory. Apparently if your baby’s heartbeat regularly exceeds 140+ beats per minute then it’s likely that you’re having a girl, anything below and you’re having a boy. Hector’s lowest heartbeat count according to my green notes was 147 so the test didn’t exactly pan out for us. For the majority of my friends though the theory ended up being pretty accurate.
Chinese Birth Chart
This ancient method is currently doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment and uses your lunar (rather than birthdate) age at conception and the Chinese month you did the deed to determine gender. This was the one test that (retrospectively) was accurate for me confidently predicting that I would have a boy and I’ve heard similar success stories from other mums. Find a link to the tool here.
The Ring Test
Lottie mentioned that her mum told her about the ring test. Apparently threading a gold wedding ring on a piece of your hair and holding it over your bump and watching how it moves can determine the gender of your babe. If the ring swings in a circular motion then you’re expecting a boy, if it moves back and forth then a girlie is on her way. I never actually knew about this test when I was pregnant but I’m super tempted to try next time.
What other pregnancy predictor tests have you heard about or believe in? I’m sure there’s tonnes of theories that I haven’t included here. Were any of them accurate for you? Are any of you waiting until birth to find out the sex? Why not tell us in the comments box below…
So much fun! I read somewhere that whatever you dream you are having you will have the opposite?
Also…. Next time round eh….? We are just starting to think about this too ???
Lucy it’s purely theoretical; personally I’d like Hector to be starting school before the next one. Life is mental with one kid – I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like with any more!
We (my raging hippy grannie) did the ring test with each of our girls and it was right – when we found out we were expecting a third time GeeGee tried it again at 12 weeks (we were yet to have a scan) and the ring did.not.move. Two days later, we found out we were having twins and a month later discovered they were a boy one AND a girl one – GeeGee absolutely convinced that the ring (come heeeeere my precious….. No, just me?!) ‘sensed the dual energies’ of the babies.
God, I’m creased up laughing about it even now.
Love reading about these things, though I think they’re all bunkum ? Having found out the sex with all four babbies I can’t imagine not, now! Altho, hand-me-down game is strong when you’ve got a few kids so we’d be prepared either way…
Sounds like your granny knows a thing or two Maoibh! Clearly the ring test is a winner then…fascinating to hear about that it didn’t move when you were pregnant with twins. I’m definitely going to try this next time or indeed with the next person who gets pregnant.
She’ll offer to do it to strangers in the street, Lolly. Tis half mortifying, half hilarious. Take a trip to Donegal if and when you have another, GeeGee will see you right ?
I’m there! I’d love to meet her! She’s sounds like a brilliant laugh xx
Love. This.
Not to do with gender, but I suffered a lot with horrible heartburn during my pregnancy which is supposed to be associated with having a baby with lots of hair – sure enough baby Flo had a very full head of hair and the paediatrician who did her newborn check even asked if I’d had heartburn! So old wives tale or rooted in science? Who knows, but given Flo’s now lost most of that hair (and has a very attractive bald patch/mullet combo) I’m not sure the heartburn was worth it ?
Ahhhh but the Friar Tuck look is the BEST on babies! Bless Flo!
I have prescribed medication in pregnancy, my heartburn gets so dreadful. And I birth the baldest babies in all the land, ha!
I read somewhere Katie that they’ve actually proved the heartburn thing means hair so I think the saying has become more credible now that they’ve proved it scientifically.
I had horrific heartburn with Hector and like Flo he was born with masses of incredibly dark hair that actually he’s never lost. It just got thicker and curlier and lighter. I think he’s on his way to becoming a blondie. My mum had the same with me so I definitely think there’s something in it….
I was convinced Alice was a boy because I was carrying her differently to Molly. Then when I went in to be induced the midwife took one look st me, listened to the heartbeat and said it was a girl. She’d been doing it 30 odd years and turns out she was right! Definitely something in the heartbeat thing. Love the ring test though. My mum used to swear by it!
A friend of mine Lottie is pregnant with her second and was convinced she was having a boy because her pregnancy felt so different second time round. She feels more nauseous, her skin is more prone to breakouts and is dryer etc etc. Low and behold she’s just found out she’s having another girl. I think every pregnancy is so different isn’t it.
I was convinced we were having a boy this time around as the pregnancy felt so different. At the 20 week scan we were treated to a very clear view of… Girl parts! It has continued to be completely different though, so it obviously varies lots from baby to baby.
Last time around I was monitored a lot and I had a consultant come in, look at the trace and listen to the heartbeat and say “girl, is it?”. Apparently the heartbeat was ‘typical’ of a girl.
Just tried the chinese lunar predictions in retrospect. Conception and birth dates all bring up girl – my son is 6months old now and looks very ‘boysy’!
Ahhhhh Kerri – another non failsafe method….
We didn’t find out with our first but did with our second (and I realised that it’s a surprise whenever you find out!) and all predictions/’tests’/old wives’ tales etc were entirely wrong for both. I was also entirely wrong with what I thought they were – my mother’s intuition is clearly on the fritz.
I think maybe I just have really contrary children…….!
Fionnula I think you were just meant to have surprises 😉
This article has made me chuckle this morning! I’m due in July and we’ve kept it a surprise…. and by following the tales above I think it still is going to be a surprise! I currently love all things sweet and savoury and the heartbeat sounded something like a horse on a train!
I do love hearing people’s predictions and theories though- and can’t wait to find out in July.
Jackie perhaps you’re secretly having twins….one of each xx
Oh my! That really would be a surprise!
I’m due in July and we are waiting until the big day for the big reveal! My current answer the question with ‘what are you having?’, is ‘a baby!’. We decided that there aren’t many true surprises in life, there isn’t anything you can do to change it and I also heard that mothers who don’t know the sex have shorter labors! We have both girl and boy names picked out and a lot of grey and cream babygros. Although I have lots of pregnant friends at the moment and they are all going to find out the moment they get in to the 20 week scan. Each to their own…
I have no idea what I’m having – I swing from one to the other! And the tests above also put me at a 50/50 too. Cheesy as it sounds, as long as they are happy and healthy we will be delighted weather it’s a pink or blue bundle!
Ahhh Bryony I love that you are choosing a surprise! My mum said exactly the same thing to me, that by the time we get to this age in life there aren’t many surprises left so grab them whilst you can! We had tonnes of grey and cream babygros too and lots of stripes I recall! A baby doesn’t really care what they are wearing as long as they are cosy and fed and loved xx
When I was expecting our third baby, my sister in law told me about the nub theory. Apparently you can tell from your 12 week scan picture if it’s a boy or a girl depending on where the nub is pointing. If it’s 30 degrees away from the spine it’s a boy and if it’s closer it’s a girl…… I suppose this will all depend on how the baby is lying when the sonographer takes the picture and if I’m honest I had no idea what I was looking at ha!
I’ve heard about this theory Lorna but didn’t really have an inkling into what was involved, what you had to look at and what it all meant. Very interesting though….something I’ll bear in mind for next time xx
I am due in October and we are going to keep it a surprise. Like Bryony I think it is one of the few true surprises left in our modern world, also, all being well we will be handed a healthy happy bouncing bundle, but I think if I knew the sex before they arrived I would be imagining the little girl/boy at specific ages and wondering who they will look like, giving it a personality kind of, it’s hard to describe but I think if I knew the sex I would struggle even more if something were to go wrong (sorry that sounds very morbid).
From early on my husband and I both had a strong gut feeling that it is a little girl. I had this incredibly vivid dream that we were at the first scan and the baby was swimming around in my tummy, only the baby was a beautiful baby girl with a pink bow in her hair and was the size of a one year old! lol At our latest scan the baby appears to have very long limbs so now my husband is thinking it might be a boy with long limbs like him (and very unlike me). It’s so much fun trying to guess! xo
I had recurring dreams about little girls too Helen! But then Hector made his appearance so perhaps Lucy’s comment at the top is accurate…
So I’m going to be a bit dull here as at 39 weeks and also being a statistician who researches (wait for it) sex selective abortion I know every last one of these old wives tales is rubbish. However it hasn’t stopped everyone telling me what they think we’re having. They all think it’s a girl because I have a small bump. Thing is, though, there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls in this country so you’re always best off guessing a boy.
Oh yes, and statistically whatever the mother thinks it will be is actually right 70% of the time. It’s the only non scientific method which is more accurate than chance would suggest.
I’m still going crazy waiting to find out what my bubba will be though :-)…Couldn’t really find out in all conscience given what I do for a living!
I didn’t know that there were more boys born than girls Mel. Any particular reason why this might be so? And you say in this country? Does it differ for other places around the world? I’ve always said that Mother’s Intuition is a thing so I guess the question to ask is what do you think you’re having?
It’s about 105 boys to 100 girls everywhere in the absence of prenatal sex selection, which is really rare here. But, for example, in Nepal, India, China and Vietnam there are even more boys. It’s scary how many girls are “missing”.
I thought I was having a boy most of the pregnancy, but then switched to girl in the third trimester, so I basically haven’t got a clue. My intuition is totally up the spout!!!
That is so incredibly scary Mel and sad too. You’ll have to come back and tell us what you do end up having. We’re on tenterhooks too now!
I’m 13 weeks pregnant with my second at the moment. I’ve had 3 scans all showing very different pictures so I really have no clue what I’m having. I think I prefer it that way. I already have a little girl and all through my pregnancy with her, I was convinced she was a boy. So I guess I don’t fit in that 70% of mum’s with good intuition.
However, reading your facts Lauren, as someone who much prefers savoury, when I was pregnant with Freya I couldn’t get enough chocolate so that was true for me! I’m definitely going to give the ring test a go just for fun!
Love the name Freya, Sarah; it was on our list for girls if we had one. Do you think you’ll end up finding out what you’re having or will you keep it a surprise?
Ah thank you. It took us a while to find a girls name and we’re so pleased with our decision. I love the name Hector too. I’ve not even thought about names for this baby yet! We’re going to keep it a surprise again…it definitely helped me push harder! 🙂
I’m 16 weeks pregnant and heard the babies heartbeat for the first time this morning! We already have a 17 month old girl but we have decided not to find out what we are having this time round (mainly as my husband doesn’t want to). I can’t imagine having a boy! Very exciting! Let’s hope they sleep better than their big sister whatever we have! Xx
I love the guessing game even if most of these old wives tales are prety hit and miss! I’m 17 weeks with my second baby and we are not going to find out – didn’t with the first either and all the way through everyone told me I was having a boy because my bump looked like a ‘boy bump’ so even I was then convinced it must be a boy, but out popped a girl! I was so surprised but it was lovely, and quite fun to shock everyone who had been so insistant about it being a boy! Even though we don’t want to know with this baby I still can’t stop studying the scan picture trying to work out the ‘nub theory’ and I was googling the heart rate theory last night having heard the heartbeat at my midwife appointment! Going by that it’s another girl… According to the Chinese birth chart it’s a boy, but apparently so was my first child and she’s definitely a girl!! x
I suppose 50/50 odds of getting it right are pretty much the best you’ll get! We opted to find out at 20 weeks -it was still a surprise just a half-time surprise! Just for a bit of fun before we had the scan we did some of the old wives take methods of predicting the sex and half said girl and half said boy! I had a feeling I was having a boy, and it turned out I was right but again 50/50 odds are pretty good!
I found what was a boy down South was a SURE sign I was having a boy to my Northern relatives. Not helpful
The skull test is accurate according to my Dr consultant pal and she’s got a reputation for 100% accuracy with around 30 friends and friends of friends. It is her job mind. The heartbeat is apparently more accurate close to birth. My daughters was 140ish throughout my midwife appointment but spiked to 160+ in labour.
I had citrus cravings with my daughter. I could not get enough orange juice, mango or pineapple. I went off milk. This time around, exactly the same so we shall see….
We decided to opt for a surprise too and I did all of these when I was pregnant, which is very unlike me. I got girl each time but I absolutely knew I was having a boy (naive gut feeling – not scan). My bump was given a boys nickname by my husband and I and all our clothes, although neutral, were more boy than girl. When my little one was delivered in theatre the dr held baby up for us to see and said ‘what have you got’ and we both shouted ‘boy’. A confused medical team then replied that she was a girl, so the old wives tales were right all along. I would definately opt for a surprise again i think. Loved all the late kifjt conversations about why we thought it was a boy or a girl xxx
*night