I am sure you’ve heard several different old wives tales about how you can predict the gender of your baby without waiting for a medical confirmation. Unfortunately these old wives tales don’t have much proof behind them but many people have one or two they swear by! I’ll share a few of the most common ones here and you’ll have to decide on their accuracy yourself. Be sure to check out our old wives tale gender predicting quiz linked at the end!
The Cravings Test
This is one you’ve probably heard of since pregnancy cravings are a common pregnancy topic. The saying goes that if you’ve got an extra sweet tooth while pregnant then you’re having a girl. But if you keep reaching for the salty snacks, fingers are pointing to a boy. My problem with this one is I craved both! (And no I did not have twins!).
The Ring Test
So this one is a popular one in my family because one of my grandmothers swears she is always accurate with this. And it did correctly predict our baby boy so who knows? For this one you’re meant to tie your wedding ring on a string and hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circular motion you’re having a girl, but a back and forth/side to side motion means boy.
Mayan Math
This one uses your age and the month you conceived to determine the gender. There is a chart that goes with it but for the most part it works like this: If both numbers (age and the month) are odd or if both are even then it looks like you’re having a girl. But if one number is even and the other odd a boy is more likely.
Check out that Belly!
There are two tales that kind of go together on this one. First of all-where is your bump? Are you carrying your bump up high or down low? I supposedly if you’re carrying up high then it’s a girl and down low means a boy. The other thing to look at is the shape of your bump. If your bump is wider and more spread out around your middle then signs are pointing to a girl. If your bump is more narrow and seems to pop forward then that would be a boy!
Heartburn
Unfortunately heartburn can strike anyone during pregnancy no matter what gender you’re carrying. But apparently this symptom might give you a clue to the gender as well. The myth says that women who experience more severe and constant heartburn are carrying girls (who will come out with a head full of hair). And on the flip side, if you don’t have much heartburn you might be having a boy. This one was definitely not accurate for me…I had all the heartburn and had a boy. Although he did come out with a head full of hair!
How’s Your Skin?
Dealing with an increase in breakouts since becoming pregnant? While this might seem like bad news, if you’re hoping for a girl it could be good news! The old wives tale is that pregnancy acne and more oily skin point to a girl. And being blemish free with drier skin point to a boy.
The Secret is in the Side
The side you sleep on that is. Most women move to sleeping on their side at some point in pregnancy. Most doctors recommend it as you get farther int your pregnancy for better blood flow and frankly it just becomes uncomfortable to sleep on your back with all that extra weight on you. So pay attention to which side you favor when sleeping. If you tend to sleep on your left side you might be having a boy, but if you stick more to your right side you’re probably having a girl.
Graceful or Clumsy
I’m not sure I identified with either of this super strongly in pregnancy and frankly I tend to be clumsy whether I’m pregnant or not. But the saying goes that if you feel you’ve become more graceful during pregnancy, just gliding through the day with ease you’re carrying a girl. If you feel like you’re constantly tripping over your own two feet and dropping everything you pick up you might be having a boy.
I’m curious, how many of these were true for you? Be sure to check out the Gender Prediction quiz to put all these myths to the test!