Today was the big day of our “20 week” anatomy scan.  I have been looking forward to this day since before we conceived; the day we find out the gender!  We also get to find out in detail if our baby is healthy, and after watching Jackson Avery and April Kepner go through their horrible ordeal on Greys Anatomy, finding the health was kind of important to me too.  Waiting 20 weeks is pain staking, so most of us moms start googling ways to find out the gender way before our “big day.”  Gender wives’ tales have been alive since probably the dawn of time, especially since I am pretty sure cave men didn’t have ultrasound machines.  Even though us moms are rational creatures and know that they are in fact wives’ tales, fables, games, guesses, we still excitedly try them and cross our fingers through the entire process.  This lead me to the night before our big day googling different wives tales on determining gender, and after reading what felt like a thousand different blogs and articles from all across the world, I picked my favorite 30 to put to the test.

BODY CHANGES

1: How You Carry 

This is one of the biggest wives’ tales and easiest for strangers to comment on.  The theory goes that if you carry high, you are going to have a girl.  If you carry low, you are going to have a boy.  Now I looked into this one a little further, and doctors say that how you carry has more to do with the strength of your ab muscles than the gender.  Anyway, people have told me that I am carrying both high and low, and I think it depends on the day, how much I’ve eaten, and how much gas I have brewing inside.  I personally think I carry kind of low, so let’s go with that.  Verdict: BOY

2: Where You Carry

Another top wives’ tale that everyone seems to have an opinion about.  If you carry in front and your belly looks like a basketball, it is a boy.  If you carry around your body and your belly looks more like a watermelon, it is a girl.  Again, this one is hard for me to tell and I hear conflicting reports from others.  I can still wear the majority of my size 4 jeans, and my husband swears I have only gained weight in my belly (isn’t he sweet?  or maybe just smart) and many people comment on “my basketball belly,”  so let’s go with that one.  Verdict: BOY

3: Acne

The story goes that girl babies want to suck the beauty out of their mother, so if a women is breaking out with acne she is having a girl, if her skin is glowing and radiant and beautiful she is having a boy.  Now, I actually believe this theory, but for much different (and more scientific) reasons.  I haven’t read this anywhere, this is just my own theory, but having a girl creates more estrogen in the body, and acne can be sparked by estrogen and hormone imbalances.  I have always had acne, but since becoming pregnant it is raging and has a life of it’s own.  The only upside to this, I have become a face washing (and touching and lotion-ing) Nazi and I actually have a pretty good rhythm set up that is helping things a (very) tiny bit.  It is even better that most hard-core acne medications you shouldn’t take/use when pregnant, so the only cure is pushing that little creature out and hoping it goes away then.  Verdict: GIRL

4: Face Weight

Along the same lines of girls stealing their mom’s beauty, they also say that if mom’s face is getting fuller the baby will be a girl.  Again, begging my husband to tell me the truth, he claims my face looks the same and I actually agree (or at least I want to agree?).  So, yeah, let’s go with I am still as beautiful as ever.  Verdict: BOY

5: Headaches

If you have more headaches than usual, they claim the baby is a boy.  I have struggled with migraines most of my life, and mine are usually onset by hormone fluctuations (a la my period).  Now that I am pregnant I get more migraines than I used to (yay!), but luckily they seem to be slowing down a tiny bit.  Like I mentioned above about extra estrogen in the body, if I had to guess what caused my new migraines, I would guess it is extra estrogen in my body.  So to me, the headaches made me lean toward a girl, but the wives’ tale says boy, so I’m going to follow them for the sake of this test.  Verdict: BOY

6: Hands and Feet

Rumor has it that if  you have dry hands and cold feet (literally, not figuratively) you are having a boy, the opposite you are having a girl.  Now I am always cold, like always, so the fact my feet are cold (not to mention it is winter [or as winter as So Cal can get]) doesn’t surprise me a whole heck of a lot.  However I do put lotion on my hands religiously every night, and usually that is more than enough for me, but now they seem to be extra dry and I am trying to slather the creams on multiple times a day.  Again, is this because it is winter?  Who knows!  Verdict: BOY

7: Breast Size

We all know that during pregnancy your breasts grow (daddy’s favorite part), and they claim that if your right breast grows larger than your left you will be having a girl and if your left breast is bigger you will be having a boy.  Unfortunately, on a different blog I read the exact opposite information, so I am not sure what to believe.  Also, I don’t know if they take into account if before pregnancy you already had one breast bigger than the other, like most women have.  And do they mean mom’s right or looking at mom’s right?  My right is slightly larger, but it always has been, and I am not sure I trust my sources.  Verdict:  UNDETERMINED

8: Hair Growth

Theory has it that if your leg hair is growing extra fast you are more likely to be having a boy.  The hair on my head is growing like wild grass, my entire body is covered in an extra layer of “fluff,” but ironically my leg hair seems to be slowing down, which I love because most days I am much too lazy to shave (plus it is winter which is like a 3 month free pass).  Verdict: GIRL

9: Linea Nigra

The Linea Nigra is the dark line of pigment that moms usually get on their belly.  If the line runs from the pubic area to the belly button, theory is you will have a girl, but if your line travels all the way up  your ribcage, you will have a boy.  Luckily for me this line of pigment has not yet started to form, so right now I have no idea where mine will end.  Verdict: UNDETERMINED

10. Pee and Drano

Legend has it that if you pee in a cup and add a tablespoon of Drano, if it changes green you will have a girl and if it changes blue you will have a boy.  Last night I asked my husband if we had any Drano in the house, he said no and I explained the wives tale.  I then asked him if I bought some would he use it semi-soon, and his response was, “Drano is dangerous to have in the house for pets and children, so don’t buy it.  That wives tale is dumb.”  What a good father!  I also researched that doing this test can release poisonous gas in the air, so yeah, I decided not to do it.  Verdict: UNDETERMINED

11. Pee and Baking Soda

Again, pee in a cup, now add baking soda.  If it fizzes it’s a boy, if it does not it is a girl.  I tried this, and while pouring the baking soda straight from the box I realized this was a stupid idea and was paranoid about back-splash.  After the anxiety lowered, I realized there was no real fizzing happening, maybe a bubble or two, but definitely not a fizz.  Verdict: GIRL

12. Pee and Bleach

More pee!!  I got this wives tale from a friend of mine at work.  She swears by it and says it worked with both her kids.  First, drink more water, since you are pregnant you will have to pee in 10 minutes again anyway.  Now this time, pee in a cup and add bleach.  If the pee floats, you will have a boy.  If the pee sinks, you will have a girl.  We had a very old bottle of bleach in the back of our laundry room and it was almost empty, but I was not about to go to the store so it had to do.  I did the deed but from all the drinking my pee was pretty darn clear, so it was hard to tell if it sank or float.  From what I can tell the pee stayed at the bottom of the cup, so let’s go with that!  Verdict: GIRL

BEHAVIORS AND ACTIVITIES

13. Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is more likely to affect us mommies during the first trimester, but it can happen throughout the entire pregnancy or it can not happen at all.  Legend goes that if you experience morning sickness, you are more likely to be having a girl.  I never threw up during my pregnancy, but I was nauseous during most of the entire first trimester.  Verdict: GIRL

14. Mommy’s Cravings

Story goes that if mommy craves sweets, you will have a girl.  If you crave salty or sour foods, you will have a boy.  I have had a sweet tooth my entire life, I am the kind of girl who would rather have cake for dinner than real food.  However, as soon as I became pregnant I magically started getting turned off by sugary treats, especially empty sugar like candy.  In the first few months of pregnancy I craved chips and other salty foods.  Now that I am halfway cooked I am starting to crave all types of foods again, but in the first trimester this wives’ tale was definitely apparent.  Verdict: BOY

15. Daddy’s Cravings

Has daddy been having as many cravings as you?  Has he been packing on the pounds and running to the store for his own food desires more than your own?  If daddy has been having sympathy cravings, they say you may have a girl.  My husband has like zero percent body fat, and that hasn’t been seeming to change.  I could out-eat him before the pregnancy, and I am certain I could out-eat him even more now.  Verdict: BOY 

16. Mood Swings

There is no question that during pregnancy a woman’s hormones are going insane.  Because of this, some days (or hours or seconds) we are ecstatic, the next we are furious, the next we are drowning in tears.  All for absolutely no reason (but don’t tell us that during the moment, we will kill you).  It is said that if you have more mood swings than “normal” (according to men we always have mood swings) you will have a girl.  Was this one made by men and adding to the stereotypes that all women are emotional?  Or maybe it has to do with all that darn estrogen.  Either way, I feel that overall I am not as emotional as I could be, but maybe I should ask my husband before really answering this one…but then again, if he is smart he will tell me I am perfect in every way, or he WILL feel my wrath.  Ok, so maybe that is a yes?  I can admit that I have been living most of my pregnancy in a state of “honey badger don’t give a sh*t,” even more than usual.  Verdict: GIRL (maybe??)

17. Sleeping Position

As a pregnant person, it is fairly painful to sleep on your stomach and your back.  Luckily for me I strictly sleep on my side, so I don’t really mind.  They say that if you are more likely to sleep on your left side you will be having a boy, while if you sleep on the right you will have a girl.  This is semi-misleading because all articles suggest sleeping on your left side because for some reason there is better blood flow to the baby.  My husband sleeps on my left, and I swear I have a deviated septum or something because when I sleep on my left I breathe heavier (and louder apparently) than on my right.  Because my husband complains about this every freaking night, I try to stay on my right side as much as possible anyway.  Verdict: GIRL

18. Dreams

The websites claim that if you dream you are going to have a boy, you will actually end up having a girl, and vice versa.  The day before my 12 week ultrasound I had a dream I was going to have a girl.  I told the ultrasound technician about my dream, and she said that our baby must be a girl then.  This is why I was surprised when I heard of this wives tale.  So who do I believe…a lot of blogs, or my ultrasound tech?  Verdict: BOY

19. Grace

Another semi-stereotypical wives’ tale, they claim that if a mom has grace during her entire pregnancy, she will have a girl, while if she gets clumsy she will have a boy.  I have always been a graceful person (I can thank millions of dollars worth of dance classes for that), but recently I have noticed I have been bumping into more things and random bruises keep appearing all over my body.  I could be a lot worse, but for me I have gotten more clumsy it seems.  Verdict: BOY

20. Garlic

An interesting test I saw was if mom eats garlic, if the garlic seeps out of her pores it will be a boy, if you can’t smell her it will be a girl.  One night Nathan was out of town and so I ate this amazing gluten and lactose free pizza that was VERY garlicky.  The next day Nathan could hardly get close to me and said I reeked of garlic (could also have been because I didn’t shower all week).  Verdict: BOY

21. Hand Game

This works best if someone asks mom to do the test before she knows what is going on.  Ask her to see her hands.  If she shows you palms up, the baby will be a girl.  If she shows you palms down, the baby will be a boy.  I read the first sentence without knowing the verdict, and I stretched my hands toward my husband.  I put my palms up, and I am pretty confident if I was asked in a more random scenario I would do the same thing.  Verdict: GIRL

22. Key Game

This is another good one to do when mom doesn’t know what is going on.  Place a key on the ground and ask mom to pick it up.  If she picks it up from the thin side, the baby will be a girl, if she picks it up from the thicker round side, the baby will be a boy.  Again, I read the first sentence and tried it, and I picked it up by the thick end.  Verdict: BOY

RANDOM/OTHER

23. Hanging Something Above You

Alright, this one is also one of the most talked about, but also has the most controversy.  I have read to put your wedding ring in a string and use that, I have read to use a chain, and I have read to use a necklace with a pendant or charm.  Then I have heard to take your hanging device and to either hang it above your belly or to hang it above your hand and either way watch which way it swings.  Many formal blogs claim that if it swings in a circle it will be a boy, but if it swings back and forth in a straight line it will be a girl.  However, after reading comments on these blogs, many different people comment and say that the blog has it backward.  Ack, I have no idea what to believe.  Because I don’t feel like finding string, I grabbed one of my necklaces with a big pendant at the bottom.  I tried the belly first and then the hand, and both times the necklace swung in whatever fashion it felt like swinging, moving straight and circular simultaneously at times.  If this was Mythbusters, I would call this one busted.  Verdict: UNDETERMINED 

24. Stressed Parent

Another funny wives’ tale I read was during conception, whichever parent is the least stressed the baby will be the same gender.  I like to say I go through the “normal” 1-10 emotional roller coaster throughout life, while my husbands emotional roller coaster is about a 4-6 on the same scale.  With this being said, I am pretty sure I am always more stressed than he is.  Also, if it is in fact who is most stressed during time of actual conception, then the answer would be definitely me.  I am sure I was worried about how this is our one shot this month to get pregnant, while my husband…well…wasn’t thinking about a whole lot…  Verdict: BOY

25. Toddlers

They say that if a boy toddler shows interest in your stomach you will have a girl, while if a girl toddler shows interest you will have a boy.  My niece and nephew are too old to be considered toddlers, and neither of them really paid attention to my belly anyway.  We have a bunch of toddlers and young kids in our neighborhood, but so far none of them seem to notice I am pregnant when I am out walking my dogs.  Verdict: UNDETERMINED

26. Baby’s Heartbeat

This one is a long running and strong followed wives’ tale.  They say that if the baby’s heartbeat is less than 140bpm (one blog said 150), you will have a boy.  If the baby’s heartbeat is more than 140bpm (or 150)  you will have a girl.  I have heard my baby’s heartbeat three times now, the first two were in the 150 range and the one today was 142.  Verdict: GIRL

27. Chinese Baby Gender Predictor

According to the website I used, they say the Chinese Baby Gender Predictor was created in the Ching Dynasty and factors together mom’s Chinese age and the lunar month at conception.  They say they have a huge success rate and after reading a lot of the blogs moms seemed to agree this was one of the most accurate tests.  With the website I used, you enter moms birthday and the day you conceived (which may be hard for some people to remember) and it will spit out a gender.  Verdict:  BOY

28. Mayan Calendar

Supposedly the Mayans invented this gender prediction test and they also claim to have high accuracy.  They say to take the moms age at conception and compare it to the year conceived.  If both numbers are even or odd, you will have a girl.  If they are different, you will have a boy.  One blog said to add the two numbers together first, but either way you should get the same result (but then again I teach science, not math).  I am 26 and we conceived in 2014, so that makes them both even (or added gets 2040, also even) so a girl.  Verdict:  GIRL 

29. Baby Names

Legend goes that if  you already have one gender’s name picked out more than the other, that is the gender you will have.  That was true with my friend who’s wife is only a few months ahead of me.  They only had girl names picked out, and luckily they are going to have a little girl.  We, on the other hand, are a little more confusing.  I have a name I really like, and it can technically be either girl or boy.  Besides that one name, we have zero agreed upon boy names, but there are about a hundred other girl names I like.  Verdict: GIRL

30. Mother’s Intuition

At the end of the day, one of the most accurate tests is mom’s intuition.  We sometimes just know what the baby is, weeks and even months before any type of blood test or ultrasound can be done.  After my dream that I was having a girl, I was pretty confident that I was having a girl.  I could just feel it.  And even though my husband really wanted a boy, I think deep down he thought we were having a girl too.  One blog I read said that she read a study that said mom’s just “knew” the gender 71% before actually finding out scientifically.  Verdict: GIRL

SUMMARY

So at the end of this entire process of peeing in cups, hanging things above me, and dropping keys, the 30 tests I found gave me a result of 13/30 BOY (43%), 12/30 GIRL (40%), and 5/30 UNDETERMINED (17%).  From the tests it seems I should be having a boy, but really it was quite an equal match.  If I did these tests far before we took our 20 week ultrasound, I would still be quite confused with my results.  The one thing though that was apparent was that a lot of these seem a bit sexist and stereotypical.  Girls are moody, emotional, selfish, and weaker according to these tests.  All I am going to say is Mythbusters and science has tested time and time again that women have stronger pain tolerances and (in my opinion) are generally more badass than the male species.  So there.

And oh…what did the ultrasound end up saying?

Moral of this story, these tests are what their title calls them, a wives’ tale.  It is fun to play and mess around, but really there is almost zero scientific backing.  The few that might have a tiny (and I mean tiny) bit more validity (heart beat, rise of estrogen, etc) seemed to mostly all say I was having a girl, and the more random tests pointed at a boy.  Either way, it was kind of fun!!