Baby’s Gender: You’re guess is as good as mine

Can you believe I’m still pregnant? Sometimes I hardly can, not in a this-is-taking-forever sort of way, but more in an oh-yeah-there’s-gonna-be-a-BABY sort of way. I certainly thought I’d fill your inbox with baby-related updates by now, but I think I’ve quelled my desire to share every baby fact by safely storing them away in a little memory bank, aka a 45 Thai baht Moleskin knockoff.

As we’re approaching that exciting appointment wherein we get to discover baby’s gender, I thought I’d go through some of the typical gender predictions and see which ones come true. Anyone down the line, if these tests are accurate, I’d say they’re a safe bet to trust it when you’re pregnant!

Bump Location: High vs. Low I would say this one is too soon to tell, as my growing belly has yet to really look like a baby bump. Instead, I have gained a healthy amount of weight, which seems to be distributed throughout most of my body. While I thought this discounted this particular test, some sources say, distribution of weight points to Boy.

Baby’s Heart Rate They say above 140 bpm is more typical of girls, and I believe this particular baby has been just that each time we’ve gone to the doctor. Side note, we heard baby’s heartbeat at our very first prenatal appointment when I was only five weeks pregnant. Chalk that up to a living-in-Thailand bonus! So for baby’s heart rate, signs say it may be a Girl.

Chinese Gender Predictor I think this one is as old as dirt, so it’s probably very accurate. It compares baby’s due date with my age at the time of conception and spits out the result. Chinese legend says baby will be a Boy.

Changes in skin They say girls will steal their mother’s beauty by making them break out frequently, and while I don’t think that’s the nicest thing to say about sweet baby-to-be, I will say I haven’t experienced too much in the way of skin changes. If my skin is the judge, baby is a Boy.

Morning sickness and Nausea The question on one of the quizzes I saw said, “Have you been experiencing morning sickness or have you sailed right through?” My answer to that is, “Nausea? Only ever day of the last nineteen weeks!” While the daily nausea has been rough, I certainly have heard enough horror stories to make me feel like a wimp.  If nothing else, it’s a reminder that there’s a tiny human growing inside of me, fun! According to this litmus, I’d say baby is a big fat Girl.

Over-endowment Don’t mind the TMI, but a growth in chest-size indicates a boy. I can safely ensure you that if this test is accurate, baby will be a Boy.

Cravings I still say I have yet to have any cravings, but I certainly have some hefty aversions, so I think this one still applies. In fact, my tastes have been so incredibly polarized, I asked many mothers if they had different cravings/aversions with their different genders. Every single one of them said there was no pattern to it, but I still couldn’t help but think that my tastes must point to one gender. However, after scouring multiple sources, the online consensus is that sweet points to a girl and sour/salty points to boy. Let’s just say the two food-related things that have comforted me through my pregnancy so far have been lemon (also mustard/vinegar) and salty, bland carbs. If my taste buds are reading baby’s mind, baby is most definitely a Boy.

Baby Daddy’s Body Funny, I didn’t think this would factor in, but apparently if the husband gains weight, it’s a boy. Well guess what, after two months in America, we both rounded out our figures a bit. That being said, we’re headed for a Boy.

Outside Predictions While most are gifts, I’d say our growing collection of baby outfits and accessories, while still primarily gender neutral, are probably on the slightly more masculine side as a whole. We’ve also heard a handful of, “I think it’s a ___,” with the majority predicting a Boy.

Gut Feeling Despite my hefty list of names for a girl, deep in my gut, I’d have to say baby is probably a Boy. (Although, Burke still suspects a Girl.) I think at least one time I’ve slipped and used a masculine pronoun for baby.

Whew, so many tests, it’s like I’ve just come out of a doctor’s appointment! I have to say, I’m surprised to see that the majority of the results indicate baby will be a boy. To be honest, I think Burke and I are more mentally prepared for a girl. We’re still doting over the memories of the adorable little girls from our days working at Narnia. Time will tell, and we’ll be sharing the actual results shortly!