Is it a Boy or a Girl?

It never seems to fail....when people notice you're pregnant, one of the first questions they ask is, 'Is it a boy or a girl?' Of course, there are a great number of women who either don't know yet, would rather not know, or want to keep it a secret, and that leaves them open to all the classic gender guessing games. If you're pregnant (or have been), you've probably heard a good number of the old wives' tales that can supposedly predict your baby's gender. Here's a list of some of the most popular ones, but please keep in mind - this is all just for fun and not scientific by any means!

High or low

Possibly the most common of the old wives' tales is how you're carrying the baby and how this tells you if it's a boy or a girl. If you're carrying low, it's a boy, and if you're carrying high, it's a girl.

The Drano test

I'm not even sure I should go into detail here, but it involves the mixing of crystal Drano and your urine and seeing what color appears. This test pops up on the internet as a popular search, but it's highly recommended that you DON'T use this test, even for purposes of fun. Why? Because the resulting fumes from the Drano can be pretty toxic, and of course, with any gender test (other than in a doctor's office), it's completely unreliable anyway.

Does baby's heart race?

The tale goes that if you're having a girl, her heart rate will be above 140 beats per minute. For a boy, he'll sit below 140 beats per minute.

First they're sour, then they're sweet...

If you're craving sweet stuff like candy, chocolate, fruits, etc., then it seems that you're having a girl. But if you prefer sour or salty foods like pickles, nuts, pretzels, etc., then you might have a boy.

Sympathy weight

If your partner puts on weight with you during your pregnancy, it's said that you'll have a girl. But if he doesn't pack on any pounds, you'll have a boy.

Stealing beauty

A common tale is that if you feel good and look good during your pregnancy, you'll have a boy. But if you're feeling pretty sick and look pale and gaunt, you're having a girl because she's stealing your beauty for herself.

A fun one to try at a baby shower is the wedding ring or necklace over the belly trick. Take a necklace or a wedding ring on a string and hold it over the pregnant belly as still as possible. If it starts moving in circles, it's said that you'll have a girl, but if it moves from side to side, you'll have a boy.

The ancient way

If you bring up www.google.com, and pop the words 'chinese gender chart' into the search box, a whole array of links to the Chinese gender charts will pop up for you. Apparently, in knowing how old you are when you conceive and in which month will tell you what the gender is.

Are you palming it?

Someone has to get the drop on you for this to work (it's no fun if you know the game and you can cheat). Ask a pregnant woman to hold out her hands to you. If she holds them out palms up, it'll be a girl. If she holds them out palms down, it's a boy.

The key to knowing

This is another trick that should be done by surprise. Put a key on a table and ask a pregnant woman to pick it up. If she picks it up by the round part, it's a boy. If she picks it up by the slender tip, it's a girl. And if she picks it up in the middle, double-whammy! It's said that she'll have twins.

The Mayans' guess

The Mayans have passed down an equation that is at least interesting, if not fun. Take the mother's age at conception and the year of conception, and if both numbers are even or odd, then it's a girl. If one number is even and the other odd, then it's a boy. Obviously this isn't scientific, but hey, it worked for me...I was 30 when my daughter was conceived in 2008. There you go!

Again, these are all for good fun and not scientific or medical in any way. The only true way to predict a baby's gender is to get an ultrasound at your doctor's office, and even then, the prediction is only as good as your sonographer's best educated guess! Either way, have fun, and most of all, enjoy every moment of your beautiful pregnancy!