When I was pregnant with Stella, we didn’t find out the sex ahead of time, but I always felt like she would be a girl. I even wrote this post about my preference for a she baby when I was about 6 months pregnant. When I was 7 months pregnant I did a survey of a bunch of the old wives’ tales, and the results were 6-girl / 2-boy / 3-not sure. The day before I went into labor, I wrote a post asking for help on boy names because we had agreed on the name Stella for months for a girl – but had NO IDEA what to name a boy.
This time, I want a girl again (as does Charlie), and we are actually planning on finding out ahead of time during the anatomy scan if the baby cooperates, which is kind of blowing my mind! However, since we’ve both verbalized that we’d like a girl, we are both sort of feeling like God is going to laugh at us and this baby will be a little boy[1].
According to the old wives’ tales,
- How are you carrying? (high-girl/low-boy) – Can’t really tell yet? I feel like it’s lower than last time, but maybe that’s just cuz my ab muscles are already stretched out! LOL (boy?)
- What do you crave? (salty-boy/sweet-girl) – No cravings, but eating more cheese & crackers, which I guess is salty! (boy)
- Husband’s weight? (gained-girl/maintained-boy) – He lost weight at first and is now maintaining (boy).
- Facial Acne? (yes-girl/no-boy) – Yes. BOO. (girl)
- Baby’s heart rate? (>140, <140) – In the 160s in the beginning, but dropping to the 130-140s sometimes now. (tie)
- Chinese Gender Chart: http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html – Make sure you use your lunar age – the algorithm upon which this chart is based! (boy)
- Sleep Position – Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight. Left side or right side? (left-boy/right-girl) Right side. I TRY to be on my left, but I always end up on my right (girl)
- Upset Stomach – Do/did you have extreme nausea? (yes-girl/no-boy) Yep. Horrid. Worse than with Stella. (girl)
- Soft or Dry Hands – Have your hands been soft? Or dry during your pregnancy?(dry:boy/soft:girl) Soft I guess? (girl)
- Face Weight Gain – Has your face filled in more so than normal? (fuller face: girl / no: boy) So far not really, but it’s pretty early still! (tie)
- Baby Weight – Are you carrying your baby towards the front only? Or is the weight spaced all around your middle? (front:boy/all around:girl) Probably more “all around” this time (girl)
For those keeping track, that’s:
Girl: 5
Boy: 4
Unsure: 2
So yeah, we really have no idea, though we are both thinking boy lately.
How about you? Did you have a “feeling” about the sex of your baby? Were you right?
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[1] Do I really need to clarify that of course we just want a healthy baby? Cuz ya, healthy baby #FTW, and we would love a boy just as much as a girl, we’re just comfortable with the idea of a girl now, and we have all the girl clothes, and I love the idea of sisters!
I can’t wait to hear what you are having!! 🙂 I am guessing girl, but I will be so excited for you either way because of course, both have so many pluses. I had a brother only and loved growing up with him.. but think sisters would be so neat too!
I feel like parents (esp the mom) know what the gender is. Although I never met my Bean (at least, not in the way I would have liked) I always felt he was a boy. Deep down, we just know. But those old wives’ tales are fun!
OMG, Chinese Gender Predictor said Bean was a boy <3
Ha! Best footnote!
My footnote: I think it’s a boy. I’m usually right, so include me in your list above!
I guessed girl for Stella and I was right, and I’m guessing boy this time. I’m usually right too, so put me on the bandwagon with SRB. 🙂 I can usually tell by the mothers diet. Did you do fertility friend this time? Also I can usually guess right based on the timing. But I think the sure way to tell is …what are your dreams about? Mine were all girl. Mother’s intuition is 70% accurate when you don’t have a preference either way.
So excited to find out Josey!!!
I don’t have baby dreams. Is that weird? 🙂
We had a quickie the morning and night of the day I got a positive OPK. That’s it!
Boys are awesome! But I get that it would be awesome to have sisters & re-use clothes & items 🙂
I thought we were having a girl until the morning of the u/s and then I felt certain it was a boy. And it was!
Can’t wait to hear what you are having!
those old wives tales basically said Raegan was a boy and this baby is a girl…so yeah, not holding much hope for them to be right LOL. I say girl for you and my record is 4/7 correct. I kinda hope your baby is shy and you can’t find out until delivery 😀 Good luck!
I have no real guess as to what you’re . But I will say that I REALLY feel like the Chinese Gender Predictor chart is accurate. I ALWAYS check it when people are/were pregnant and 9 out of 10 times it’s correct. Having 1 of each is awesome but two sisters would be wonderful too. When is your scan???
I agree! No reason why I put more stock in it, but I do. I seriously used to think I’d time our TTC around it. HAHAHAHA. When I saw this time that it said boy, I think that was the turning point for me to believe this little one was a boy. We shall see!!
I knew every would be a girl I only had one moment of doubt. I don’t know why but I have a feeling it’s a boy for you. I’m so glad you’re going to find out!!!!!!!
I didn’t find out either and never really had any thoughts one way or the other. My MIL though swore up and down it would be a boy. To the point she told all the relatives we were having a boy. Towards the end I was leaning towards a girl just because it was so active in there, just kicking my bladder all the time. I didn’t bother doing any of the old wives tales, since all my relatives who have done them usually ended up with the opposite, so never had much faith in those. Ended up having a girl and my MIL was pissed about that and called all the relatives and said we had a boy, so we ended up with tons of boy items and cards says congrats on the birth of your son…..not impressed with that, but that’s a whole different story, LOL I am about 8 weeks along now with #2 and not going to find out the sex this time either, but so far this pregnancy has been a lot opposite of the last, but I’m not far enough along to make any guesses this time. I’m gonna go against a lot of the other guesses, and guess your gonna have a girl 🙂
I don’t believe most of the old wives tales, but I do kind of believe in the Chinese gender chart – no idea why 🙂
Your MIL…wow…what a pill. How rude!!!
God damn it Josey I thought from the title I was going to get the answer today. You tease.
Hahaha, I originally was going to hold this post in drafts until I could put the announcement on the bottom, but I got too impatient and just posted it. 🙂
You had me so tricked that this was really your announcement that I skimmed the post as fast as humanly possible just as we were sitting down to dinner and the girls were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Now that I’ve come back and read the whole thing, I think you’re having a boy, but am really hoping girl bc I’m obsessed with you and all your sisters. You’re all so cute together!
🙂 You make me laugh. I’m so glad we found each other all those years ago! So random, but awesome.
I had the exact same reaction as Sheelah! I was furiously scrolling for the answer. I love watching people’s reactions to finding out the sex, like seriously watch gender reveals on YouTube for a good happy cry. The surprise is so fun and people squeal with joy no matter what! Can’t wait to find out! I’m guessing girl.
🙂 I’m trying to decide if we’ll do a gender reveal surprise or not. We shall see. They ARE pretty fun. 😉
So much fun!! I’m guessing boy for you.
I knew with both of mine. My first pregnancy I had a lot of ultrasounds bc the baby was measuring so small (dude, I’m 5 foot nothing do you really think I’m going to have a big baby?) and with each one they said ti was a girl. I still felt like all along I was having a boy but they kept saying girl…until two weeks before I was due and suddenly…BOY! We found this out the week after I had my shower in which I got every pink thing under the sun. Only my best friends got gender neutral stuff bc they knew I was convinced it was a boy! 🙂 And with Babe I just knew it was a girl. They confirmed it with an ultrasound but you can imagine how much faith I put on that after my past experience! haha! But I was right both times so I put a big price tag on the mama’s feeling.
Can’t wait to find out either way! 🙂
See – I’m worried about this! If it’s a boy, C wants to get rid of all the girl clothes, but WHAT IF THEY’RE WRONG?!
I can’t wait to hear when you guys find out! What an exciting time 🙂 I totally recommend a gender reveal party haha We had so much fun when we did ours.
I’d love to, but I’m not sure I have the patience to wait to tell ppl until a party! Trying to figure out something asap to do to tell ppl in a fun way. 🙂
Going through these, they almost entirely point to boy for me, and well, yeah, not a boy. Which is nice because we’re girl people over here too. 🙂
Not a boy unless there’s some great surprise in the delivery room, that is! Interestingly, it’s taken three scans and four different ultrasound techs to convince me it’s a girl, and I still have a tiny bit of doubt, which is weird.
I very much wanted another girl, and I shamefully admit to being a little heartbroken when the ultrasound tech told us it was a boy. I cried while going through all of Bean’s infant things, and separating out the many items I won’t be able to use again. I do not plan to have any more babies, so it’s been hard to accept that Bean is the only little girl I’ll ever have, and that Bean won’t have a sister (my sister and I are extremely close, and I hoped my own kids would have that too).
I know, of course, that I will be over the moon for this little boy when he finally comes – and will most likely forget all my wishing for another girl – but right now it is still a little bittersweet.
ha! I was just thinking about writing a post comparing the differences among my pregnancies! With the girls I had bad skin, really bad heartburn, gained weight all over, my hair was greasy and dark, and my nose was extra super sensitive. With this last pregnancy I gained mostly around the middle of my body, my skin was clear, my hair was gorgeous, and my nose wasn’t as sensitive. My SIL did the chinese calendar for my pregnancies and they all matched up, girl girl boy. Congratulations on a healthy baby!! 🙂
I think the carrying high/low is totally just based around your abs and height and body type. I’ve been high with both kids–Smudgie was obvs a boy and we’re not finding out this one so I don’t know yet.
With Smudgie, even though we technically didn’t find out the sex I was 100% positive he was a boy the whole time. Total mother’s intuition. I would have been floored if I’d been told I had a girl at the delivery. This time around I don’t have as strong a feeling. Part of me leans girl but maybe that’s just because I’d like a girl (not that I wouldn’t also love a little brother for Smudgie, don’t get me wrong). Then I think boy, then I go back to girl. I’d say I’m 60-40 girl-boy. So we’ll see. It will be a true surprise!
Oh, and as to the other “signs”–definitely more morning sickness with this pregnancy (absolutely none with Smudgie), definitely more tired, skin worse, hair awful (and it was so lush and shiny and perfect with Smudgie) and more wide-spread/facial weight-gain. Oh, and craving sweets, fruit and chocolate. But there’s enough similar between the pregnancies that I think it could still be a boy.
I totally want another girl too and bless his heart, Drew is trying to keep a brave face on, but I know he wants a boy. I’m wondering if it’s going to be another girl though, because this pregnancy is night and day different from Sofia. With her I had all kinds of physical symptoms and this time, nothing. Nada. I wouldn’t know I was pregnant if it weren’t for the doctor’s appointments. It’s really weird and for someone with multiple losses, it’s actually not fun to feel un-pregnant.
But I have none of the symptoms so I’m wondering if that means it’s a boy or if it just means that my body has gotten used to being pregnant. We’ll find out on Sept. 25th!
I’m going with girl simply because I would want Stella to have a sister :).
That was my mindset before as well… 🙂
We didn’t find out the gender of my 4yo in advance. Everyone thought boy, except my mom. I thought boy until about 6-7 months and then began to feel it would be a girl. Mom and I were right! We’d found a girl’s name we adored at about 7 months and were shaky on a boy’s name throughout. I think I fell in love with the name because I knew.
[…] Either is equally exciting/terrifying in it’s own way. I took these Old Wives tales from Josey. The old wives are pretty […]