Old Wives Tales About Gender

There are plenty of old wives tales about gender, and I’ll admit it: Early on in my pregnancies I tried to predict my babies’ sex with these myths in mind. (According to old wives tales about gender, your body changes during pregnancy based on the sex of your baby.) I even took bathroom-mirror selfies so that I could study my bump and other features while looking up the myths. I know, shameless!

Now, looking back on my pregnancies (I have a son, 6, and a daughter, 2), I’ve realized that several old wives tales about gender were true for me. It’s not science, of course; some of the myths weren’t true for me, like the one that says morning sickness is worse if you’re carrying a girl (in fact, I was hospitalized twice with my son, whereas my morning sickness with my daughter was routine). But I still find these old wives tales to be intriguing.

Here are the old wives tales about gender that were true for me — what about you?

1. Carrying the weight out front? It’s a boy. All around the middle, including your bum and hips? It’s a girl. My butt has never looked better in jeans than when I was pregnant with Mason. (Should I be crying hysterically that my butt looked better pregnant than not?!) My thighs and bum got skinnier as my belly got bigger (just look at the photo above). From the back I looked awesome — apparently I had to get pregnant with a boy to finally have a great bum. My daughter, on the other hand, gave me a more voluptuous booty and hips (thanks a lot, little girl!).

2. If you’re skin’s breaking out, you’re having a girl. Another gift my daughter Poppy gave me? Pimply, rash-covered, itchy skin. (A plus: My hair has never been shinier or thicker than when I was pregnant with her; old wives tales about gender say it should be thin and dull.)

3. Craving sweets? You’re having a girl. Want salty and sour foods? You’re having a boy. When I could tolerate food with Mason, I wanted salty chips and sour-apple jolly ranchers.With my daughter, I was able to eat almost anything and was obsessed with Culture (an amazing organic fro-yo place two blocks from our place in Brooklyn), as well as the scrumptious gluten-free carrot cupcakes at the nearby Sunflower Cafe.

4. Moody? A girl is on the way! When I was 7 weeks pregnant with my daughter, I inexplicably burst into tears while walking down Seventh Ave in Park Slope. Later, in my third trimester, I cried for a good 30 minutes because a little girl at daycare told Mason he wasn’t her friend. They’re 3 — that’s the crap they say, but I was distraught that a kid had been mean to my kid. An hour later, I was totally fine. Get the picture?

5. Low baby bump? It’s a boy! This has been true and false for me. My bump was very low with my son; in fact, people would stop me on the street to inform me that I was having a boy (apparently I’m not the only one who is intrigued by old wives tales about gender). However, my bump was just as low with my baby girl (myth says it should be high). It’s one of the reasons I was convinced I was having a boy the second time around — and then the doctor set the record straight.

6. If your age + the number of the month you conceive is even, it’s a boy. If it’s odd, it’s a girl. Another myth that’s been both true and false for me? This numbers game. My baby girl was conceived in November when I was 36-years-old. 36 + 11 = 47. My boy, however, was also an odd-number baby; he was conceived the same month four years earlier. 32 + 11 = 33.

7. Hairy legs? It’s a boy! My sweet little boy’s gift? A gorilla-like coating of hair on my legs; I even developed lamb chops that I had to get waxed off at the salon. (So mortifying!) Thank goodness no chops appeared when I was preggers with Poppy. It made the bad skin easier to handle.

What old wives tales about gender have been true for you?

More for Pregnant Moms:

Photo: krwphoto@aol.com

Old Wives Tales About Gender: 7 Myths That Were Spot On During My Pregnancies