With Wagon Jr., we decided to be Team Green (meaning to keep the gender of the baby a surprise, not be environmentally friendly) and it was a little torturous to try and guess what was growing inside of me. Most people, including me, suspected I was having a boy. But then again, most guesses would consist of “I think it’s a boy… but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a girl either!” Even an old trick performed by Wagon Sr.’s coworker using a needle and thread hanging over my outstretched palm proved inconclusive: the needle started out by circling around (girl) but settled into a back-and-forth swing (boy).

There are plenty of old wives’ tales about gender prediction since people have been trying to guess this mystery since the beginning of man! When I was pregnant with Wagon Jr., the indicators seemed to be split right down the middle. I guess God wanted us to stay clueless until we could witness the truth with our own eyes.

I’ve designated the indicators we had with Wagon Jr. (boy), and the ones I’ve seen with this pregnancy (girl) below.

IT’S A BOY!

  • Carrying the baby low and all in front b (g?)
  • Mom glows (b, g)
  • Baby’s heartbeat below 140 bpm
  • Baby is active (b, g)
  • Mom craves meats
  • Mom’s linea negra extends above the belly button (b)
ADVERTISEMENT

IT’S A GIRL!
  • Carrying the baby high and wide
  • Mom appears haggard (a girl supposedly steals your beauty!)
  • Baby’s heartbeat is above 140 bpm (b, g)
  • Mom craves sweets (b, g)
  • Mom has bad morning sickness (b, g)

So it looks like my pregnancy symptoms have all been pretty similar this time, even though I’m carrying a girl. The only big difference I’ve seen is that my linea negra (a dark line that goes from your belly button down to your crotch) was very prevalent by this time with Wagon Jr. and extended well above my belly button, but it doesn’t seem to be present this time. Hurrah! I’ll take that, because that thing was ugly. Also, I can’t really tell how I’m carrying this time. I didn’t take bump photos along the way last time, and I’m just now regretting it because I’d love to compare bumps!

The last thing I wanted to mention was my gums. That’s right, my gums. My dental hygienist has done cleanings on many a pregnant woman (if you haven’t gotten a cleaning yet and you’re pregnant, go do it now!), and she claims to almost always be correct about the baby’s gender based on how much the mom’s gums bleed during the cleaning. With Wagon Jr. I did bleed a lot (which indicated a girl), but she noted I usually bleed a good amount and it didn’t seem to be much more than usual, so she made the correct prediction of boy! Again, it’s one of those predictions that can claim success either way once the truth is revealed, but I still give her credit for a correct guess. This time around my gums have been bleeding like crazy, even with just my regular tooth brushing before going to bed. Some nights I’m gushing so much that I have to wash my mouth out at least six or seven times before the bleeding slows down. (Disgusting, I know.) But there is such a marked difference that I’m giving my hygienist credit before I even go in for my cleaning… and dreading the bloody mess that will eventually happen when I do go in!

Were the old wives tales right about your baby’s gender? Was my hygienist right??