How Can You Tell If It’s a Boy or Girl - Predicting Baby Gender
Often expecting parents wish to know whether they have a boy or a girl before the second trimester. There are plenty of techniques to predict baby gender as well as determine baby gender – most of which are quite accurate.
You should bear in mind that even an ultrasound examination may not always be 100 per cent certain, so parents have to be prepared for the pssibility that they might be surprised when the baby is born. Nevertheless, ultrasound or amniocentesis are very reliable techniques of prediction and the possibility for error is rare regarding ultrasound and almost non-existent when it comes to amniocentesis.
The most accurate technique of prediction is baby gender prediction kits. These tests usually require a urine or blood sample, and work by detecting the presence of male sex hormones or male-specific DNA. Be warned that despite some manufacturers’ claims of 90% or greater accuracy, these tests are not infallible. Prepare to pay anywhere from 40 to a few hundred dollars, depending on the kit.
In addition to the more scientific approaches discussed previously, a number of old wives’ tales purport to provide a means to predict a baby’s gender. Of course, the veracity of these predictors is questionable, but they provide a fun way of guessing gender. A few of these techniques will be briefly explained below, with further elucidation in another article covering traditional gender prediction techniques exclusively.
- Carrying low indicates a boy; carrying high, a girl.
- A slower fetal heart rate indicates a male child; while a faster rate indicates a female.
- If a pendulum (or ring tied to a thread) swinging over the expecting mother’s belly traces a circular pattern, expect a girl; if it traces a back-and-forth pendulum motion, expect a boy.
- You can also refer to a Chinese birth calendar, which is used to predict a baby’s gender.
