OLD WIVES TALES.. how accurate are they???

Question

I'm almost 19 weeks pregnant, and I say I'm pretty small and really not showing yet. I do have a baby bump. Some people say it looks like I'm going to carry low so I'm going to have a boy.. and some people say my belly is too small for a pregnant woman who's almost 19 weeks(4 months-3 weeks I believe) so I'm going to have a girl since girls tend to show really late. Also they say if your belly is pointy you will have a boy and if it's oval looking it will be a girl.... I'm not due for an ultra sound for another two weeks... Could someone please share their stories regarding these old wives tales... also tell me if people are guessing then turn out to be wrong.

Answer 1

Old wives tales have the accuracy of being right 50% of the time!
I'm 19 weeks. I'm carrying low in front, and, depending on who you talk to, small. My co-worker swears I'm having a boy because I was blushing when I told her (someone had told her if you blush you're pregnant with a boy and it worked for her).
But my mom had a dream that she had a baby girl, so now my sister thinks I'm having a girl! (and I've had a dream about having a boy!)
If its your first, you tend to show later (with more pregnancies, you're uterus has already stretched so you show sooner), so right away I'd question the showing later = girl. Besides,most people say girls mature faster than boys!
Obviously I wouldn't start buying gender specific clothing until you have a more definitive answer. And a word of warning - don't always believe what the ultrasound tells you, unless its really obvious. I've heard of a couple who went all out for a girl, based on their ultrasound, only to discover they had a boy!
Personally I've been enjoying the guesses and old wives tales, but not taking them seriously.
But whatever you end up with, I hope your baby is healthy!

Answer 2

At the appointment for my first pregnancy I was given a magazine for pregnant women. Ironically, one of the articles covered wives tales and pregnancy. I tried everything in the book. The one that proved right for all three of my pregnancies was the color of my urine. This one is chemical based. If the sex is a girl, your urine will be a brighter color of yellow. If it is a boy it will be pale. I have two girls and a boy. The urine was the indicator for all of them.

Warning!!: Stay hydrated if you choose to attempt this tale. If you are dehydrated your urine will be dark anyway - no matter the sex.

Also, for some reason the side in which you sleep on can indicate. My middle pregnancy didn't adhere to this tale but the first one did. Unfortunately I forgot the details of it to test it on the third child. Pay attention to your dreams too. The mother seems to always have a feeling of what the gender is long before she is told. Good luck and I hope something helps you. Funny that you were told about the look of your belly, those didn't prove correct for me. I was told if you look pregnant from behind it would be a boy. This was my skinniest pregnancy and from the back you couldn't tell I was pregnant. Haah - fooled them when I turned around with this huge belly in everyone's face. I think I was told almost opposite of what you were told about the oval shape. I was told the basketball (round) look meant a girl and the football (oval) look meant boy.

Something I know for sure - you will be happy with what ever gender it is. They grow on you like moss on a tree.

Answer 3

I carried low with both of my children and people kept telling me that I am having boys and I did. I am usually right when I guess what someone is having because I have found it to be true that boys are carried low and girls high. So although I do not believe in most wives tales, I do believe in this one. I have never heard the oval thing though. Good luck, hope you get what you are praying for.

Answer 4

I was big in the all around. When I got pregnant I weighed 125 but by the time I was four months I was huge. I went from wearing a 8-9 to wearing a 14-16. I carried high and round. They are all bulls#$t. I was also told that if I didn't take my tongue ring out I would have mentally challenged child. I was also told if I had heart burn then I would have a hairy baby and my baby is 23 months old and still has no hair.

Answer 5

I love old wives tales in regards to the sex of the baby because you'll hear both tales for both genders.

I have four kids:
I had a boy, carried him very high and round.
I had a girl, carried her high and all over.
I had a girl, carried her high and round.
I had another girl and carried her midways somewhere (what do the old wives tales say about that?) and all over.

I showed early, around 3 mo with my son; about 4 months with my first daughter; can't remember with my second daughter, 3 or 4 months; and 8 weeks with my last child (a girl).

Answer 6

well, i've always heard the opposite and had the opposite come true for me.

With my 1st pregnancy i was small and very high up, i did not show till 6 months- everyone told me it was a boy, it was

With my second pregnancy i am carring very low and the weight is everywhere, not just in my belly, i also showed earlier- everyone told me i'm having a girl, i found out at 19 weeks that it is indeed a girl.

Answer 7

The only old wives' tale I've heard that I actually believe is the one that says if you have a lot of heartburn while pregnant your baby will have lots of hair--I had very little heartburn, and my son was pretty much bald, while several friends were eating tums after tums and their babies all had huge shocks of hair.

I'm carrying my second boy, and I think I'm carrying pretty much the same--all in front; from behind, it's difficult to tell that I'm pregnant. Many women will ask me if I'm having a boy because I'm carrying so far in front! ^_^

Answer 8

Between myself and my friends, the following has held true for us... regarding how you look when pregnant...

Boy - carries mostly in front, weight gain is mostly in front (belly) and can't tell you are pregnant from behind.

Girl - you gain weight all over! Face, belly, rear, legs, boobs... it's like the female hormones attract fat or something. Carries mostly horizontal across the middle and you can definitely tell you are pregnant from behind. And don't get me started on swelling ankles!!

and the pencil/string test has worked for everyone I know. It even caught my first child which I miscarried at 5 months. I've heard it doesn't always catch a miscarriage though.

There's only one way to know for certain though and it takes one final push.

Answer 9

I have 3 girls....with all 3 of them I showed very late...not until 7 months could anyone tell that I was pregnant with them. I carried my first one high....second one low...and third one was pretty much right in the middle. All 3 were pretty much oval shaped. As far as everyone guessing(I never found out with any of them what we were having) I got different guesses from everyone....but alot of people thought I was having a boy with my second(including myself) because of the way I was carrying....she was soo low at 7 months it felt as if she was grinding on my pelvic bone.

Answer 10

They are a lot of fun, but that's about it. I didn't show until I was nearly six months. Every BODY is different. One wives tale test did work for me, something about a pencil. My friend did it and said it meant I was having a boy. Have fun playing with the wives tales things, but don't take them too seriously.