The Gender Prediction Project Two: Part Twelve

Sorry. It's been a little longer than I had planned between posts. August is a busy month for us around here even when we aren't trying to prepare for a new baby. :) I skipped it last week because of all of Sebastian's birthday festivities, (I can't believe he's three!) but I'm back and excited about this week's predictions! You might even get two posts of predictions this week. Who knows? (Maybe not. This week is the beginning of our school year, and Parker will be headed off to his first day at the Home School Academy on Tuesday! Expect a teary post. Or two.)

Don't forget to go and make your own prediction on our online baby pool. I will be reviewing those predictions in a post sometime in September. What you think matters. ;)

Dull or Bright?

Warning: If you are adverse to discussing bodily fluids, skip this one. I'm about to discuss urine. 

Most of us know that the color of our urine says a lot about our hydration, which is an important thing to keep track of even when you aren't pregnant, but the Old Wives have added another meaning to your urine color. They say it can tell you the sex of your unborn little. Cool right? Or gross. I'm leaning more towards gross, but I felt that I needed to add this one to the Gender Prediction Project or else how could I honestly say that my "research" was as accurate as possible?

Is your urine dull and pale? Apparently, there is something about female hormones that cause this, meaning you can expect to have a little girl in your arms in just a few months. Is the color of your urine bright and cheery? Thank the little boy growing in your uterus. (Or drink some more water, because you need it.) 

I have no idea what this was for the boys. I honestly didn't want to spend any more time than necessary peering into a toilet bowl, so I avoided it at all costs. This time around I've been paying more attention, because I take this work very seriously, and I can happily report that I seem to be getting enough to drink this Summer. In Old Wive's terms: I can expect a little girl in 6 weeks or so. 

Little Red Riding Hood?

This has nothing to do with a cloak or cape, but I'm running out of clever ways to name these predictions. I hope you can forgive me. This prediction concerns your hair instead of a cape. More specifically, it concerns your hair's highlights. (Natural highlights, not highlights that you got at the salon. Sorry ladies.) According to the "experts", if your hair starts to develop reddish highlights during your pregnancy it means that you will be having a little girl. Any other color, or no highlights at all, and you will have a little boy. Simple, right?

Most people experience some change in their hair color during the Summer months, particularly if you are one of those people who spend a ton of time outside. Often people with darker hair will notice that they get a series of sun kissed blond highlights over the course of the Summer. (And they will pay big bucks to keep those year round too. ;) ) I've never been one of those people. When my hair starts getting it's Summer time highlights they are always more auburn or reddish. This year has been no different. Based on that, I should have a little girl in October. However, my hair always does this, so it could just be how I'm made and have exactly nothing to do with my growing little. (I'm leaning towards the latter theory, but you never know.) 

Linea Nigra

Even if you have never seen one, I am sure you have heard of it. That dark, vertical line that about 75% of women get on their stomachs during pregnancy. It's the linea nigra, or "black line" in the Latin. (Though it's really more of a brownish color.) Scientifically, it's caused by the same hormone that causes darker nipples when released by the placenta. Non-Scientifically, it can tell you the sex of your unborn child.   

Some women only get this line from their belly button down. (I suppose it would also be possible to get it from only your belly button up, but I've never seen it.) This is a "half" linea nigra, and it predicts a little girl for you according to the Old Wives. It is also possible to get a "full" linea nigra, which stretches the entire height of your stomach, belly button down and belly button up, and it predicts a little boy for you. Congratulations.

What about that other 25% though? Those women who don't get a linea nigra? Again, Science says that the lighter your natural pigmentation the less likely you are to have the linea nigra, and that seems to be true for me at least. I'm pale enough to reflect sunlight at a blinding level, and I've never even had a hint of the line. Unfortunately for me, and anyone else who has the same issue, this means that there is no way to predict the sex of our baby using this method. Luckily there are many, many other Old Wive's Tales to help us out. For the rest of you, what are you predicted? Does/did your line say that you have a little girl or a baby boy on the way? Is it accurate? The 25% are curious. :)

My Heart Burns For You!

...Or because I've recently eaten a salad. Either way, it burns! There is a bright side to the pain though. The Old Wive's think that heartburn can tell you many things about pregnancy, one of those being the sex. Is everything from wings to water making you feel like your insides are on fire? Blame your daughter. No heartburn regardless of what your cravings are and you can thank your new son. 

Despite the complete and total misdiagnosis of my severe gallbladder issues as "heartburn" during both of my previous pregnancies, (and after) I didn't actually experience heartburn during either of my first two pregnancies. Since both of my boys are very much little boys, I can say that this prediction method has 100% accuracy for us so far. Though I, thankfully, have no gallbladder/Pancreatitis issues this pregnancy, (Thank God I finally found someone who could take care of it for me!) I have experienced heartburn this time around. Not much at the beginning, but as Bean has grown so have my instances of heartburn. It's a new, and not entirely welcome experience for me, but it means that the Old Wive's would predict a little girl for us this time around.  

Heartburn is also said to be an indication about how much hair your babies have. I had a sizing scan last month, and the tech went out of her way to mention how much hair she saw. I laughed and said I would believe it when I saw it. Of all the things my children have, mass amounts of hair is not one of them. :) (Though Sebastian's was so dark that it seemed like a ton of hair compared to his brother, who was white blond at birth.)

Unusually, this post heavily leans towards team girl! As a matter of fact, our of 4 Old Wive's Tales in this post, there are NO predictions for a little boy, 3 predictions for a little girl, and 1 method that doesn't apply to me. The boys are still in the lead overall, with a total of 33 predictions for a boy vs. 22 predictions for a girl. (The ladies finally broke into the 20s!) If slow and steady wins the race maybe the girls have a chance of closing the gap a little more over the next several weeks. I wouldn't bet any money on it, but it could happen. ;)

Until next time, happy predicting!  

*Disclaimer: This, and all posts for The Gender Prediction Project, is something I am doing for fun. I am not a doctor, and I make no claims that these methods of sex prediction work. This should in no way shape or form be taken seriously. Please do not go out and buy clothes, furniture, toys, paint, or wallpaper based on any of the prediction methods you see here. These blog posts should be taken with a grain of salt, and if you choose to participate in them along with me, realize that there is no way to know the sex of your baby 100% until they are in your arms and you are looking at the evidence with your own two eyes. Even ultrasounds can be wrong, so join in at your own risk! ;) Happy predicting!*