Old Wives Tales

I have heard....Is it true?

Old wives tales have been around forever and are just what they say the are: tales. These tales generally consist of superstition, folklore or unverified claims with exaggerated and untrue details. However, they can be fun to entertain during pregnancy.

Gender Prediction Wives Tales

If you are carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl.
If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140.
Women expecting a girl will crave sweet foods, while women expecting a boy will crave sour foods.
Dark nipples mean that you are having a boy.
If you are carrying extra pounds around your hips and bottom, you can expect a boy. Women that are "all belly" will likely have a girl.
If your husband or partner gains weight throughout the pregnancy, you can expect a girl. If he does not gain any weight, you're carrying a boy.
If your right breast is larger than your left breast, you can expect a boy. If the left breast is larger, a girl is on her way.
Sex is determine by the previous child's first word. If the word was mama, you can expect a girl. If the older sibling said dada first, you can expect a boy.
Increased acne during pregnancy means you are having a girl.
Drop a key and pick it up. If you picked it up by the thin end, you are having a girl. If you picked the key up by the thicker end, you are having a boy. If you picked the key up in the center, you can expect twins!
Suspend a ring on a string over the mother's abdomen. If the key wings in a circular motion, you are having a girl. If the key swings back and forth in a stratight line, you can expect a boy.
Pull down the skin under your left eye and look at the white part of your eye. If you see a vein that looks like a V or branches, you will be having a girl.

Additional Wives Tales Surrounding Pregnancy

Don't raise your arms above your head during pregnancy because it will cause the baby's umbilical cord to wrap around the head. This is a myth. Approximately 1/3 of all pregnancies will experience a wrapped cord. This occurs as a result of an active baby during fetal development.

Don't take a bath while you are pregnant. This is a myth that many women once believed. The myth was centered around the thought that water would enter the vagina and introduce bacteria to the baby. Taking a bath is completely safe as long as the water is not too hot and the mother does not become overheated. It is not safe to take a bath once your water has broken.

Do not wear a lei while you are pregnant or the umbilical cord will become tangled around the baby's neck and choke him. Again, this is not true. Feel free to wear as many lei's a syou would like while you are pregnant.

Don't eat spicy foods during pregnancy. If you are accustomed to eating spicy foods or like them, it is safe to continue throughout pregnancy. However, if spicy foods turn your stomach, it is best to avoid them. Diarrhea can stimulate contractions, which could lead to preterm labor.

If you don't drink enough water, your baby will be dirty. This is not true. The amniotic fluid replaces itself once every three hours. Drinking water is important during pregnancy, but the amniotic fluid will still function if water intake is low.

Comments: Old Wives Tales

Comments 1 to 21 of about 21.
1

J-lynn - 18 days ago.
I heard the same thing about the heart burn meaning the baby will have hair. It was true with my older sister and wit my mother but not with me. I havent had any heartburn with this pregnancy but the u/s showed lots of hair on his head. I also heard that If you have morning sickness then its a girl but none or almost none means its a boy which was true for me and my sister but not for my mom. but every pregnancy is different for every one!!

babyonboard1209 - 18 days ago.
one old wives tale i heard my last pregnancy was if you have alot of heartburn then your baby will have lots of hair, i intend to believe this y because my son was born with lots of hair and to this day at 19 months his head is still full, so i have been having bad heartburn with this pregnancy and hopefully she is born with lots of hair to

Megs83 - 24 days ago.
Some old wives tales are harmless and entertaining. Like trying to predict the gender. But some can be truly stupid, especially when people really believe them. My first pregnancy ended at 15 weeks, the umbilical cord was longer than it should have been and was wrapped around his neck tightly and several times (for everyone I just scared-this is incredibly rare. My OB says like one in a million). A few weeks after his death, an older lady I know, who knew the cause of my sons death, told me about her SIL who lost a baby same as me. She had been painting and wrapped the cord around the baby's neck from lifing her arms above her head. I was like, you have got to be kidding! Are you really going to stand there and tell me that acording to an old wives tale, you think it was my fault!?! Oh, some people are stupid. They really believe this sort of crap.

xNatiex - 144 days ago.
... im carrying low ... im all belly ... cravin sweet things ... have increased acne would you like 2 guess what im having?x

Tania37 - 159 days ago.
Have have two kids and another one due in Aug. Most of the wives tales were true with all of my kids. I had dreams about each of them before they were born and what ever I had dreamt about came true. I had a boy first then a girl and now another girl.

ljmom - 179 days ago.
I AM CARRYING LOW...AND I AM HAVING A BOY...BUT I AM ALSO ALL BELLY 2...NIPPLES ARE DARKER....SOME OF THESE RELATE 2 ME AND THE FACT I AM HAVING A BOY...MAKES YOU WONDER HMMMMMMMM

manda-may - 184 days ago.
Hi everyone. I tried the ring over the belly bit to see if it predicted the sex of my twins. It did circles over one side, back and forth on the other, and then was perfectly still when it wasn't over a baby. But..... had two boys! So much for that theory! ha ha ha! I guess there was 33.3% chance of getting it right huh??!! Was quite crazy how it didn't move where the babies weren't though. I had to hold it over the left side and the middle of my tummy to get it to move, and at the next scan that's where the babies were!!!

Leila08 - 187 days ago.
I carried my son low and his heart rate was around 140-150. :) I like hearing these wives tale but then again they are often not true. My sister believes them sometimes and turns out being disappointed when the truth comes out.

4thtimearoundat36 - 213 days ago.
with my second one I was convinced I was having a boy as the heart rate was consistently 110-120. I had a girl who was consistently laid back and calm baby and 14 years on is even more laid back. With three girls already, I joked the only way I'll get a boy this time is if he stopped to ask for directions to the egg!

delarla - 216 days ago.
I was sold on the heartbeat one with my daughter because her heart rate never dropped below 160 and the chinese gender chart predicted girl too. Well this time its totally wrong. My sons heartbeat has never dropped below 165. I have a fetal doppler and check every night. THe only way i really knew it was a boy before the ultrasound is they say if you want to conceive a boy you need to bed as close as possible to ovulation and thats what happened with us!

Mommy2Chloe - 266 days ago.
All of the predictions we attempted before I found out I was having a girl, said boy. Gender chart, the way I was carrying, weight gain, cravings, hair growth. So, yeah, if it works for you, great. They never worked for me :o) I delivered a healthy baby girl. No boy at all!

amynicole - 266 days ago.
i had a lil boy. it says hubby wont gain weight for boy, well he gained as much as i did. also i was all belly and it says that for girl, but yet i had boy. heart rate was 150 to 160 almost everytime heard it, once again that is for girl, but yet...so you cant always believe this stuff. i also did the chinese gender thing and it was wrong for me

symoneisthebomb - 274 days ago.
that chines genderchart thingy said bioy for me...but they didnt have my age...17...but yeah it worked i guess becasue im haveing a boy

ububeans - 274 days ago.
You shouldnt believe the heart rate. They say high in the 160's is a girl nope... my little girl has a hr of 139

o0kathryn0o - 275 days ago.
I'm craving sour foods, no sweets at all which is SO weird for me. And the heartrate was at 130. C'mon boy!!!

Bek 30 - 322 days ago.
This is the first time I have been to this page, and was amazed by how accurate it was for me.... but all is probably just a coincidence

momofsoon2b4 - 323 days ago.
Leslie - It has been correct for me all four times. It said i was having a girl and girl it is. However, there is two different charts out there. On one chart it said i was having a boy and the other chart said I was having a girl. But I think it's all in fun.....Good luck!

amanda72385 - 325 days ago.
hey girls when i was pregnant the second time around i had read some old wives tales on pregnancy and shockingly one proved true for me...if you already have your first and going on to number 2 or 3 or whatever check the previous childs hairline...if its a ducktale (makes a point in the middle) it will be a girl...if its straight across its gonna be a boy

jennl - 325 days ago.
Mine said boy for my first and it was ... it saying girl for this one so we will see

stargazer530 - 384 days ago.
It said boy for me, but I am having a girl.

amazintrace - 385 days ago.
I can remember my grandma telling us as children not to tickle the babies because it would cause them to stutter. Surely this is an old wives tale...