Gender Predictions

Only one person accurately predicted the gender of both of our daughters. I'll give you a hint, it wasn't me.

Having been raised with a heap of older brothers (some related by birth, some unofficially adopted), and being so grateful for them as my guides, protectors and friends, I imagined that my family would naturally start with boys so that my future daughter would also have older brothers.

Among friends and family, the predictions about our first pregnancy were mixed but strongly favored a boy. At our 20 week ultrasound, the discovery was made and we celebrated! We would have a beautiful little girl. And now I can't even imagine our family being any different.

We quickly became pregnant again. Morning sickness did not start as early and when it did, it was different. An old wives tale says pregnancy with different symptoms indicates a different gender but there's no science to support that theory. I was still sick, just differently. I'll spare you the details. Another old wives tale is heart rate. A faster heart rate means girl, slower means boy. The theory is about 52% accurate. But just in case you wondered, my babies (all three of them) have been on the higher end of the scale for a healthy heart rate.

So the predictions began again. This time the odds favored a boy for sure as all but two people who actually made a solid guess, said boy. I didn't know. You would think I'd have a "mother's intuition" about it but I wavered. If I had to make a guess, I would have said boy. Wrong again. Our second child turned out to be a beautiful, delicate and incredibly impish little girl. And again, it's so right and perfect that I wonder how I ever suspected anything different.

So baby 3 is on the way and we have another ultrasound next Wednesday. Statistics are a funny thing because they can be twisted however you like. If I already have two girls, statistics say I'm due for a boy. But since the birth rate is pretty even, statistics also say its 50-50. We already know a few people currently pregnant with boys so perhaps that affects statistics as well. If you can calculate the actual time of conception in relation to a woman's cycle, it also makes a difference in the odds of boy or girl but since this baby is a surprise, we can't guess well enough for that. The pregnancy symptoms are again, different. Other than a few weeks at the beginning, I've hardly been sick but then again, I'm not working anymore either. So that old wives tale is not a helpful factor in prediction. Another predicting factor is supposedly food cravings. Sweet cravings means girl, salty craving means boy. Yet when pregnant with the girls, I couldn't eat chocolate. It made me incredible sick (as did anything fried, greasy or too much meat). So what did I crave? Cheese. With this pregnancy, I have found that I can eat chocolate (but thankfully, it just doesn't sound very appealing or I'd eat way too much of it) but really what I want is chips and french onion dip. And watermelon. and cheese.

So are we having a boy or girl? I don't know. I have a suspicion but I won't voice it. What about the only person with an accurate track record so far? He has a suspicion too (more confident than I) but I'm not going to voice that either. Because really, it doesn't matter. I love this little baby so much no matter what. And I honestly can't say I "want" one gender over another. Having a little boy would be wonderful, finally a son for our family and we'd love the excitement of a little boy to change things up. But I can also easily picture our family with three little girls, all sweet, beautiful and as mischievous as they can be. A girl would be easier in some ways as I already have boxes of girl clothing and know better what to expect developmentally as they grow. But a little boy might help balance out this "estrogen ocean" and even the odds a little for daddy.

what do you think?