Is it a Boy or Girl? Look at my Bump!

By now, you’ve probably had or a relative predict the gender of your baby by looking at your appearance or belly. Chinese folklore has it that if the mum-to-be looks prettier during pregnancy than she did before, she must be carrying a boy. 

Many cultures have old wives’ tales around this topic. But what does science have to say about it?

We look at a few common ones:

Myth #1 Shape of Bump.

Myth: If your belly hangs low (or in front), you’re having a boy. If it’s high (or wide in the middle), you’re having a girl.

Fact: There is no correlation between the shape of the bump and the sex of the child that is developing inside it.

Myth #2 Foetal Heartbeat.

Myth: If the baby’s heart beats faster than 140 beats per minute, it’s a girl. If it’s slower, it’s a boy.

Fact: Interestingly, a 1999 study shows that during labour, a female baby’s heart does beat faster than a male’s although it would be too unreliable to use it to guess a baby’s gender.

Myth #3 Sweet Cravings.

Myth: Mums-to-be who crave sweets are having a boy. If she craves sour foods, she’s having a girl.

Fact: There’s not much evidence to support this, although one study did find that women who are carrying boys have bigger appetites.

Myth #4 Morning Sickness.

Myth: If you have morning sickness all day, it’s a girl.

Fact: Could be. A Swedish study in 1999 found that more women with serious morning sickness gave birth to girls than boys. Levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG, which triggers morning sickness, was also found to be higher in mothers pregnant with female babies.