Everyone wants to know if the soon-to-be-mom will be having a baby boy or a girl. Some couples wait until the birth but others want to find out before the due date.
Parents are told that they shouldn’t wish for one gender over the other and of course, every baby is a beautiful blessing. Starting a family is one of the most exciting and amazing things ever. But it’s true that everyone can’t help but wish for a boy or girl. Some dads want to play sports with their son someday, and some moms want to pick out baby girl clothes and bond with their sweet daughters.
Although it’s true that the scientifically accurate way to find out if a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl is to go to the doctor and get an ultrasound, people believe that there are some other ways to tell the gender of the baby. If a mom-to-be is curious, these things might help point her in the right direction. Here are 10 first trimester symptoms that mean that mom is having a girl and 10 that means that she’s having a boy.
First, here are 10 symptoms that mean it’s a girl…
20. SHE’S STRESSED OUT
According to Medical News Today, it’s possible that a woman could be having a baby girl if she’s stressed out. The publication says, “A women’s stress levels before she conceives may influence a baby’s gender. A 2012 study found a relationship between levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the male to female birth ratio. In this study, women with high levels of cortisol were statistically more likely to have a girl.”
This isn’t proven by science, so it’s not a sure thing, but if a woman is stressed out right before she learns that she’s expecting and then she’s still a bit stressed during the first trimester, it seems like it could be a girl.
19. SHE HAS WORSE ASTHMA OR OTHER SYMPTOMS
If a pregnant woman has asthma or struggles with something health-wise, it could get worse during pregnancy. And that could be a sign that she’s going to be expecting a baby girl.
Essential Baby says, “Now new research, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity in February this year, shows that pregnant women’s bodies respond differently when they’re carrying daughters as opposed to sons. The researchers found that mums with girls on board had a heightened inflammatory response (a greater response to infection when exposed to bacteria) than those carrying boys.” The website continued, “This heightened inflammation could account for why women experience exacerbated symptoms of some medical conditions (including asthma) when carrying a girl.”
18. SHE’S CARRYING HIGH
Healthline says that it’s definitely a myth that if a woman is carrying high, that means that she’s going to have a baby girl. But many people still believe that this could mean that she’s going to welcome a girl.
If you’re pregnant and really want a little girl (and can’t stop dreaming of frills on clothing and pink shoes and dresses), then you might notice that you’re carrying high and want to believe that it’s a girl. It doesn’t hurt to think this way, just as long as you know that this isn’t 100 percent and that there isn’t really any science behind this.
17. SHE HAS MORNING SICKNESS
When you learn that you’re pregnant with your first child and are super excited, you can’t help but wonder if you’re going to experience morning sickness. It seems so unfair to feel gross when you’re growing a bundle of joy.
According to Medical News Today, morning sickness could mean a girl is on their way: “In fact, recent research suggests that feeling ill during pregnancy may be linked to the baby’s gender. A 2017 study found that women carrying girls experienced more inflammation when their immune systems were exposed to bacteria compared to those carrying boys.”
Essential Baby quotes a doctor who says, “There is some truth to this one.” The website continues, “He explains that when mums are carrying a girl, they have higher levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG, which may worsen morning sickness.”
16. THIS EXPERT SAYS SHE’S HAVING A GIRL IF SHE SLEEPS ON HER RIGHT SIDE
Mom Junction says that if you’re sleeping on your right side, that could mean that you’re having a baby girl.
Okay, so this might not be the most scientific thing that you’ve ever heard, and there doesn’t seem to be any science behind it. But it could be true because the odds are that you give birth to either a boy or a girl, and who’s to say that you won’t have a baby girl? If you’re hoping that you have a girl and you’ve been snoozing on your right side at night, then there’s no harm in thinking that you’re going to have a girl.
15. HER HAIR ISN’T IN THE BEST SHAPE
Belly Belly says that a woman’s hair might not look that great (or feel that great, either) when she’s having a baby girl: “By all accounts, a girl pregnancy is nowhere near as attractive as a boy pregnancy. The word on the street is growing a girl in your womb will leave your hair lifeless, greasy and lacking in volume. You can thank her once she’s born. Those pregnancy hormones have a lot to answer for, don’t they?”
That’s too bad, right? You definitely don’t want to deal with hair issues during your pregnancy… but if you really want a baby girl, then you will wait for your due date so you can smile at your adorable baby. It’ll be worth it.
14. SHE’S HAVING TROUBLE REMEMBERING THINGS
You’ve heard that you’ll be pretty tired during pregnancy and you might wonder what other symptoms you could have. It turns out you might have some trouble remember things if you’re expecting a baby girl.
As What To Expect says, “For reasons unknown, some research suggests that women who give birth to girls consistently under-perform in tests of memory — specifically in areas of listening, computational and visualization skills — compared to moms carrying boys. So the next time you can’t remember where you put the car keys, you may be able to blame it on the baby girl you’re carrying.”
This is super interesting, right?
13. THIS EXPERT ALSO SAYS ACNE IS A SIGN
As this expert writes for Mom Junction, acne could also show that you’re having a baby girl: “When blisters and rashes appear on your skin during the gestation phase, it implies the symptoms of having a baby girl. The hormonal imbalance in the body triggers acne.”
That’s definitely not the best news, but if you really want a girl, then you will probably accept it as just something that you have to get through. And, again, your baby girl will be so sweet that you will forget all about the spots and pimples on your face. (Well, you’ll still remember, but you’ll be okay with it.)
12. HER PREGNANCY CRAVINGS ARE ALL ABOUT SUGAR
People are always interested in pregnancy cravings, mostly because you always hear that pregnant women crave ice cream with pickles on top or foods that don’t usually go together.
It seems like what you crave could tell you about the gender of your baby, which is pretty fascinating. Being The Parent says that if you crave sugar during pregnancy, then that could mean that you’re having a girl. (This means that if you’re having a boy, you would want salty stuff.) You might be wondering, what if you like some salty and sweet foods together? That’s why this isn’t scientific proof that you’re having a baby girl, but something interesting to think about.
11. SOME SAY GLOWING PREGNANT WOMEN ARE HAVING GIRLS
If you could hope for one thing during your pregnancy (besides a healthy pregnancy, of course), you would definitely say that you want to glow. Who doesn’t want to hear tons of compliments about how healthy and beautiful and glowing they look? If you could hear this all the time, that would be great, but you’ll settle for hearing it during pregnancy.
According to Being The Parent, “The pregnancy glow usually signals the arrival of a daughter. The glow is due to the increased production of estrogen in the body.”
Since you want to glow, it’s cool to hear that this could mean that you’re having a baby girl. It seems like a bonus.
And here are 10 things that mean it’s a boy…
10. SHE HAS HAIR ON HER STOMACH
You don’t exactly want to realize that you have hair on your stomach (or anywhere else, really). But according to Essential Baby, this could mean that you’re having a baby boy. If you and your partner are dreaming about a baby boy, then you might be okay with the hair, right?
As the website explains, “If you develop a hairy tummy, some say that means you’re carrying a boy, as the male hormones are said to be responsible for that growth. However, Dr. Polyakov says the amount of male hormone made by a baby boy is ‘quite small.'” This isn’t total proof of a baby boy, but it’s something that some people believe.
9. SHE’S EATING A LOT RIGHT WHEN SHE GETS PREGNANT
What To Expect says that women who are eating a lot when they get pregnant could be expecting a baby boy. The publication mentions a study that, “found that eating a high-calorie diet at the time of conception and eating regular breakfasts increase the chance that you’ll be having a boy.”
What was the result of the study? 56 percent of women who were eating the most when they got pregnant gave birth to boys and 45 percent of women eating the least gave birth to boys. As the website explains, “The evolutionary thinking goes that sons require more resources (i.e. more calories) than daughters do, so a higher-calorie diet would favor a baby boy-to-be.”
8. HER STOMACH IS DESCRIBED AS “ROUND”
Before you got pregnant, you might have wondered what it would be like to watch your stomach change. Some people think that if a woman has a “round” stomach during pregnancy, that could mean that she’s going to have a baby boy.
Mom Junction says, “Along with a round belly, the nature of your weight gain significantly indicates gender. When you carry a baby boy, the extra pounds are mostly visible to your stomach unlike carrying a girl where the mother’s weight is distributed all over the body including face.”
This is interesting to think about, but again, this isn’t scientifically backed up.
7. HER FEET ARE FREEZING
You might find that when you get pregnant, your feet are cold all of the time. Maybe this is something new for you, or maybe you always felt that way before so this feels like more of the same.
It turns out that this could indicate more than just a need to put on warm and fuzzy socks when you’re hanging out at home.
An expert says that if women have cold feet when they’re pregnant, that could mean that they’re having a boy. Mom Junction says, “The constant sensation of cold feet during pregnancy is one of the clear indications that you are carrying a baby boy.”
6. SHE HAS GESTATIONAL DIABETES
If a woman has gestational diabetes, it turns out that this could mean that she’s having a baby boy, at least according to some people.
What To Expect explains more about this: “Research has found that moms-to-be pregnant with sons are more likely to develop gestational diabetes — a pregnancy condition characterized by higher-than-normal glucose in the [system] — than expectant moms who are pregnant with daughters. Researchers aren’t sure why a boy fetus leads to greater pregnancy-associated metabolic changes than a girl fetus does, but these findings seem to be backed up by more than one study.” It’s interesting to hear that there are a few different studies that talk about this.
5. SOME SAY IF HER URINE IS DARKER, IT’S A BOY
How dark or light your urine isn’t really something that you think about regularly, right? Sure, you know that lighter urine means that you’re hydrated and drinking enough water, and your urine tends to be darkest in the morning when you haven’t had that much to drink yet.
But did you know that your urine could indicate if you’re having a boy or girl?
Baby 360 says that if a woman notices that when she goes to the bathroom her urine is pretty dark, that could mean that she’s having a baby boy. No one can really prove this for sure but it’s something else that people say.
4. SHE’S ALWAYS HUNGRY
When you learn that you’re pregnant, you might wonder how your appetite will change. You might know some moms who had trouble eating anything other than crackers during the first trimester thanks to morning sickness (and not feeling that great the rest of the day). Or you might know moms who ate all the same foods as they normally did and saw no change.
Some people say that if you find that you’re always hungry when you’re pregnant, that could mean that a baby boy is coming.
According to Mama Natural, “This one is actually plausible! One study of 244 pregnant women in the U.S. found that women carrying boys had a 10 percent higher daily calorie intake than those carrying girls.”
3. THE BABY’S HEART RATE MIGHT BE LOWER
Some people say that your baby’s heart rate has something to do with gender. People talk about the different fetal heart rates for boys and girls.
According to Baby 360, “There appears to be some evidence of baby boys having a heart rate below 140. While girls tend to have a heart rate above 140 inside the womb. Pay attention to beats per minute, if you want to determine if you are having a baby boy or a baby girl.”
While some believe this strongly, others say that it’s a small difference or that it doesn’t mean anything. Even if it doesn’t mean that you’re definitely having a boy, it’s cool to think about.
2. HER HORMONE LEVELS ARE LOWER, SO LESS MORNING SICKNESS
How many times have you heard someone joke about “pregnancy hormones”? Even moms-to-be themselves can’t help but say that they’re dealing with some hormonal changes.
Parent 24 says that if moms are pregnant with baby boys, their hormones could be lower and they could experience less morning sickness.
The website explains, “There is evidence hormone concentrations in pregnancy can differ according to the gender of the fetus as early as three weeks after fertilization. Studies have shown hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone responsible for the second line appearing on a home pregnancy test) is higher for female fetuses compared with males, and remains higher throughout pregnancy… The surge of hCG early in pregnancy is one explanation for the less desirable symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea and sickness.”
1. SOME PEOPLE SAY IT’S A BOY IF SHE’S IN A BAD MOOD
You hope that your pregnancy is smooth and wonderful, but you know that just like any other day in your life, you might be in a bad mood. It could be because of something that happened or you could have no reason at all. You just don’t feel like yourself.
Belly Belly says that some people say that if you’re in a bad mood and you’re pregnant, you could be having a boy: “Some people believe your temperament during pregnancy is determined by the baby… Apparently, it’s the testosterone that gives you that trademark ‘no-BS’ attitude.” That does make sense, right?