News Moms Need

You wouldn’t believe how often we get this question.  For conceiving a boy/girl “the old fashioned way,” are there any special positions for sex, vitamins, foods I should eat…?  There are all kinds of wives tales about guaranteeing you a boy or a girl, but the fact of the matter is nope there isn’t a proven method, short of in vitro fertilization and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (both costly and invasive) and that’s not what this post is about.

Have you heard any of these wonderful urban myths?  They’re a whole lot more fun than reliable.
• Eat red meat for a boy, chocolate for a girl.
• If the first “word” your first child says is “Ma” your next child will be a girl.  If it is “Da,” you’ll have a boy.
• Have sex at night for a boy, during the day for a girl.
• Sleep in a bed with your pillow to the north for a boy, south for a girl.
• If the woman takes control during sex, you’ll have a girl.
• When eating from a loaf of bread, choose the heel for a boy and avoid the heel for a girl.
• Once pregnant, if the baby’s heart rate is over 140 beats per minute, it’s a girl – under 140 bpm, it’s a boy
• If you’re carrying the baby weight in the front it’s a boy - in your hips and butt, it’s a girl
• Add the mother’s age at conception plus the number of the month in which you conceive – an even number means a boy, odd means a girl
• Carrying low means a boy, high means a girl.
• Headaches mean a boy, no headaches for a girl.
• Cravings? Salty foods and cheese for a boy, sweets and fruit for a girl.

With my first pregnancy, a very nice neighbor (he was 92 years old if he was a day) gave my husband a bulb of garlic to keep in the pocket of his pants.  This, he swore, would guarantee a son.  Funny thing… we had a son!  But I wouldn’t go stuffing your shorts with garlic if you’re hoping for a boy.  What other gems have you heard?