Is it a boy or a girl! Gender predictions from old wives tales to scientific facts! Really?

In the course of the previous months, I have spent a lot of time reading materials on gender's predictions myths!
 I think that every culture have their own sets of believes in gender predictions and when it comes to certain things I do respect the old wives tales. But with the advancement in science, the ultrasounds technology the old wives tales have either been comfirmed or contradicted! I guess it depends on how good the' old wife' is at telling...Anyway...

One lady in church told me over three weeks ago that I would have a boy because of the way I carry the baby!
Her daughter glanced at me and threw her guess too. She feels that it's a girl! With the experience her mother has with raising children and grandchildren one could take her mother's observation for a true scientific fact.

Not long after this little episode, I called a friend who was actually thinking about me and planning to give me a call! She's African and when she answered her phone she said  "Umm you are really pregnant and you will get a boy because I was thinking about you!" According to her, when you think of a pregnant woman and she calls or shows up thereafter, it's a sign that she will have a boy.
So those two incidents got me to read more articles on myths related to gender predictions. I will just mention and discuss a few as the list can be pretty lengthy. I am listing below some of the myth and in color blue/pink I am sharing my own 2 cents about those myths...

According to some of the myths I have read, you will get a boy if

• You are carrying it low!

         I think this one and the one below are the two most popular myths. I am a petite woman no matter how I carry it looks low!

• The baby's heart rate is under 140
• You crave for sour  or salty food. This is another popular myth. 
• You are craving for proteins, meat and cheese. Okay I love eggs, omelets...does this count! But I don't crave for them because I'm pregant I have always craved for a good omelet at least once a week! Omelets are comfort foods for me! My older sister had a private chef who used to fix the best omelets when I was a child. So cooking and eating one always remind me of some pleasant mornings back home!
• Your belly looks like a basketball. I think my belly looked like a basketball when I was expecting my first son!
• You did not experience morning sickness in early pregnancy. I have never had morning sickness. Even with my daughter. I have been blessed to never surfer any such discomfort!
• Dad to be is gaining weight too. I have been married 10 years and have two boys and my 6'5 husband is a lean machine! No matter what the gender of the baby we had he has always maintained a healthy weight and really I have complained many many times that it's just not fair that I be the only one putting on the weight!
• You are having headaches. I have had occasional headaches but I am sure they have been due to sleeping after midnight and waking up early in the morning.
• Your pregnancy have you looking better than ever.  For reall? Better than ever? Is that possible?I don't think that they are a lot of women on earth who enjoy any of the changes their bodies go through when they are pregnant unless for the 'organic boob job'. Yes it looks good to have bigger breasts without cosmetic surgery! But how many women think they look better than ever when they are pregnant?
• Your hands are very dry. I love hand moisturizers so don't think I can fairly estimate this one!
• Your urine is a bright yellow in colour! Really no comment here! I don't care to check in the toilet bowl!
• Your legs' hair grow fast after shaving them! Umm I think the rate is same as usual!
• Your nose is spreading. My nose is what ? What does this one mean? I am becoming a mutan too?
If you hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves in circles (sounds like a magic trick to me I don't even care to try that one)You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is even  (not in the mood to do some math here so forget that one) 

You can guess that the gender predictions for girls would be opposite for the one above
They say that you will have a girl if:

• You carry high. Again I am a petite woman so I don't know what carrying high is supposed to mean!
• The fetal heart rate is above 140.The fetal heart rate at my last two visits have been higher than 140! I made sure to remember that fact just for the sake of the myths
• You crave for sweets.

       I have always enjoyed a delicious Tiramisu or pastry but I am actually craving sweet drinks. For the past months I have had more bottle juices than I had in the last two years. I rarely drank bottle juices and now I seem to craaaave for Grape juice and mint syrup! If tell you we better not run out of grape juice in this house or I will act like an addicted through detox! I have to have some grape juice! So sweet drinks not sweets have been my craving!

• You feel unattractive during your pregnancy! Come on!How many women feel attractive with extra weight on? Not too many! But I do know that some men find pregnant women very sexy because they are carrying life and this alone is beautiful!

So now that I have already done my ultrasound I find it fascinating that they are so many myths, old wives tales, so called scientific facts and superstitions when it comes to predicting the baby's gender!

Does you culture offer a special belief in predicting a baby's gender? What's your old wives' tales?
Do you have any children? Was any myth useful and accurate in predicting the sex of your baby or any baby that have come into your life? If you are expecting please let me know how those predictions play as your find out your baby's gender!

N'na