Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Gender Prediction Theories and Our Result

These days, all that occupies our mind is the question of the baby's gender (I guess I shouldn't include Elijah in that, it's mostly me!). I find myself growing more and more impatient as the days pass, even though I would be happy with either boy or girl, it just seems like a natural need to know. So we began a quest to shed some light on the subject, for the impatient person I am. There are so many tests to choose from and so many theories to sift through. It is hard to decide which to try. So we thought, since these tests are not really based on any scientific research and many have been proven false by science, we will just chose the most interesting 5 and try to determine the gender of our baby. All for the fun of it.

What we are about to share is highly unlike us and not scientific in any way, however we do love to have fun and these were definitely fun tests!

Here goes!

1. Heartbeat Test
Theory Explained: The old wives' tale claims the unborn baby's heart rate can clue a person in as to the gender. If the heart rate is higher than 140 bpm most likely it's a girl. If the heart rate is below 140 bpm, it's a boy.

Result: Our baby's heart rate is 163 beats per minute. That's 1 point for the girl team.

2. Cabbage Test
Theory Explained: This test requires a little more effort. It starts by boiling chunks of red cabbage. After 10 minutes of boiling add 1 part cabbage water to 1 part of mommy's urine, the more concentrated the better. The color indicates gender: If the color changes to pink or red then it's a boy. If it remains purple, it's a girl. This apparently has something to do with Ph levels of the urine.

Result: Based on the picture, the mixture on the top was mixed with my urine and changed to red, the purple water is the original cabbage water. Looks like it's a boy and 1 point for the boy team!

3. Chinese Test
Theory Explained: Chinese Legend has it that the Chinese Gender Chart is over 90% accurate. The chart was buried in a royal tomb near Beijing more than 700 years ago. They say the real one is currently safe in the Institute of Science in Beijing. Based on the mother's age at the time of conception and the month of conception the gender of the baby can be found.

Result:  Month - January, Mother's age - 23 = Boy. That's 1 more point for the boy team.

4. Weight Gain
Theory Explained: Luckily this doesn't refer to the mommy. This theory says if the husband puts on weight during pregnancy, it's a girl. If he doesn't put on weight, it's a boy.

Result: Still a bit early to know for sure, but it looks like Elijah is maintaining his weight well, despite the fact that he finishes most of my meals when I can't. So that's another point for the boy team.

5. Cravings Test
Theory Explained: Many believe that the cravings a mommy have are caused by the sex of the baby. Sweet cravings indicate a girl and Sour/ Savory cravings indicate boy.

Result: As much of a sweet tooth as I usually have, I can't seem to finish the bag of M&Ms Elijah bought me from the US. And I'm certainly not craving sweet food. I'd have to say that even though I don't have specific cravings for any particular food, I always go for savory (How unlike me!). And so another point for the boy team.

Based on the 5 selected tests, the score is girls 1 point and boys 4 points. Boys win. Of course we wont really know the gender of the baby until closer to May, but this was fun nonetheless!


Take our Gender Poll and put in your very educated guess! And if you have heard of any other gender prediction theories, we would love to hear about them, leave a comment and share with us!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Nightmares

Aside from the usual symptoms of fatigue, nausea (in the evenings), bloating and vomiting, my heartburn and nightmares have worsened.

Heartburn is a constant struggle but I've managed to find a safe, natural solution to combat the overwhelming discomfort: a glass of milk :)

The nightmares continue and seem to be getting more bizarre. One minute I'm fighting robots and the next I'm making a bomb like MacGyver! (Apparently, nightmares are common for pregnant women). My most bizarre dream yet was about someone (I won't say who, but it is not Elijah) trying to assassinate me! HOW CRAZY!!! It seems like everyone around me is dreaming about my baby (Elijah, my mom, our friends even) but all I get are stupid nightmares that make no sense and are really ridiculous! On average I get 2 a night (that I can remember). One night I had 3 nightmares! And those are just the ones I remember. Another dream i had was pretty shocking, I was being eaten alive by millions of little red ants! Woke up before they reached my face. And another dream had me acting out the events in the Matthew Reilly book "Contest" where I would fight strange creatures from different planets. By the way, if you haven't read that book, you really should.

Anyway, for now I've become immune to the nonsense rolling around in my head during my unconscious hours. I can laugh about it now and only hope I have fewer dreams in the future to annoy me.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Wiggler

Week 11 Day 6
This week was challenging but had a rewarding finish. On Friday we went in for the NT scan that takes place around week 12. What this is, is a prenatal screening for any chromosomal abnormalities. This is a simple non-invasive test using the regular ultrasound to check for excess fluid at the back of the neck (which would indicate a problem). The doctor finished very swiftly as there was no sign of any abnormality. So we spent a few minutes looking at the legs and arms. I will consent to any ultrasound just to have another look at the baby :) The baby was so active, rubbing it's face and kicking it's legs as if it was riding a bicycle. Oh and we managed to get 2 photos this round! The one displayed here is the general view, not very focused on one particular area. The other photo we got was more focused on the face and one of the arms that was at the head. In that photo we can see the eyes! (See photo #2 in Sarah's Facebook "Ultrasound" Album.)

We also listened to the heartbeat again and the doctor measured it at 163 beats/minute. Overall a very satisfying doc's visit. Oh and we LOVE our OB/GYN, he is easy to talk with and makes us laugh (what a plus)!

The Ultrasounds

Week 4 Day 3 (size: poppy seed) - Confirmation of pregnancy (embryo is the little black dot on left)
Week 6 Day 3 (size: pea) - Checking development
Week 10 Day 3 (size: prune) - Confirmed heartbeat - finally looks like a human!
Week 11 Day 6 (size: lime) - NT Scan - Head on the left

Week 15 Day 6 (size: navel orange) - Unsuccessful at identifying gender - Head on the right
Week 20 Day 3 (size: small cantaloupe) - Doc confirmed gender.














Week 24 Day 3 (size: corn) - Got a better look at her face (on right)