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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Place Your Bets

Just when we think we cannot possibly wait any longer....there is still one day left before the ultrasound. 

Oh, the agony.  Something about this third pregnancy is making both Justin and I more needy for gender-confirmation than ever.  We go over and over the likelihoods and the myths and the symptoms and the differences between this pregnancy and the first two.  Over and over.  Of course, we get nowhere. 

Much of our family tells us that we're going to have another girl -- statistically, they say, the third child is more likely to be the same as the first two if those were the same gender.  So a third child after two girls has a higher chance of being another girl.  But I know so many families with two girls, then a boy!  Or two boys, then a girl!  Our predictions are a mighty jumble.

Maybe you can help us?

Here are the supporting confusions:

Differences in Pregnancies
  • With both girls, I was incredibly sick for the first several months, especially in the mornings.  With Lauren, I even went on anti-nausea medicine because I was actually losing weight from so much vomiting.  This time, I'm completely fine.  No vomiting whatsoever, and barely a smidge of evening nausea in the beginning.
  • I've had several quasi-fainting spells this time around.  Each time, I managed to stay upright and regain composure after several minutes, but just barely.  In contrast, I had not the slightest faintness with either girl.
  • While it may be just a trick of my memory, I seem to be quite a bit more...uhm...well-endowed this time around.  Seriously don't remember this much of a magical transformation happening in the past, and with such accompanying, prolonged tenderness.
  • And those aren't the only things growing: my feet have grown half a size in the past 4 months alone.  They stayed constant through previous pregnancies.
  • I've never had breakouts like these before.  Well, at least not since adolescence.  My skin was glowing and clear with both girls.
  • I'd rather have salty, and even somewhat spicy foods these days.  Yes, I still like sweets, but they're not all-consuming like they were with the first two pregnancies.  The other day, I refused donuts.  I know.

Other Thoughts
  • I feel fairly certain -- having charted my cycles for the past few years -- that we conceived on the day of or the day after ovulation.  I can't cite it, but if my memory is correct, when conception occurs within a day or two of ovulation, there's a higher likelihood that the baby will be male.  If conception occurs several days before ovulation, the baby is more likely to be female. 
  • The Chinese gender predictor chart says we're having a boy. It predicted girls with the first two and was correct, however coincidental those guesses may have been.
  • The gold ring test suggests that if a ring, when tied at the end of a long string and dangled over the pregnant belly, swings back and forth in a line, the baby is a boy.  If the ring swings in circles, it's a girl.  We didn't do this test with either girl, or if we did, my memory didn't latch on to it.  This time, our ring swung in straight lines, time and time again.  Boy.
  • Within days of conception, before anybody could be certain I was pregnant, I knew I was.  I felt it in my soul.  Likewise, from the very first days of pregnancy, I've felt certain that this baby is a boy.  Which has made me doubt my feelings; who can actually know these things?!  Isn't it always just coincidence if the feelings happen to match the outcome?  Still, I had no inklings either way with the first two pregnancies.  And I can't really say that I'm hoping for a boy...in fact, I'm more and more nostalgic for the days of baby girls.  I know girls; I love girls; I understand girls -- I'm a mother of girls.  A boy would be...just...different.  But despite these doubts over whether or not I want a boy (like it matters), I still feel like this is a boy.  And I feel quite adamant about it. 

Now, armed with this knowledge, what say you?  Have your suspicions about gender come true in the past?  Have the old wives' tales of prediction been correct for you?  Did your wildly different pregnancies signify anything in particular? 

And most importantly, (step right up! step right up!) what do you think we'll find out tomorrow morning?

16 comments:

  1. Boy! And I base that prediction only on my past pregnancies--which were boys--where I craved salt! Can't wait until you find out!

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  2. The ring test is never wrong. It's a boy! But, seriously, I am totally not the person to consult on these matters. I had no clue with any of my kids until we saw the proof on the ultrasounds. I can't wait to hear the news tomorrow!

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  3. What's the baby's heartrate at? Isn't girls suppose to be higher than boys? or is it the other way around?

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  4. I'm sure I know what it is and I'll tell you...tomorrow...right after you tell me what the ultrasound said! :)

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  5. scbride - I forgot to mention the heartrate! I've heard the same thing -- girls have faster heartrates. But I always get confused because the heartrates constantly change as the baby develops. Our heartrate was high -- 160ish -- but it was also the earliest we've ever heard it. The older the fetus gets, the slower the heart beats, right? So I'm just not going to worry about it :)


    Jill - You make me laugh :) I'll call you early!

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  6. I was sure with my first that she was a girl, but we didn't find out. Everyone looked at me and did the tests and said, boy. They convinced me by the end, but I was right.

    I was told that moms are actually a little less the 50% accurate in guessing the gender of their child, but well...

    Me second pregnancy was so different. Heartburn crazy. I carried differently. And when people looked at the baby bump, they said boy. I was hoping for a girl, but had no inkling. We didn't find out, but if we'd had any ultrasounds after 20 weeks, I would have.

    Boy or girl, may he or she be happy and healthy. (I can't wait to hear!)

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  7. Boy!
    A number of people have been having a boy after all girls or girl after all boys. Either way its exciting.
    Can't wait to hear!

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  8. Is it hurtful if you are giving me a chuckle because you sound so stinkin' cute right now?
    Ok, so I only had the one...but I did all those tests and then some (I worked with a lady who had the craziest old wives tale tests...I'll spare you the details). Almost all the tests said girl and it was a boy. A friend of mine is a wildlife researcher who works with wolves. He did a study and is adamant that the only predictor is when conception occured around ovulation. And he said what you said that it would be a boy (I took an ovulation test).
    So I am going to say boy. Can't wait to hear the news!
    Hope you are feeling well?
    Best,
    Tina

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  9. i had 2 boys,then a girl. my boy pregnancies were exactly the same & my girl pregnancy totally different. i *knew* she was a girl almost immediately. i also knew my 2nd was a boy, based on my experience the first time. also, fwiw,the boy pregnancies were easier, esp toward the end. also, the timing thing was correct all 3 times,whereas the chinese gender thingy got them all wrong.

    oh, and the heart rate thing has been totally debunked scientifically (am too lazy to find the study, but is easily googled). mine were all the same -- 160s at the beginning, 140s toward the end.

    i don't pretend to know what you'll see tomorrow, but i kinda hope it's a boy. just because it's fun to have both.

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  10. I wish I could be more helpful, but as you know, we are in the exact same boat on the opposite shore! Totally different pregnancy this time around from the time with Ben. His was uneventful, exactly as you described! No nausea, very little fatigue, only heartburn and not until the 3rd Trimester. Now I have the opposite problem with every textbook pregnancy symptom known to man. I am excited to hear what the test shows tomorrow! And you are right, boys are very different from girls but don't worry - they are just as much fun!

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  11. I say boy, too! Especially with all those signs - and especially the donut test!

    Can't wait to find out!!

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  12. Marcos Mais TerraMay 17, 2011 6:52 PM

    with my first four daughters I was never swayed to think that they would be one certain gender. With my fith daughter I felt SURE she would be male and we waited until the birth to find out that she was a beautiful, sweet, wonderful little girl! The last baby I wasn't surprised to find out it was a boy. The odds were in favor of having a boy. And we went ahead and found out in the ultrasound, not waiting until birth. At that point in my life I figured I needed all the prep time I could get to be ready for the little one. But you've always got that 50/50 chance.

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  13. Statistically speaking, there is no greater chance of it being a boy or a girl this time. We discussed this in genetics, actually! :) Each time you get pregnant, it's a 50-50 chance.

    That being said, I definitely think a boy!

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  14. I'd say boy. I'm a new reader but I'm guessing based on the conception date. That one is true, that the male (Y) sperm tend to swim faster but die quicker, and female (X) sperm swim slower but live longer. I worked for an OB for 2 years and read a book on it. However, the "ring" test and the heartrate tests are both proven to be inaccurate. Either way, wish you the best with your pregnancy and birth!
    ~Melissa

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  15. BOY! Just because you know it. Don't doubt your intuition, lady!

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  16. I craved salty stuff with my boy too, and this is the only time I have ever had swelling in my feet (I had no ankles left by the last few weeks!)
    I know what you mean about not being overly concerned about whether you get a boy or not, I was so used to my little gaggle of girls, I would have been thrilled to get another one! Of course, now that we have a little boy I am just as thrilled. :)

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Hmm...And how did that make you FEEL?