Have you ever heard the story to the effect that if you hang a pendant over your pregnant stomach and wait to see if it turns clockwise or counterclockwise, you will be able to learn the sex of your baby? It’s clockwise for a boy and counterclockwise for a girl. Or the other way around, depending on which myth you believe.
Hey, who needs ultrasounds!
All joking aside, though, is there anything that can really give you any indication, other than an ultrasound, as to what sex your baby is likely to be? A lot of people put it down to if you are pregnant and craving spicy food you will have a boy. But what is the real truth behind why you crave all those crazy things during pregnancy
What About Those Pregnancy Cravings?
All joking aside, pregnancy cravings can be maddening – expectant mothers just want what they want when they want it and they want it THIS MINUTE!
Few women will tell you that they’ve ever gotten through a pregnancy without waking up a 2 am with a craving that just won’t go away. Sometimes it’s for something ridiculous – yes, women really DO crave pickles and ice cream. Other times it might be something a bit more mundane, like she’s pregnant and craving spicy food, but all the same, she’s going to go out of her mind if she doesn’t get those black beans with yellow rice.
The Cravings are Strong
What many men fail to understand about women who are pregnant and craving spicy food (or anything else for that matter) is that these cravings are horribly, horribly strong. As in she would murder her mother for a single strip of bacon. And if you don’t find it for her, then you do not love her, you have never loved her, you do not care about the baby, and you are a soulless ghoul.
It doesn’t mean that if she’s pregnant and craving spicy food she’ll have a boy, and it doesn’t mean she’s gone off her rocker. So just get her what she’s craving. Please.
Why the Intensity?
According to Gurgle.com, 50 years ago, only 30% of women reported craving certain foods during pregnancy. Today, it’s more like 75%. Why is this? Are women having stronger cravings?
It’s not likely. More likely, they are more comfortable with admitting to having cravings. They don’t just suck up pregnancy as being “a woman’s lot” the way they once did.
But What About the Sex?
If she’s pregnant and craving spicy food, is she going to have a boy? Maybe. If she’s pregnant and wanting chocolate, will she have a girl? Maybe. If she wants to eat dish soap, sponges, rubber or coal, will she have a monster?
I’m not joking here – women actually do sometimes crave these crazy things.
Oddly enough, though, more women who crave spicy food seem to have boys. And more women who crave chocolate seem to have girls. Why is this? No one really knows.
The Final Word
If you are interested in knowing the sex of your baby, an ultrasound is a far more reliable method than an assessment of the expectant mother’s diet. Cravings are part and parcel of pregnancy, but not reliable indicators of the sex of your baby.