I thought it would be fun to test a few of those old pregnancy myths and predictors — the kind everyone mentions, like “if you crave sweets, it’s a girl.” So far, from my experience, most of them haven’t been reliable, but a few have some surprising truth to them. Here’s what I noticed comparing my two pregnancies.
Rumor #1: If you crave sugary foods it’s a girl, and if you crave salty or savory foods, it’s a boy. This one was false for me. I craved salty foods both times — baked potatoes became a consistent obsession with Clara and again with this little bun. My palate didn’t switch to the stereotypical “sweet-for-girl” pattern at all, so in my case cravings weren’t predictive of sex.
Rumor #2: If the baby’s heartbeat is over 140 beats per minute, it’s a girl. Also false for me. Both of my pregnancies showed higher-than-140 heart rates at various points. In fact, this pregnancy’s early heart rate was even higher than Clara’s, reaching around 170 at one check while Clara’s hovered near 160. So a fast heartbeat didn’t mean “girl” in my experience.
Rumor #3: You swell more when you’re pregnant with a girl. True for me. With Clara I experienced notable swelling — ankles and fingers became obvious trouble spots, and I had to stop wearing my wedding ring by about 30 weeks. This time around, with the baby who’s now a boy, I’ve had almost no swelling even at four weeks from my due date. That difference has stood out the most between the two pregnancies.
Rumor #4: You have more morning sickness when you’re carrying a girl. False for me. I did have morning sickness with Clara until about 18 weeks, but with this pregnancy I’ve experienced sickness not only in the morning but also in the afternoon and evening — and it’s been tied to a baby who turned out to be a boy. So my nausea pattern didn’t follow the myth.
Rumor #5: If you dream about having a girl or a boy, your dream is right. This one was mixed. It was true for Clara: I kept having dreams and a persistent feeling that I was carrying a girl, and I turned out to be right. For this pregnancy, however, I never had those early dreams predicting a boy. I actually assumed this baby might be a girl at first because of similar cravings and morning sickness, so the dream-based intuition didn’t hold for this little man.
Rumor #6: You carry higher and wider with a girl, and lower and more in front with a boy. Half true for me. This boy is definitely positioned more out front compared with how I carried Clara, which felt broader. However, the boy also rode unusually high for many weeks and only dropped closer to my due date. So while the “more in front for a boy” part feels accurate, the “higher vs. lower” aspect flipped during the pregnancy, making this rumor only partially match my experience.
Rumor #7: Girls steal your beauty. I’ll admit this one felt true. My pregnancy with Clara came with more swelling, acne, and dull, flat hair and skin — the whole package that made me feel less put-together. This time, carrying a boy, I’ve had none of the swelling, fewer breakouts, and surprisingly shiny hair that I barely recognize as mine after years of frizzy, dry hair. It’s amusing to think a sex can “steal” or “restore” beauty, but there was a clear difference in how I looked and felt between pregnancies.
Putting these legends and old wives’ tales aside, what matters most to me is that the doctor says this little boy is healthy and active. He’s due in mid-April, so we’ll meet him in about four weeks, and we are beyond excited. I’d love to hear from you: which pregnancy myths rang true for you, and which ones were way off? Sharing real experiences can be helpful for anyone navigating their own pregnancy and wondering whether to trust these long-standing rumors.