The second that you become pregnant, the embryo is already set to be either a girl or a boy. As soon as sperm combines with an egg, the sperm has determined what the future sex of the baby will be.
When conception occurs, 23 chromosomes from you and 23 chromosomes from your partner are combined to create your brand new baby.
One of the most important chromosomes in your new baby is their sex chromosomes. These chromosomes determine what gender your future baby will have. Your baby will receive an X chromosome from you and either an X or a Y chromosome from your partner.
If your baby ends up with XX then you will have a beautiful baby girl, and if your baby ends up with XY then you will have a lovely baby boy.
If you are really hoping for a baby boy, then there are a few signs that you can look for during your pregnancy.
Unfortunately, even though your baby’s gender is determined at conception, it will take up to 15-20 weeks for your OB/GYN to determine what the sex is via ultrasound.
If you want to know what you are having before your OB/GYN can see the baby’s gender on ultrasound, then here are 7 signs and symptoms of baby boy pregnancies.
Morning Sickness
One of the most common myths surrounding determining your baby’s gender has to do with morning sickness.
Many women believe that if you have really awful morning sickness throughout your pregnancy, then you are having a girl. On the flip side, if you have a relatively morning sickness-free pregnancy, then you may be having a beautiful boy.
Skin
The phrase “girls steal their mother’s beauty” isn’t set in stone for no reason. This phrase has been around for generations to describe how women often develop acne, gain more weight, and carry heavier when they are pregnant with girls.
Baby boys tend to give mothers less acne and many women carry their boys a little lower than girls, which makes them appear less heavy. Boys often will help their mothers grow longer hair and women pregnant with baby boys may notice that their hair becomes shinier and stronger throughout their pregnancy.
Cravings
An old wives tale states that boys will cause you to crave salty foods and girls will cause you to crave sweeter, more sugary foods. Chocolate cravings are also almost always found with girls.
Heart Rate
The next time you visit the doctor, take note of your baby’s heart rate. One of the most common and universal myths surrounding a baby’s gender has to do with their heart rate.
If your baby’s normal resting heart rate while in utero is less than 140 then they probably are a boy. If the resting heart rate is above 140, then you might be carrying a girl.
How You Carry
If you feel like you are all belly when you are pregnant, and you feel like your baby is up in your ribcage all of the time, then you may be carrying a little girl. On the other hand, if you have been told that you carry low and constantly feel like the baby is sitting in your pelvis, then you are probably carrying a baby boy.
Take note of how you carry and always listen to how others think that you are carrying. In the first few months of your pregnancy, how high or low you carry could be very telling of your future baby’s gender.
Sleeping Position
For some reason, it seems that most women who are having a baby boy tend to sleep on their left sides. Any other sleeping position is symptomatic of a girl.
However, take note of this position only if it’s your first pregnancy. As you get farther along, you may notice that you gravitate more towards your left side due to comfort.
Dry Skin
If suddenly your skin becomes unnaturally dry, then you may be carrying a baby boy. For some reason, mothers of boys tend to have drier and courser skin throughout their pregnancy.
This trick works especially for mothers who never had dry skin before their pregnancy. If your hands and skin were always smooth and soft, and now suddenly they are rough, then you may be carrying a new baby boy.
Pregnancy is the time when everyone will try to guess what your new baby’s gender will be. Fortunately, around the 20th week of pregnancy, your OB/GYN will be able to tell you what gender you are having so that you can prepare for your baby.
If you just can’t wait until then, try some of these old wives tales to determine the gender of your child.
