GENDER reveal parties, where couples declare to loved ones whether they are having a boy or a girl, might be all the rage – but guessing has always been part of the fun.
We have all heard the old wives’ tales supposed to determine the sex of a baby – and even This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby has got in on the act.
The mum of three thinks she can tell the gender of an unborn baby just by analysing the angle of a mum-to-be’s hands when resting on her bump.
So just how accurate is this and other gender tests?
NIKKI WATKINS asks three pregnant readers – who already know the sex of their baby – to put the predictions to the test.
They rate how many worked for them.
Clementine Salmon, 34, is 37 weeks pregnant and is expecting her third little girl[/caption]
CYNICAL Clementine Salmon, 34, does not believe old wives’ tales can predict the gender of unborn babies. At 37 weeks pregnant, the sales account manager who discovered she is expecting her third little girl at her routine 20-week scan, will only trust science-based predictions.
Clementine, from Abbey Wood, South East London, who has daughters Maya, three, and Sky, two, with company director husband Joseph, 35, says:
“I definitely came to these tests with a sceptical mind and I thought Holly’s prediction game looked a little silly.
I don’t usually believe in old wives’ tales at all. I believe in science and like all things to be backed up by scientific fact.
Clementine admits she is cynical and will only trust science-based predictions[/caption]
Things like the cravings test I think are a load of rubbish – with both previous pregnancies I craved sweet Nutella, but with this one it is just cheese.
The other tests that sounded completely nuts were the ones where you grabbed a key from a certain part, and the cutlery under the chair.
A lot of the tests were accurate, but it was probably just pot luck.
The one thing I firmly believe in is the “nub” test. As this is my third pregnancy I compared all three 12-week scans and all had the nub at the same angle.
Clementine said her cynicism was rocked by the ring test[/caption]
I must admit my cynicism was rocked by the ring test. It was amazing to see my wedding ring go from being stationary on the thread to spinning in a circle, and I have to admit there was something about it that felt very spiritual – plus it was accurate for me.
Personally I needed to know the sex of my child, I couldn’t bear to wait nine months.
The birth will be enough of a surprise, so I don’t need any more.”
Rating: 6/10
Megan Ferguson, 26, is 30 weeks pregnant and expecting a baby boy[/caption]
HEAVILY pregnant Megan Ferguson, 26, has known about the gender of her baby boy for 14 weeks – but was excited to see what the tales predicted. She paid privately for the gender scan after convincing herself she was having a boy and wanting to feel a deeper connection to the baby.
Single Megan, from Banstead, Surrey, who works in marketing and is 30 weeks pregnant, says:
“I do believe in old wives’ tales and really enjoyed reading them when I didn’t know the sex of my baby. Most of those I’ve read do apply to me.
I just couldn’t wait for my 20-week scan so I paid £50 to find out the sex at 16 weeks.
Megan said she does believe in old wives’ tales and enjoyed reading them when she didn’t know the sex of her baby[/caption]
This baby was a huge surprise as I was on the contraceptive pill and after years of polycystic ovary syndrome doctors assumed my body was incapable of a full-term pregnancy.
Finding out the sex was important to me as it made this much-wanted pregnancy feel more real.
It was an old wives’ tale which convinced me I was expecting a boy before the scan confirmed it – my bump is quite low.
All the tests are interesting, but I find the Mayan birth dates and the ring test particularity exciting as they seem more mystical.
Megan couldn’t wait for her 20-week scan so she paid £50 to find out the sex at 16 weeks[/caption]
I’m not surprised the birth dates test was accurate for me, it is ancient and this makes it seem genuinely reliable.
The ring test wasn’t actually accurate for me, but I love the idea of it.
The ring I wear is actually made from my beloved dad’s ashes, so it was great to feel he was taking part.”
Rating: 6/10
Ludovica Rivaroli, 27, is 30 weeks pregnant with her first child, a boy[/caption]
PERSONAL shopper Ludovica Rivaroli, 27, is 30 weeks pregnant with her first child and is interested in old wives’ tales. Married Ludovica found out she was having a little boy at her 20-week scan and was very excited to take part and see how accurate the tests were.
“Old wives’ tales predicting the sex of babies are interesting to me, as before my pregnancy I had no idea they even existed.
The shape of my own bump and its impact on the sex of my child had never crossed my mind, but it was accurate for me, which is cool.
I absolutely loved the ring test, because it started to swing from side to side after being completely still.
It makes you wonder if it is picking up on energies from the baby.
Ludovica said she loved the ring test, because it started to swing from side to side after being completely still[/caption]
It was very accurate, very quickly for me.
When I did the Mayan numbers with the girls at the shoot it was remarkable how accurate it was. There must be something in that one. It can’t be luck.
The silly ones like the key test and cutlery under the chairs is a bit of fun, but not something I’d put stock by.
Personally I could never just rely on these tests, as fun as they are, to tell me the sex of my child.
I was too eager to find out if it was a little girl or boy I was talking to inside my tummy.
When sonographers couldn’t be sure the first time, I went back to the hospital for another scan so they could tell me for certain.”
Rating: 7/10