When you become pregnant and share the news with your family and friends, they will invariably start guessing the baby’s gender. Of course, they are just as excited whether it’s a boy or a girl, but it seems that everyone turns into a baby gender predictor and has a trick or two up their sleeves to try on you.
Baby gender predictor strategies can be quite entertaining or annoying. Many are just old wives tales that are fairly harmless. For example, some people swear by the shape of the belly to tell if it’s a boy or girl you’re carrying, others will tell you that the food cravings you have will be the deciding factor.
Reputed to be highly accurate as a baby gender predictor is the Chinese pregnancy or baby prediction calendar. This ancient document was uncovered in royal burial grounds in China and is till being used by women all over the world to determine their baby’s sex as well as a tool in pre-pregnancy gender planning.
It used to be extremely difficult to predict a baby’s gender before birth, but with the advent of the ultrasound machine, this has become a reality for many expectant parents. The best time to perform the sonogram is during the middle of the second trimester. It is a non-invasive procedure and can be quite accurate if performed under the right conditions.
The ultrasound procedure itself is fairly straightforward. The only discomfort for most women may be the need to drink lots of water before the sonogram. Other than that, a cool gel is spread across the abdomen and a scanner is used to “see” inside the womb. Although the ultrasound can be quite accurate, factors such as the direction the baby is facing or its size or fetal age may affect the outcome of the scan and make it less functional as a baby gender predictor.
The truth of the matter is that laboratory examination of the amniotic fluid is the only current means of accurately determining a baby’s sex prior to birth. Unfortunately, amniocentesis is an invasive procedure which carries a risk of harm to the fetus and should never be undertaken for the sole purpose as a baby gender predictor.
With the availability of a reasonably accurate baby gender predictor such as ultrasound, new parents-to-be can elect to learn their baby’s gender before it is born. In fact, many parents these days choose to do so. With the anticipation of a new baby, comes dramatic lifestyle changes. Something as simple as knowing what to shop for can go a long way towards reducing the stress factor for new parents.
Life is never as simple as we would like like it to be. If you are a large bridesmaid or searching for a thanksgiving laptop deal you will always have to put in some effort.
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