Signs of a Baby Girl: What Tradition and Science Say

Published July 8, 2021
Pregnant woman and pink baby shoes

Are you dreaming of the days where your life is filled with bows, ruffles, and so much pink? Waiting to see if you are going to have a mini-me can feel like a lifetime. During the nine months of pregnancy, look for all the possible signs of a baby girl's arrival.

Can You Predict Gender?

Many women have been convinced that they can tell whether a boy or girl is growing in their belly by reading the signs. Tons of old wives' tales have been created over the years, claiming to help moms-to-be determine if they are expecting a little lady. These old wives' tales are fun and sometimes prove true, but because the methods are not scientifically backed, you won't want to run out and buy a closet full of dresses before more data-driven, scientific methods like amniocentesis and mid-pregnancy ultrasounds are performed.

Signs of baby girl infographic

Old Wives Tales That Point to a Baby Girl

These old wives' tales have commonly been believed to predict a female gender of an unborn baby. While none of these old wives' tales are scientifically backed, they are still fun ways to think about exactly who is growing inside mom's belly. The following particular tales are associated with predicting a baby girl.

The Key to the Baby's Gender

Can predicting your baby-to-be's gender be as simple as picking up a house key? Probably not, but this easy gender prediction test is a fun way to play around with what you might be having. An old wives' tale says that one sign of a baby girl is whether a mother picks up a house key by the round part of the key. If this is her preferred method of picking up a key, a baby girl it is.

Side Sleeping Says What Gender is Awaiting

When you lie your pregnant bod down to rest, do you tend to sleep on your right side primarily? If you notice that you are a right-sided, side sleeper, then you might be pregnant with a baby girl.

Can Cabbage Create a Pregnancy Prediction?

This gender predictor test feels more like a science experiment than an old wives' tale. During your pregnancy, boil some red cabbage. Take one cup of the reddish cabbage water and mix it with a cup of your urine. Does the water turn pink? If so, you might be awaiting a baby girl. (Purple liquid is supposed to hint towards a male).

Look to the Line

Pregnant women may notice that a dark line appears on their burgeoning belly region during pregnancy, running vertically. This line is commonly known as the linea nigra. If your linea nigra stops at your belly button, you could be carrying a girl. A line that continues upwards to the ribcage can be an indicator of a baby boy.

Telling Tatas

It's no great secret that a pregnant woman gains a couple of bra sizes during her gestation. Spend a few minutes analyzing your anatomy. Does your right breast appear to be bigger than your left one? An old wives' tale says that this size discrepancy means that you will be male-less for this pregnancy.

Carrying Your Bump High

Does your bump sit high instead of hang low? High-carried baby bellies have often been associated with daughters. A common old wives' tale says that high baby bumps house little ladies, not bouncing boys. Of course, this old wives' tale has no scientific merit, and how your bump sits largely depends on factors other than impending gender.

Pregnant woman making fresh homemade citrus fruit juice

Citrus Signifies Something Girlie

For many ladies, the pregnancy months come along with cravings, both common and unusual. Mothers who can't get enough citrus foods in their daily diets might be expecting a girl. One old wives' tale says mamas of girls are drawn to citrus fruits, more so than mamas awaiting baby boys.

What Does Your Skin Say?

It is widely said that along with pregnancy comes a shiny, healthy glow. While bodies and bumps grow bigger by the day, mama's skin comes out the winner, appearing supple and dewy. This might be true for many moms who get to bask in a pregnancy glow, but mothers-to-be of girls seem to find themselves combatting unpleasant skin conditions rather than enjoying the pretty perks. One longstanding old wives' tale says that if you are pregnant with a girl, she steals your looks and leaves your face wanting.

So Hot and Sweaty

Understandably, pregnant women might be more hot and sweaty than usual, because they suddenly carry around excess hormones and pounds. How hot and sweaty a pregnant woman is might clue parents into whether they are expecting a baby girl and not a boy. One old wives' tale says that moms who are especially uncomfortable, sticky, and sweaty are bound to birth a baby girl.

How High Is Your Heart Rate?

Many people believe that the fetal heartbeat determines whether or not a girl will be joining the family. When the fetal heartbeat is above 140 beats per minute, the old wives' tale says that mom is pregnant with a little girl. Of course, this is sometimes true, but sometimes not. Plenty of mamas display high fetal heartbeats in their pregnancy only to discover that a baby boy has been brewing the entire time.

Pregnant women crying

Moody Mama? Might Be Because of a Girl

What is happening with your mood? Do the pregnancy months have you feeling more huffy than usual? If you are ill-tempered during the nine months of baby baking, the mood swings you are experiencing might signify that a little girl is on the way.

Going Garlic? It's a Girl!

During your pregnancy, eat some garlic! What do you notice afterwards? Can you eat garlic and not stink of the strong scent after consuming it? If you can gobble up garlic and be left with no evidence of your snack, then you might be expecting a girl in the upcoming months.

Graceful Gait

When your center-of-gravity shifts and your bulging belly suddenly take center stage, your gait can get thrown off. Becoming clumsy during pregnancy is common, but excessive clumsiness might result in a son. If you remain graceful with your gait, then you could be in for a mini-me.

Tune Into Your Dreams

During the nine months of pregnancy, parents daydream of who their babies will become, what they will look like, and where life will take them. They also dream in the night, but these evening dreams may tell parents subconsciously what they are having. An old wives' tale says that if mom dreams of baby boys, it is actually a girl they are growing.

Ramzi Theory Abdominal Ultrasound

Ten physical attributes show differentiation between a girl skull and a boy skull. Girls generally have smaller and rounder skulls compared to their male counterparts. Supporters of the skull theory say that looking at the physical characteristics of the fetal head is 70%-90% accurate in predicting gender. Those who don't buy the theory claim that skull attributes don't apply to fetal skulls, only to adult skulls.

Gender Predictions With Some Scientific Backing

Some gender prediction methods might be more than just old wives' tales, and studies show that there is some science behind these possible pregnancy predictions. While still not as accurate as genetic tests and mid-pregnancy ultrasounds at predicting gender, these signs of a baby girl have some science mixed in.

Pay Attention to Your Blood Pressure

One study found that women with low blood pressure levels during the months before conception were more likely to have girls than women with high blood pressure levels. During your pregnancy, think back six months and try to recall what your blood pressure levels were. They might give away the gender of your baby.

Morning Sickness Might Mean a Girl

A 2017 study showed that morning sickness was more prevalent in pregnant women who were carrying females compared to women carrying males. Women expecting baby girls exhibited more inflammation when their immune systems were exposed to bacteria. Women carrying boys experienced less inflammation, hence, suffered from less severe levels of pregnancy-related illness.

Know Where the Nub Points

During the first trimester, a fetus develops something known as a genital tubercle. This nub eventually develops into telling female or male body parts, but until then, studies show that the nub's angle might help predict gender. If the nub is less than 30 degrees from the spine, then a baby girl is likely arriving soon.

Take These Signs in Stride

If you perform countless gender prediction tests that all point to signs of a baby girl, remember that these methods are all for fun. The only reliable means of knowing what you are having is through mid-pregnancy ultrasound or blood and genetic testing measures.

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Signs of a Baby Girl: What Tradition and Science Say