Old Wives Tales Debunked

While I was pregnant is was fun to hear predictions of boy vs. girl based on old wives tales. Now that we now know Kiddo is indeed a sweet little girl named Hannah, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of those tales and see how they fared in our case.

They say: If you have severe morning sickness, you'll have a girl. Mild or absent morning sickness and it's a boy.
I say: Although there were a few days when saltines and sour patch kids tasted better than real food, I only remember feeling really yucky one day. Oh, and one evening out on the boat. Not so fun.
Result: Busted.

They say: If the baby's heart rate is above 140 bpm, it's a girl. Below 140 is a boy.
I say: Little stinker was always right at 140, or at 138 one time, 142 the next.
Result: Who knows?

They say: If you're carrying low and like a basketball, it's a boy. High and like a watermelon, it's a girl.
I say: You've seen the pics...definitely more basketball like (or medicine ball or all the NIFS'ers)
Result: Busted.

They say: Sweet cravings = girl, Sour cravings = boy.
I say: No cravings = no definitive result. I guess I craved ice cream, but that's a usual thing whether I'm pregnant or not. Does that count??
Result: True? Maybe??

They say: A rounder face during pregnancy and an increase in an acne and you'll have a girl.
I say: No change either way.
Result: Busted.

They say: If you have dreams about a specific gender, you'll actually have the opposite gender.
I say: I only had one dream about the baby. In that dream we were actually having a puppy, not a baby. Silly Kiddo.
Result: Inconclusive, but at least it was a human baby.

They say: If you only have one name picked out for a specific gender, you're more likely to be carrying that gender. Lots of names to pick from and the baby's probably not that gender.
I say: We only had one name for a girl, but a few to choose from for a boy.
Result: True! And we're in trouble if our next one is a girl too.

They say: Mom's know 71% of the time whether it's a boy or girl.
I say: I had no clue. Thought she was a girl up until Christmas then changed my mind and stuck with boy until the end.
Result: True!

Final Results: True: 3/8; Busted: 3/8; Inconclusive: 2/8.

In other words, based on these tales, there's about a 50% chance the baby would have been a girl, and a 50% chance of a boy. Go figure.