For generations, women have heard sayings like: “If your baby sits high, it’s a girl. If it’s low, it’s a boy.” Others claim the way a baby kicks, moves, or lies in the womb reveals gender. These beliefs are part of a long-standing tradition of pregnancy folklore that has been passed down through families and communities.
What Determines a Baby’s Gender?
A baby’s gender is determined at conception, and it depends on whether the sperm carries an X chromosome (resulting in a girl) or a Y chromosome (resulting in a boy). Once this is set, no external factor, including how the baby lies in the womb, can change or predict it.
Why Babies Move into Different Positions
Your baby’s position in the womb mostly depends on:
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Gestational age: Early in pregnancy, babies move freely, and as they grow, space becomes limited.
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Placenta placement: This can affect how the baby settles.
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Baby’s movement: Some babies are more active than others!
By the last weeks of pregnancy, most babies naturally move into the head-down position (called cephalic), ready for delivery. This is about birth, not gender.
Here is why the myth still persists:
Pregnancy is full of curiosity and excitement. Since ultrasound scans were not always available in the past, families created guessing games to predict gender. These traditions made waiting more enjoyable, but they are without a medical basis.
How Do I Know My Baby’s Sex Before Delivery?
The most reliable way to know your baby’s sex before birth is through an ultrasound scan, usually done around 18–22 weeks, which provides a clear view of the baby’s anatomy.
Beyond these medical methods, popular beliefs about predicting gender based on a baby’s position in the womb, food cravings, or the shape of the belly remain myths with no scientific backing.
Summary
A baby’s position in the womb can’t predict the gender of the baby. While it can be fun to guess and play along with old wives’ tales, only medical tests like ultrasounds can accurately determine if you’re having a boy or a girl.
Have you ever heard or tried a pregnancy gender-prediction myth? Did it turn out true or false in your experience?
Researched by Mercy Adeniyi.
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