Two variables determine the nature of a pregnant woman's bump. The first is the size of the baby. It is true that on average baby boys weigh more at birth than baby girls, and so this could make the bump for a boy slightly bigger. But this small difference in weight does not change the shape of the bump.
A classic 'sign' of what sex baby you're having is how you're carrying – in other words, if your bump is all out in front or more spread out around. A spread-out bump that sits high is supposed to indicate that you are carrying a girl, and a lower, more compact bump is said to show you are having a boy.
Some people say that baby girl bumps are low and wide, while baby boy bumps are higher and rounder. The truth is, although it can be fun to guess what a baby's gender will be by looking at their mum's bump, it's just an old wives' tale and isn't supported by any scientific research.
If the baby bump is a little above the hips and resting higher on the abdomen, conventional wisdom says it's a girl because it doesn't weigh as much. The height of the bump actually depends entirely on the strength of your abs and the shape of your uterus.
The belly test to guess a baby's gender is simply an old wives' tale that has been passed down through the years. Many factors affect the shape and size of a pregnant belly, including: Abdominal muscle tone: Strong muscle tone may make the bump appear smaller.
Or that if you feel your baby moving more on the right side, then you're probably having a boy. But there's no evidence that there's a difference between the movements of boys and girls in the womb (Medina et al 2003).
Your Bump Can Reveal: How Many Babies You've Had
And because they've been pre-stretched, you show sooner and lower. “With each pregnancy, your growing uterus stretches the abdominal muscles looser and looser,” Ross says. (See the whole “weaker middles lead to low bellies” thing, above.)
All are supposed to predict the sex of a baby. But only one works. If a pregnant woman has a neat bump that sticks out in front like a netball, then it is a boy. If the weight is more spread out around her middle then it is a girl.
There's an old wives' tale about the shape of your belly and the gender of your baby. It claims that if your shape resembles a basketball, then you're having a boy, but if your shape resembles a watermelon, then you're having a girl.
Missed period
The first sign of pregnancy is usually missing a period, about 2 weeks after you've conceived. This isn't always reliable and if your periods aren't regular you might not notice you've missed one. Some women have a bit of bleeding as the egg embeds. Many women also experience tender breasts.
For this old-school gender test, you need a wedding ring: String it on a necklace and hold it over your belly. If the ring moves in circles, the baby in your belly is a girl. If it swings back and forth, it's a boy.
For some moms-to-be, constantly touching, patting, rubbing and holding their belly can be soothing. For others, it's a way to feel close to the baby inside.
In fact, the only way to really find out what you're having is your 20-week scan. Still, that doesn't stop trying to predict your baby's sex being a whole lot of fun.
The size of your bump can be affected by all sorts of factors. The position of your baby in your womb (uterus) can make your bump look bigger. You may also have a bigger bump if you're carrying twins or more. If you're expecting your second or subsequent baby, you may also tend to have a larger bump.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
A recent study suggests that carrying a male or female foetus could lead to different immune responses in pregnant women. Pregnant women carrying girls have a greater chance of experiencing nausea and fatigue, according to the results of a study from the USA's Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
The two sex chromosomes in the egg and sperm are what determine whether you'll have a boy or girl. Eggs always have an X chromosome, and sperm have either an X or Y chromosome. Whichever sperm is the winner will penetrate and fertilize the egg, creating either an XX (girl) or XY (boy) pair.
The size and shape of your bump can be determined by a variety of factors, including: Your frame. If you're smaller or more petite, your growing belly might be more noticeable earlier on. Your core muscles.
Another factor that can affect the size of a woman's bump is a condition called diastasis recti, which is when the left and right sides of the rectus abdomens muscles separate. That produces more space in the wall of your abdomen, Dr. Kiley explains, and the uterus may push out more, making the bump appear bigger.
' Just because someone has a big bump, it doesn't mean they'll have a big baby. Size and shape depend on various things. Ultimately, there are so many variables at play that your baby bump can be big or small!
You've probably heard people say that if your baby isn't very active in the womb (uterus), you're likely to have a girl. Or that if you feel your baby moving around earlier, or more often, you're probably having a boy. However, your baby's gender cannot be predicted based on the activity levels.
Researchers have found that severe morning sickness (called hyperemesis gravidarum) is slightly more common in pregnancies where the baby is a girl, which could reflect the differences in hCG. There are plenty of other hormones at work in pregnancy, whatever the sex of the fetus.
Nature is designed to favour the conception of boys from September to November and girls from March to May because of an evolutionary mechanism aimed at keeping the overall sex ratio as near to 50:50 as possible, the scientists said.
Although it is unusual to have an entirely flat abdomen in pregnancy, Meg Wilson, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at London Gynaecology says every woman 'carries' a pregnancy differently.