From the Peanut Gallery

100% of my pregnant patients find out the sex of their babies as soon as possible. Some are even disappointed to learn I can not tell them at their first prenatal visit at 6 weeks pregnant. They are all astonished to meet a pregnant person (aka me) that is holding out until delivery to learn this information. They all say, "But don't you want to know?!" and I reply, "Yes, I'd like to be told what it is when it comes out of my body." And sometimes I say, "I have been told it is a boy or a girl." Which really seems to be the most important thing, right?

But it just so happens that you don't even need an ultrasound to know the sex of your baby. All you need to do is spend all day around many opinionated women. This is what you will learn:

How to know the sex of your baby without an ultrasound, according to the many wise women of my work place:

- Pointy shaped belly = male
- Carrying wide = female
- Nausea and vomiting in first trimester = female
- Craving sweet food = female
- Craving salty food = male
- Appearing uglier than before pregnancy = male
- Becoming more attractive in pregnancy = female
- Baby kicking more on R side of belly = female
- Baby's heart rate above 140 = male

and my all time favorite:
- Have a half vietnamese half caucasian baby stand on the pregnant belly. If the baby stands with both feet on the belly, it is a boy. If the baby picks up one foot, it is a girl.

99% of these women have predicted there is a boy gestating in my belly (are they insinuating that I have become uglier?). Just today, however, a half vietnamese half caucasian baby stood on my belly (yes, that's right folks) with just ONE foot. I suppose we'll all just have to wait and see the old fashioned way.