Parenting

5 Myths About Being Pregnant With a Boy That Are Actually True

ParentingPublished Apr 16, 2018
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
pregnancy myths about boys, pregnant stomachkieferpix/iStock

I'm not a big fan of pregnancy myths, especially when they're based the baby's gender. All the wives' tales about girls turned out to be complete lies when I was expecting my daughter — and most of them were downright sexist and offensive. Now that I'm pregnant with my second baby, I've thought about all the things that are supposed to happen when you're having a boy, like I am this time. And you know what I've found? A lot of them are actually dead-on.

I said a lot — not all. I've had much worse morning sickness this time than last, when the reverse is supposed to be true. My hair is nice and full, but it was when I was expecting my girl too. I've had more acne this time, and I'm much more tired. That last one I can chalk up to the plight of the second pregnancy, though. Running around after a toddler doesn't give you much of a chance to rest.

But as for these five common myths about having a boy? Well, they've all come true for me.

1. You carry your weight in your stomach and it juts out like a basketball.-placeholder
1. You carry your weight in your stomach and it juts out like a basketball.
MatthewJean-Louis/iStock

1. You carry your weight in your stomach and it juts out like a basketball.

I've read that you're supposed to carry higher for boys and lower for girls — and the other way around. I've carried both my babies pretty high, but this one is higher than the last, which is probably why I've been more winded. And while I carried most of my weight in my stomach both times, it's definitely more pronounced and "basketball-like" with my son than it was with my daughter.

2. Boys kick you more.-placeholder
2. Boys kick you more.
Ljacoblund/iStock

2. Boys kick you more.

OMG yes. My daughter was active and kicked a lot, but never like this. She never kept me up at night with her kicks, either. There have been times I literally have not been able to sleep because he's moving around so much.

3. Your face doesn't get fuller when you're pregnant with a boy.-placeholder
3. Your face doesn't get fuller when you're pregnant with a boy.
Yagi-Studio/iStock

3. Your face doesn't get fuller when you're pregnant with a boy.

My face luckily hasn't gotten all that full either time, but it definitely did fill out a little bit when I was pregnant with my girl, especially in the last month. This time, nothing so far. And I'm less than four weeks away from my due date.

4. You have more headaches when you're pregnant with a boy.-placeholder
4. You have more headaches when you're pregnant with a boy.
Ljacoblund/iStock

4. You have more headaches when you're pregnant with a boy.

I've had fairly frequent bad headaches with this pregnancy and have resorted to popping Tylenol more than I'd like because of them. I can probably count the number of headaches I had the first time on one hand.

5. When you tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your stomach, it goes back and forth instead of in circles.-placeholder
5. When you tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your stomach, it goes back and forth instead of in circles.
splendens/iStock

5. When you tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your stomach, it goes back and forth instead of in circles.

Ah, yes. The good old ring test. For both pregnancies, it did exactly what it was supposed to do based on gender. It went in circles when I was expecting my daughter and back and forth in the early days of my pregnancy with my son. Accurate results like that are why my mother-in-law swears it's the best way to find out what you're having long before you can do any of those silly medical tests to know for sure.

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img-of-media-slide-228195
Yagi-Studio/iStock

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