Sex Selection

When it comes to determining what gender your baby is, there are scientific approaches and then there are the fun approaches. Sure, if you really want to determine the gender you can try the scientific approaches, but you might want to try a few "old wives' tales" first.

For fun, you can try seeing how you're carrying. The old wives' tale is if you're carrying mostly in front, you're having a boy. If, however, you're carrying all the way around your midsection, then it's a girl for you.

Don't think that method works? Then try the heartbeat approach. The theory is if your baby's heart rate is over 140 beats per minutes, then you're having a girl. If the heat rate is under 140 beats per minute, then you're having a boy.

Want another approach to take? You can use a Chinese lunar calendar. Legend has it that this calendar was invented by a scientist over 700 years ago and buried in the tomb of a member of the royal family. This calendar uses the mother's age and the month the baby was conceived to determine the gender of the child. As far as its reliability goes, most mothers maintain it's right -- about half of the time.

Not sure those methods are scientific enough? You could try the ring method. Hang a precious ring of yours on a string or ribbon in front of your belly. If the ring spins in a circle, you're having a boy. If the ring swings back and forth in a line, you're having a girl.

Okay, so if you really want to know your baby's gender, the most accurate way is via amniocentesis. Using a needle, a doctor removes some amniotic fluid from your uterus. This fluid is tested for genetic birth defeats, and during this analysis, the baby's gender is discovered. This test carries some risks, and so it is only performed in cases where the baby may have health problems. Doctors will not perform amniocentesis simply to determine a baby's gender.

The most popular method of determining a baby's gender is through an ultrasound. In this procedure, sound waves are used to form an image of your baby. From this image, doctors can tell a great deal about the baby. One of the facts they can learn about your child is his or her gender.

Although ultrasounds aren't foolproof, they are becoming more accurate every day. In many cases, doctors can almost guarantee the baby's gender because the image is so clear. Most parents use this method to find out the gender of their baby and usually feel fairly comfortable with the accuracy rate.

Of course, sometimes the ultrasound is wrong, so if your doctor isn't quite sure, you may want to hold off buying too many pink or blue booties until your little one arrives. Better safe than sorry.