There's going to be a royal baby. Whoop-de-do.
Kate Middleton isn't even out of her first trimester and already baby-crazed Royal watchers are predicting whether the Duchess of Cambridge will give birth to a future king or queen.
Since Middleton was hospitalized with acute morning sickness last week, many are speculating she'll have a girl. You know, because only mothers of girls get morning sickness.
BabyCentre, a United Kingdom-based parenting website, is also predicting a girl for Prince William and Kate. To make the forecast, the "experts" compared the couple's age and other vital stats to findings from gender prediction research.
"For example, couples that live together, as William and Kate do, are more likely to have a girl," the website states.
"Other research says that a father who holds a stressful profession, like William's job as a search and rescue pilot, also adds to the chances of having a girl. Another study found that mothers who watch their diets (Kate's slender figure would suggest she does) are more likely to give birth to female babies."
Others are saying Kate's form of morning sickness is a sign she'll have twins.
I'm so glad there are people out there that spend time figuring all this out. After all, gender prediction via old wives' tales is a true science.
According to all the tales I heard when I was pregnant with Thom, I should have given birth to a giant hermaphrodite baby.
I started hearing the old wives' tales when I was just a couple months into my pregnancy. I remember standing on a chair in the kitchen, reaching high above the cabinets, removing wallpaper. That's when Thom's grandma walked in and said, "Get down! You'll hurt the baby."
I wasn't even showing yet, but she was convinced that pregnant women shouldn't be exerting themselves, or stretching that much since it would somehow hurt the baby. Something about strangulation with the umbilical chord. That's what someone told her, anyway.
Believe it or not, Thom wasn't strangled in the womb.
All this talk of the Royal baby reminded me of all the old wives' tales I heard. Here were some of my favorites.
If you have heartburn, your baby will be born with a full head of dark hair
Truth: Toward the end of my pregnancy, I was popping Tums as meals. Thom was born with very little hair.
Conclusion: Mom 1, Old Wives' Tales 0
If you crave sweet foods and fruit, it's a girl. Salty foods and vegetables, boy
Truth: All I wanted to eat was taco salads, orange juice and mashed potatoes. Sometimes all at the same time.
Conclusion: Thom should be part girl/part boy.
If you have morning sickness, it's a girl
Fact: I never had morning sickness until I was halfway through pregnancy.
Conclusion: Having morning sickness just means you're pregnant.
If dad was a big baby, the baby will be big too
Fact: Thom's dad, uncle and grandpa were all 10-pound plus babies. Thom was 5 pounds.
Conclusion: I defied science.
If you eat spicy foods, your baby will have colic
Fact: Those who know me know I love spicy foods. Thom was the easiest baby ever.
Conclusion: No wonder I had heartburn during pregnancy.
I read that a few years ago, research was done to determine if there really was a link between morning sickness in the first trimester and women who give birth to girls. It found that indeed, morning sickness does mean a 50 percent higher chance of carrying a girl.
So, congratulations, Kate. You may be having a girl. Or a boy. Who needs ultrasound technology, anyway?
Rachel Brougham writes about a number of topics in this column which appears each Thursday. Email her at rbrougham@petoskeynews.com.
Girl or boy? Mythbusting those old wives' tales
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