Boy or Girl? No gender screening here!

Prenatal screening for gender identification stands illegal in India. Every couple unimpressed by the mystery unfolding 9 months later, jumps at the opportunity of a ‘baby moon’ that’s not limited to Goa.

You know who didn’t stand a chance for a baby moon across the toll, till Lonavala? That’d be me! I bore one of the ‘lockdown babies’-ish! You know whose OBGYN cleared her to fly to the States even? Yeah, the answers are getting too obvious!

No gender screening, but we had Google and all the age-old myths of gender prediction.

Let’s list out some of the symptoms that helped us guess whether we were stereotypically meant to shop pink or blue.

1. Morning sickness

Women with severe morning sickness (which is usually experienced in the first 3 months) are expected to have a girl. My first trimester was a breeze! Morning work routine to evening walks, loved every bit of it.

2. Fetal heart rate.

A heart rate of over 140bpm suggests you’re having a girl. Our 12 week ultrasound, amidst the anxiousness of the NT scan, we noticed a fetal heart rate of under 140.

3. Heart burn

Expectant mothers complain about heartburn in the 2nd trimester. “Oh your baby’s growing hair! Probably a girl then!” goes the saying.

I didn’t feel an itch!

4. Half way through the second trimester, your baby bump becomes fairly evident. If you’re carrying low, it’s a boy. If you’re carrying higher, rounder and more ball like, it’s a baby girl. I’d say mine was pretty low. Every family member, and me staring at the mirror for hours, claimed it was!

5. The Linea Nigra

Still getting fainter with time, the linea nigra (love what it’s called though!) appears mid pregnancy owing to fluctuating hormones. It’s a darkish line that runs above the navel if you’re expecting a boy and under the navel if it’s a baby girl. Mine ran throughout!

Any guesses? It had become pretty obvious! All the symptoms, every recent mom I met, every older relative that saw me, indicated (read expressed out loud) that it was going to be a boy!

Cut to 18th of August, defying all odds, my beautiful baby girl with a head of hair entered this world screaming in an OT of masked people.