Ready or Not, … here she comes!

  One last update for you ...  

These last few weeks have been interesting as far as things with the gestational hypertension go.  My blood pressure has slowly creeped up and up and my swelling has become worse and worse. So it was with much thought and prayer that we decided I should put in my notice and prepare to go on my maternity leave. As Sam completed his last set of final exams for this semester I wrapped up my last few days at work and last Thursday, the 18th, was officially my last day. 

So Thursday night, we told Evie as soon as her daddy was done with his finals the next day she had our permission to come whenever she pleased, (preferably sooner rather than later). We had our hospital bags packed, all the big things you need for a new baby and my family was set to arrive on Monday afternoon. We thought we were pretty ready for this to happen. 

On Monday we had another doctor appointment and with where things were at we decided, with the help of our medical team, that it would be best if we went ahead and induced. With gestational hypertension they don't like to let the mommies go any longer than 39 weeks which for us would be been the 31st of December. 

So we decided to go ahead and plan to begin inducing today, the 26th. Because on Monday my cervix was only 1cm dilated, they scheduled us to come in really late tonight, so they can begin preparing my cervix. The hope is that after the procedure tonight, my body will automatically push itself into labor and we can have Evangeline here sometime tomorrow! 

If my body doesn't respond by sometime mid-morning tomorrow they will break my water and start me on pitocin and we will see how things progress from there. The goal is to have her come as naturally and with as little drugs as possible. We are all praying that my body and Evie decide to cooperate, but we will see. We know this is all in the Lord's hands and that He will take care of us regardless of how things work out.

So, this morning, in preparation for our trip to the hospital this evening, I found myself looking back over these last 9 months this morning. And I decided it would be fun to write this one last post. 

It has been fun to reminisce and see where we have come from; the growth I have experienced in these last 38 weeks. One of the more miraculous parts has seemed to be the physical aspect. This morning I was looking at pictures throughout this adventure and couldn't believe how much my body has changed. What an incredible process pregnancy really is. Here's a quick little sneak peak through the last 9 months for you.

 It truly is amazing when you sit back and think about all of it. I don't think I will ever get over how unbelievable it is that our bodies are made to do this … to stretch, grow, and provide the perfect environment for another little human being to develop. As much as I have complained about the woes of pregnancy symptoms, it really has been an incredible experience that I am grateful for.

I can still hardly believe today is the day though. These last 9 months have been such a whirlwind. There have been times where it seemed to fly by and others where it was almost painfully slow. 

Every single moment of these last 9 months had a purpose though. Through all the morning sickness, the excessive swelling, high blood pressure, exhaustion and hundreds of trips to the bathroom, it has served a purpose. And as I think about that, it is a relief to realize that it wasn't all in vain. There has always been a light at the end of the tunnel, and now that light is coming into view.

 How grateful I am that Heavenly Father has blessed me with this opportunity. It means the world to me that He has entrusted us with one of His sweet, sweet spirits. Sam and I are so excited to have our precious Evangeline here with us. We cannot wait to have her here in our arms, to love on and finally meet in person! It amazes me how much love I have for her already without even seeing her yet. I cannot wait for that moment when they hand her to us and congratulate us on her arrival. It's incredible how someone so small can change our lives and impact our hearts so much before they even come.

It doesn't seem like there are words adequate enough to express the hundreds of emotions I seem to be experiencing. So instead of trying, for now, this will just have to do. 

But make sure to stay tuned! We will do our best to keep you all updated after her arrival with pictures and all the details. We appreciate your love, support, well wishes, and prayers! 

37 weeks

Well things have been crazy around here and I have failed to stay on top of this, but here's a quick overview. This might be our last post before little Evie makes her debut! I can hardly believe she will be here in less than 5 days! I am so ready to hold her in my arms!

How far along: 37 almost 38 weeks -- (37 weeks and 6 days to be precise)

Due date: January 7th, 2015 --- but we are inducing on December 27th, 2014

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes are now a joke. As this baby has dropped, the only things in my closet that fit anymore are dresses and my two pairs of yoga pants. 

Sleep: Sleep is an interesting topic at our house. I sleep in what we refer to as my nest. This nest consists of 8 pillows … yes I typed that correctly … 8 pillows. Sam has to help me climb in and get settled every night, but it is some of the most glorious sleep I have had in a long time. I sleep for 2 or 3 hours stints if I am lucky and then have to get up and go to the bathroom. And I only sleep for about 6 maybe 7 hours before my body is up and ready to go for the day. And I don't think this would be so bad if I had the chance to take a nap during the day. But with working full time that hasn't been an option, so by the time I get home at night I am usually pretty exhausted.  

Best moment of this week: Hmm this is a hard one. I don't know if it's the fact that my family has arrived for the holidays and these 3 babies birthdays or if it is knowing the end is soo close!

Miss anything: I miss my knees, ankles and calfs. All I have now are these super swollen planks. I am so, so, so ready for this swelling to go away. I never, never knew my body was capable of swelling to this level. I laugh when other pregnant friends tell me that they are so bummed because they just started swelling and they still have 2 or 3 weeks left in their pregnancy. Ha. I started swelling at 19 weeks … I have had the pleasure of experiencing excessive swelling for the last 19 weeks. 
My skin literally doesn't have anymore give to it, so instead of stretching more to accommodate the extra water, I just bruise from the constant pressure and my skin has started to break in some places creating these really cute little pockets of swelling. In fact, I saw a picture of my legs pre-pregnancy the other day and almost started crying. I will have to try and get a picture up on here so you can really appreciate what is going on here. I just pray my knees, ankles and calfs decide to return after this baby comes. 

Movement: Well with how big our little lady is, (she was weighing in at 7lbs at our 36 week appointment, which they said would mean that if we went full term she could be a 9-10lb baby) she has even less room to move around. So movement now a days consists of feeling her roll and squirm, or sometimes I can feel her get the hiccups, but that's about all we get now a days. She doesn't have much room for anything else. 

Food cravings: Umm … I don't think I've really had any kind of cravings lately. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sometimes after I eat I just get nauseas. It doesn't even really matter what I was eating, just eating in general.  

Gender: Sweet baby girl. 

Pregnancy signs: At this point I think I have all the classic signs and symptoms. One of the kind of fun ones is to see how much further Evie has dropped every morning when I wake up.

Belly button in or out: I thought for sure I'd get an outty with how close we were a few weeks ago but unless I pushed on my tummy it never did reach outty status.

Wedding ring on or off: Oh the ring has been off for quite some time. It surprises me a little, how much I miss wearing my wedding ring. I will be excited when this swelling goes down and I can put it on again! 

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy? But Sam might have a different answer for this question ha, ha. 

Good News!

We want to thank everyone who messaged or checked in on us in the last few days to see how we were doing! The Lord has blessed us with many, many caring people in our lives. We are so blessed. 
This afternoon the doctor called with the results from our tests and we have good news! We wanted to share it here as many of you have asked us to let you know when we find out. So here it is. 

Doctor Codd, called us this afternoon to deliver some great news. All of our test results came in earlier today and he was able to take a look at them. He said the blood work came back normal and the 24 hour urine analysis looked good. I was at a level of 262, and they don't consider you to be preeclamptic till you have reached 300. So, for now NO PREECLAMPSIA! 

Wahooo!

This is exciting news for us, as we were a little worried of what it would mean if we did have it this early in the game, with a little more than 8 weeks to go. Dr. Codd did want to make it clear though, that we aren't out of the woods yet. There is still a good chance I might develop preeclampsia later, but for now we can breathe a little easier and we can rest assured that Evie has more time to grow and get stronger. 

He did say that while this is great news, it does mean I have gestational hypertension. But the risks and affects on the baby are far less with this diagnosis, so we will take it! He let us know that essentially our treatment plan for now is to increase our number of appointments. Instead of going in for a checkup every two weeks he would like to see us once a week, possibly twice a week the closer we get to Evie's arrival date. 

At these visits they will continue to closely monitor for preeclampsia as it can turn into that very quickly. They will check to make sure my placenta is getting enough blood, because if the placenta isn't getting enough blood flow, it could mean Evie won't be getting enough oxygen and food and may struggle to gain weight.  

Dr. Codd told us that when we went in for our appointment on Friday the ultrasound they did showed we still had good blood flow to the placenta and Evie was growing well, so that was great news too. He said they will continue to monitor that and also do non-fetal stress tests to see how Evie's heart rate is doing at our remaining appointments as needed. 

He said for now, my job is to be as healthy as possible. Our main goal is to let Evie grow and finish developing her lungs. He emphasized the importance of getting plenty of fluids, ideally 100 ounces of water a day. He also said he wants me to go on scheduled bed rest. 

Essentially this means I am still allowed to go to work everyday, but I need to make sure I am taking it easy while there and keeping my feet elevated when possible. Once I come home from work he'd like me to rest on my left side as much as possible so I can take the weight of the baby off my major blood vessels and bring my blood pressure down a little. 

He added though that we aren't at a point yet where my whole life needs to be turned upside down, but that if someone else can take care of it I should probably let them. … If someone else can do the grocery shopping or the laundry or the cooking and cleaning to let them. He said it is my job to rest as much as possible since I am already putting a large amount of strain and stress on my body by working full time in a high-stress environment. He said we can still go visit friends, attend church and go out to do fun things where I can be sitting, but after doing things like this to make sure I am allowing my body and the baby the rest they need. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

If I am being totally honest with myself I'd have to admit that scheduled bed rest terrifies me. (Trust me the idea of it is way better than full bed rest, but even this level of bed rest scares me.) I can already see scheduled bed rest being a challenge for me. 

I have always been a take charge, make a plan, get things done, kinda girl. I don't wait around for someone to give me direction. If I see something that needs to be done, I make sure it gets done.  I work hard now so things are done right and I won't have to redo them later. I thrive off of efficiency and productivity.

I have a difficult time asking for help. If I am being honest, part of it is because I feel like I can get it done quicker if I do it myself, but the other part is struggling with the feeling of burdening others ... I know how busy and stressed everyone is with their own lives and their own responsibilities and I don't want to add to that. 

But I understand how important it is for me to take it easy. I realize this isn't just for me, my decisions will directly affect Evie. And the weight of that will force me to slow down whether I want to or not. I fully understand what can happen if I don't. I realize I might onset things sooner than they would come on otherwise if I don't slow down.

So we will see how this goes. We will see how good I can be. I know it is going to take a change in my perspective, it's going to require me to adjust my end goals and find a new way of working towards them. It is going to take a lot of prayer and help from my Heavenly Father. 

But all in all, we are happy here to have received such great news! We are excited that for now we can continue to work towards making it to at least 38 or 39 weeks and maybe letting  Evie come on her own terms and not having to encourage her to come sooner than maybe she is ready for. 

In the mean time we will continue working on staying safe, healthy and learning how to take it easy!

(And if anyone has suggestions on how to accomplish all three let me know! I'd love the tips and advice.)

Our Trips to the Doctor this Week

Alright, I've debated posting about this at all, but I feel like I should, if for no one else, for myself. Maybe it'll be therapeutic and help me from bottling up stress and anxieties that may come. 

Starting at 19 weeks I began having severe swelling. I called home and was talking to my mom and told her I knew pregnant women had swelling, but I had no idea it was this bad! She asked what I meant, I told her I had swelling in my feet and legs and some days the swelling would even go up above my knees.

My mom was concerned and told me to call the doctor. Sure enough they wanted me to come in. They told me that swelling with my level of severity wasn't supposed to occur till after week 22. The mid-wife I was going to told me we would keep an eye on my Blood Pressure (BP) but for then we were doing okay.

In the last two or three weeks though my BP has been on the higher end of the normal spectrum and my mid-wife had mentioned that this was something we needed to start monitoring a little more closely. So she told me to occasionally check my blood pressure at home. She let me know that anything with a systolic rate over 140 or a diastolic rate over 90 would be considered in the “Danger Zone” and I would need to call in to the office, and if I had anything 150 over 100 that I needed to come in or go to an urgent care immediately. She also said that if I ever had really bad headaches, dizziness or saw spots in my vision to take my BP.  

So we have been watching things. And then last Sunday, I was sitting in bed and got really, really dizzy.  As soon as the dizziness lifted I began having an extremely intense headache that come out of nowhere. So we took my BP and sure enough it was in the "danger zone" at 144/83.

With my mom’s history of high BP I gave her a call and she suggested that I lay on my left side for 15 minutes to see if we could get it to come down naturally. After 15 minutes it had dropped a little so that was a good sign. Throughout the rest of the evening I laid on my left side and it slowly continued to drop until we got it back down to the higher end of normal at around 132/80.

But the next morning when I woke up and checked it again it was slightly elevated. After getting up and ready for work, it had spiked again to the "danger zone" this time being 129/91. So we called in to my doctor to see what they wanted me to do. They had me come in to check Evie's heart rate and see how she was doing. When I got to the doctor my BP was 143/83, again in the "danger zone". But Evie looked good, thank heavens.

So we talked about a few possibilities and scheduled some more tests and a follow-up appointment for Friday. The doctor asked me to monitor my BP from home until our appointment on Friday. My BP was elevated all week with one number or the other in the danger zone. So yesterday we went in and again my BP was 142/81.

The doctor had ordered a growth ultrasound to see how Evie was measuring and she was in the 77% and her heart rate was good, but my amniotic fluid was looking a little low. The ultrasound technician was a little concerned but said we still looked okay.

After that we met with the doctor again. Sam and I both really liked him. He was extremely informative without giving us too much information that would just stress us out. He came in and talked to us about how at this point since my BP has been on the elevated higher side of normal and dipping into the "danger zone" we could be looking at either preeclampsia or gestational hypertension.

He wanted to order a few more tests and sent us over to the hospital to have those run. He told us that because he will be on call at the hospital in Labor and Delivery on Sunday, he would go down and get the results. He told us that he would call us with those results Sunday afternoon.

Preeclampsia is not a new or foreign term to us. My mom had preeclampsia with all 6 of us. In a way that has been a blessing because my mom has known what to look for and when things are a little more serious and needing some attention, since we are totally clueless as to what is and isn’t normal. Ha!

It also means that I know how important it is to have a good doctor who is proactive and on top of watching things to make sure nothing gets too dangerous. And the doctor we have been seeing has been wonderful. He told us he would like to see us weekly or possibly twice a week until Evie's arrival date. He also told us it is highly unlikely at this point that we will carry to full term before they will need to induce us, but for now I can continue going into work and keeping with our normal schedule.

If we are looking at preeclampsia or this becomes preeclampsia they will most likely induce us sometime shorty after week 37. And if it is just gestational hypertension then they will try and wait till we get to week 39 before they induce depending on the levels of amniotic fluid, my BP, and Evie’s heart rate and growth.

But so far we are all safe. We have been blessed to have transferred to a terrific doctor who is on top of our treatment and care. My mom didn't always have good doctors and she learned the hard way what happens if your doctor isn't being proactive, and that it can get super scary and dangerous very, very quickly. Plus I have an amazing employer who is being incredibly flexible and understanding. 

So like I said, we are blessed! God is watching over and protecting us. For now everything is okay, for now we wait for the results and will build a game plan after we hear back from the doctor!

On a happier, more exciting note here are some pictures! 

Because of our growth ultrasound we have a recent picture of our little lady. The technician even told us that our Evie has a few little chub rolls starting to grow. She pointed some of them out to us … so, so, so cute! I love chunky babies! 

 

And here is the most recent baby bump shot. It's from last week but it gives you an idea of where we are at! 

Week 31

Life has been insanely busy the last few weeks. Hence why I haven't gotten around to updating the blog sooner. Sorry to all of you who have been looking for updates! But here you go. Also check out our medical update post going up after this one later tonight!

How far along: 31 weeks

Due date: January 7th, 2015

Maternity clothes: I've had to pick up a few new tops as I continue to grow. My pre-pregnancy tops just weren't cutting it. And I've realized something that I think someone needs to monopolize on … Maternity shoes. I seriously have one pair that I can comfortably wear at this point … and on a really good day I can usually squeeze into a second pair. 

Sleep: This has become a fun challenge. There is no more tossing and turning at night. I wake up in the same position I fell asleep in but I think this is because I can unconsciously roll over anymore. It's quite an effort if I want to switch sides ha. 

Best moment of this week: It has been fun to notice how excited our sweet little girl gets when she realizes that her daddy is nearby. When I get home from work and the minute Sam touches my belly or gets close enough for her to hear she goes crazy. Melts my heart every single time!

Miss anything: Wearing more than one pair of shoes ...

Movement: Things are definitely getting tight in there. It's funny to see her trying to stretch things out at night when we are sitting in bed. 

Food cravings: Homemade bread or rolls. I have always, always been a carb-aholic but that seemed to be put at bay a little with this pregnancy.  But I'd venture to say it's back in full force now… but in a different way. The only stuff I really crave is homemade breads, store bought just doesn't cut it. I don't even have an interest in it. Which I suppose is a good thing right? Okay, so maybe I'm not back up to carb-aholic status … maybe I'm just a homemade-carb-aholic, which is definitely safer as I don't really have the time or energy to be baking any bread right now. Ha!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Last week we went to Red Lobster for our anniversary and lets just say we will not be having seafood in this house for a while. 

Gender: We are so, so, so excited to be welcoming a little girl into this world. Our sweet little Evangeline. 

Pregnancy signs: I've started to experience Braxton Hicks. They aren't painful or anything like that, but it is kind of exciting that we are getting to the point where my body is preparing and practicing for Evie's and my big day!

Belly button in or out: Inny but we are so, so, so close to being an outty.

Wedding ring on or off: Unfortunately this week the ring had to come off.  

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy? But in the last week there were definitely more tears than there has been in a good while. And over silly things mostly… like I was watching this week's episode of Biggest Loser and someone gave their phone call home to someone on another team who didn't get to call home. Or last week when things got stressful at work and someone else from a different department came over and yelled at one of my co-workers and was blaming our team for something. Or tears of frustration at myself for not being able to do something I use to be able to. Lets just say this is not my favorite change ha.

Week 24

How far along: 24 weeks

Due date: January 7th, 2015

Maternity clothes: It's all I wear these days. Although I really have been surprised how many of my tops pre-pregnancy have been able to double as maternity tops. But some of them are definitely to the point of retiring as my belly hangs out the bottom, and I'm showing a little more tank top than I'd like them to.

Sleep: On a good night I only get up once to go to the bathroom … but when I do get up I am dying of thirst and can chug a whole glass of water in one gulp. Then I crawl back into bed. Only to wake up every time I toss and turn. Turning in bed has become quite uncomfortable, but not impossible yet.

Best moment of this week: Hmm this is a hard one, but I am going to say, starting our child birthing class. 

Miss anything: Eating spicy foods, this little girl is not a fan.

Movement: This last week was actually a little scary in that department. The week before last I felt our little lady move a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Sam had even been able to feel her move most nights before we went to sleep as she always seems to be most active just as I am laying down for bed. But this last week has been a different story. I really hadn't felt her move at all and there was absolutely zero kicking. When I did feel her, it was just for a brief second as pressure would build in one spot and move across my belly, almost like her bum was sliding across me. But I did feel something, so I just kept telling myself she was fine and I was being paranoid. But man, that first day I didn't feel her I was super anxious. I did everything I could think of to get her to respond. I would jiggle my belly, push around and try and agitate her into kicking me, have Sam talk to her … and nothing. Eventually though, after a few days of this, when I still hadn't felt her move very much or kick at all, I called the doctor's office. They had me come in right away. When I got there they checked her heart beat which they said was okay, but they wanted to hook me up to the fetal heart rate monitor for an hour and observe her through an activity cycle. And I swear as soon as they fastened that band to my belly she started kicking. She did not like that sensor pushing on her. It was reassuring to feel her kick over and over and over. After observing her for a while they said their was enough response to stimulus that they felt like she was okay and that I would be alright till our next scheduled appointment. I was so glad to know she was okay. And it was kind of fun to hear her little heart beat for an hour straight while I laid there hooked up to the monitor. 

Food cravings: Doughnuts. I think that might be the one thing I have consistently craved throughout this whole pregnancy. Plain glazed doughnuts. I don't allow myself to indulge very often … but the 3 or 4 times I have … it has been like eating a round slice of fried, sweet, heaven every time.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Doing pretty good. Although the smell of meat still gets me every once in a while. 

Have you started to show yet: Man, this question is a little depressing. Last night, just before we went to bed I told Sam my abdomen was aching. It had a tight, pulling, uncomfortable thing going on. And then this morning I wake up and it's like I doubled in size. Who knew you could go to bed one night and wake up sooo much bigger the next morning. NOT THIS GIRL. It was a little horrifying. Ha. Let's hope that doesn't happen again this pregnancy … or we may have some issues.

Gender: We are so, so, so excited to be welcoming a little girl into this world. Our sweet little Evangeline. 

Pregnancy signs: Hmm. It might be easier to tell you the ones I don't have at this point… well I take that back, today brought a new one on. So you know how all pregnant women talk about how hungry they are, how they are starving all of the time? Like wake up in the middle of the night because they are so hungry?? Well I haven't felt it. I mean I've been hungry but nothing unusual. Today though. Today was a different story. I could NOT get enough to eat. I'd have a snack and five minutes later I'd be hungry again. I guess now I can say I've experienced that lovely feeling. If this hunger thing keeps up, there's no way I'll escape the next 3 months without another morning, of waking up and almost doubling in size. Ha.

Belly button in or out: Inny.

Wedding ring on or off: On. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and exhausted? I don't think there's been a night this week I didn't fall asleep quickly. I mean some nights it was so bad that I may or may not have fallen asleep while Sam was praying.

Here's a picture of me today after I got home from work. Maybe it's just me, but I swear my baby bump doubled in size overnight ...

And it's a … GIRL!

Well it's official … we are excited to be having a little girl! And a stubborn, shy little one at that! None of our ultrasound images came out very good but here's what we were able to get.

Top Right: She eventually moved just enough, that for a split second, we were able to get a picture of her sweet little bum to confirm, that we are indeed having a little girl! You can see her little thighs coming down from her bum on the right side of the frame.
Top Left: For the majority of the appointment she had her little legs squeezed together and her ankles crossed. In this image you can see her tiny abdomen coming down from the right side of the frame and her right leg crossed over her left one.
Bottom Right: Not only was she crossing her legs the whole time but she also had her itty-bitty little hands crossed over her face. In this image you can see her arms, crossed at the wrists with her hands up over her head on the left side of the frame. Somewhere in there you can supposedly see her nose and lip … but I'm just not seeing it.
Bottom Left: Here is a precious picture of her left foot. We didn't get a good image of her right foot as it was right up against the uterus wall the whole time.

All in all, everything looks good and she is healthy, coming in at the 56th percentile. The ultrasound technician we had was wonderful and so patient, as we tried all kinds of things to get our little lady to move. I have to admit I was a little sad we never got a good shot of her face or her profile, but alas January will be here all so soon, and we will get to meet our baby girl in person!

We cannot wait to meet our precious little Evangeline and hold her in our arms!!

Will it be a Boy or a Girl??

We find out THIS WEEK what the gender will be, and we cannot wait!

The suspense has been killing us. All three of our siblings, who are pregnant and due the same week as us, have found out if they are having boys or girls …  and it has only made it worse. Especially after finding out that my brother and his wife, James & Cayla are having a little girl, that my sister and her husband, Alex and Peter are having a little girl, and Sam’s brother and his wife, Seth and Angie, are having a little girl!!!

Will we also be joining the little girl's club or having the only boy??

In light of this, I came across a whole bunch of midwives tales and thought it would be fun to go through them and see what THEY say this baby will be!

Old Wives Tale #1: Heart Rate

If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #2: Shape of Belly

If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, you are having a girl. If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks straight out, it’s a boy.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #3: Ring Test

Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly. You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #4: Acne

If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #5: Cravings

People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #6: Skin under Left Eye

The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #7: Legs

If your legs get really big, you’re having a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, it’s a girl.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #8: Moodiness

If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have another extra girl hormones in you.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #9: Chinese Gender Chart

The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #10: Mom’s Beauty

Basically you are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, a little boy it is.

Prediction outcome: BOY (according to Sam … but let’s be honest he’s a little bias)

Old Wives Tale #11: Dream of Sex of Baby

If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having.

Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE

Old Wives Tale #12: Clumsy vs. Graceful

If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #13: Side You Most Rest On

If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #14: Dad’s Weight Gain

If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl. If he doesn’t gain weight, you’re having a boy.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #15: What Do You Think?

71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #16: Morning Sickness

If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #17: Protein

When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #18: Feet

Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #19: Headaches

If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.

Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #20: Baby Names

It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particularly baby. (We have names picked out for a girl or boy so I suppose this doesn't apply)

Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE

Old Wives Tale #21: Urine

What color is your pee? If it is bright yellow, you will have a little boy. If your urine is a dull yellow, plan on a girl.

Prediction outcome: GIRL

TOTAL GIRL: 8

TOTAL BOY: 11

TOTAL INCONCLUSIVE: 2

So there you have it! Guess the midwives say it’s a BOY  but if you ask me it’s pretty close, so we will just have to wait and see!

But in the mean time we want to know what you think! Make sure to cast your vote in the poll on the top left hand side of our blog! We can’t wait to let you all know at the end of the week!