GUESSING from page 87
out whether you'll have a boy or girl is
simply too great to wait another
moment. It's time for the needle.
No, no — not another blood test.
This "test" involves holding a needle
from a bit of thread. The pregnant
woman should sit comfortably, while
another person dangles the needle
about 1 inch above her hand. If the
needle swings back and forth, it's a girl.
Circular movement says it's a boy.
The humble handkerchief also is said
to hold the key to knowledge when it
comes to predicting a baby's sex.
Lay a handkerchief flat on the floor
and ask a pregnant woman to pick it
up. If she grasps at any corner, she is
having a boy. If she picks it up from
the middle, it's a girl.
For many years the so-called Drano
test was actually utilized by parents-to-
be. Before you continue reading,
though, keep in mind that not only is
this test completely inaccurate, it's dan-
gerous. Do not, under any circum-
stances, try this. It can result in harmful
fumes and possibly an explosion.
How this test got started, and the
exact details of how it supposedly
works, aren't really known, but its offi-
cial name is the Drano test.
Apparently the drain cleaner, when
mixed with the urine of a pregnant
woman, could predict whether the
baby would be a boy or girl.
In addition to the fact that this test is
potentially harmful, its outcome was
constantly in dispute, and, to this day,
no one can tell whether the resulting
color means a boy or a girl.
A more professional sounding, but
not actually more professional, idea is
the old heart-rate routine. When the
baby's heart rate is over 140, a girl. is
said to be on the way; under 140 and
you're having a boy. This is based on an
almost 10-year-old study at the
University of Kentucky, which report-
edly was able to correctly predict the
sex of females 74 percent of the time,
and males 91 percent of time.
However, no other known study has
produced the same results, and virtually
all physicians today put little credence
in the University of Kentucky study.
What about where the baby is rest-
ing?
If you are or ever have been preg-
nant, chances are you have had some
well-meaning passerby assure you that
you're having a boy because the baby is
resting low, or a girl if the baby seems
high.
This lore has its origins in England,
where it was believed that girl babies
would stay high, supposedly close to
their mothers, whereas boys wanted
independence and were moving to get
away as quickly as they could.
Ask any physician today and she will
assure you that whether the baby is
high or low has everything to do with a
woman's posture and body, not whether
she is carrying a boy or girl.
(Incidentally, a similar sexist "test"
involves whether the mother is looking
lovely during her pregnancy. A mother
who seems especially pretty is said to be
carrying a boy, while an unattractive-
looking one is said to have a girl
— because her daughter wants to
"steal" her looks.)
For parents who simply want to
know how many children they will
have, consider the wedding ring.
According to tradition, one should
tie a strand of either parent's hair
around the woman's wedding ring. The
future mom should then rub the ring
up and down her index finger and then
bring it above the top of her right
hand, which is outstretched.
The number or swings equals the
number of children she will bear.
There's the ultrasound, though this
doesn't guarantee anything, either.
(Depending on how the child is situat-
ed, it may be impossible to accurately
see everything.)
So does that mean there's really no
way to be absolutely certain if you're
having a boy or a girl?
Yes.
But go to college and you may have a
head start. Not surprisingly, a study by
Johns Hopkins University, conducted
on 100 pregnant women, showed that
not a single folklore method was any
more accurate than just guessing.
Yet something — something having
nothing to do with medicine — did
make a great contribution when it
comes to predicting the sex of a child.
Education.
While for most women it's a 50-50
guess, the Johns Hopkins study reports
that this figure jumps to 75 percent for
women with a college education.
Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
18 f m f m m m m m m m m m
19mIna f f m m f mmf f
min
111 111 f
m
in
in
m
f
m
20 f
The Mysterious Chart
Numerous Web sites promise they
can predict the sex of your child
("You can trust us,"
www.boyorgirl says confidently.
"92 out of 100 women tested
achieved desirable results.")
The sites may look fun, but,
rest assured, it's fun for which you
will pay. The "accurate tests" are
not free, and most charge $3-$5.
If you do decide to try your
hand at one of them, you will be
asked to answer a few questions
(everything from your father's
name to your Rhesus [positive or
negative] blood type) and then
pay up.
Or, you can save yourself some
money and have a bit of fun here.
6/27
2003
88
(This so-called Chinese Chart is
one of the most popular used by
Web sites that charge a fee.)
Though this is extremely popu-
lar in China (according to legend,
it was "buried for more than 700
years in a tomb outside Beijing"),
Western physicians say this
method of predicting a child's sex
is no more accurate than tossing a
coin.
If you want to try, though,
here's how it works: Find the
mother's age, at left, at the time
she became pregnant.
Then cross reference to the top,
finding the month the child was
conceived. "F" means a female
and "M" is for a male. El
f
f
f
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f
f
f
f
f
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f
m
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f
23mmm
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mut
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f
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f
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34 mm f
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111
m f m f
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29 f
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in
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38 min
f
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40 m m m
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36 mf
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in
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runt
to
f
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m
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45 f m
Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
44 mf.
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This week's puzzle is a riddle.
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David gave something to
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he can do so
without taking it back.
What is it?
And now, the answer to the
June 13 mystery:
An Israeli armored brigade consists of
two armored battalions and one
infantry battalion, while an infantry
brigade consists of two infantry bat-
talions and one armored battalion. An
armored battalion consists of two
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and one infantry soldier, and an
infantry squad ... you know already.
How many soldiers should be
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an infantry brigade into an
armored brigade?