Tips on how to conceive a baby girl
Many couples hoping to fall pregnant with a girl get a lot of ….um, interesting tips. The advice may be well-intentioned, but it just doesn’t get the results you were quite hoping for. “Get busy when the moon’s declination is +26° 52′ 05’” they’ll say, or “Eat more eggs and yogurt!” Maybe even suggest, “Give in to your sweet cravings and drown that tub of vanilla ice cream.”
And as tempting as that last piece of advice is (the tub and not the eggs) chances are you might still end up pregnant with a baby boy and a lot of unwanted calories that went straight to your butt.
(Hey, ALL that sugar had to go somewhere.)
Because that fact is, as of right now there is little to no research backing up these claims. You are what you eat, but it doesn’t influence what you can create.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t increase your odds of conceiving a girl. There are methods, tips, and little tricks that can help you conceive a baby girl. So, let’s dig into them and also explore what science has to say about them.
How to conceive a baby girl, naturally
Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Well, male sperms are a lot like the hares while female sperms are like the tortoise- slow, and steady but determined to win the race.
And you can improve their shot by using the Shettles method.
I should point out that there isn’t a lot of updated medical research to support this method, but many parents who went on to have baby girls swear by it.
Besides, there’s not much to lose, (or gain unlike all the extra calories from those ice cream tubs) from this method.
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The Shettle Method:
To understand Shettle’s method we need to understand the reproduction process:
X and Y chromosomes determine the gender of the baby. XX means it’ll be a baby girl while XY means that you are more likely to have a baby boy.
The X sperms aka the tortoise or the girl sperms are slower, but they are also more resilient. Once inside, they can also live longer.
On the other hand, the Y sperms are faster and run like the hare to win the race. But if there’s no egg, their energy fizzles out and they go down for a nap.
Now to improve the chances of the tortoise winning the race, Shettles suggested that you hit the sheets a day or two before ovulation. With no egg, or finish line in sight, the hare will just give up and by the time the slower but more resilient turtle shows up, it’ll be ovulation time. And boom!
Hi tortoise, meet Egg. Egg meet tortoise .
Now make the magic happen.
In short: the fertile days for having a baby girl are two to four days before ovulation. Shettles further believed that the missionary position was the best for conceiving a girl.
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What about diet?
Many theories claim that the chance of conceiving a girl can be increased by eating foods high in calcium and magnesium. Others believed that eating acidic food makes the body acidic which makes it difficult for boy sperm ot survive. This in turn leaves that path clear for girl sperm to make their way to the egg.
There’s no science backing this, but since acidic foods include dairy, fish, olives, and blueberries, many women give it a try. After all, it is important to eat healthy before and during pregnancy.
How to make sure you have a girl, medically
If you are willing to go down the path of science, there are a few methods like IVF and sperm sorting that can help you conceive a girl.
The first option is the preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This method is used along with in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Once an embryo starts to develop, doctors do a small test on one cell (extracted from the embryo) to see if it’s a boy or a girl. Once the gender is confirmed, the embryos are implanted in the uterus and then mum does the rest.
However, be warned, while the results of this method are great, it isn’t cheap!
Plus, there is a lot of controversy around gender selection just because you have a preference.
The process was initially designed for couples who were carriers of serious genetic disorders like Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) or other medical conditions.
Sperm sorting
Little girls shine bright and the sperm sorting method uses this tiny little detail to make them literally stand out!
Before you go, ‘whaaat’, let us explain how sperm sorting works. Sperm sorting which is also called the MicroSort Method. It is used to separate male sperms from female sperms through a process called flow cytometry. First, the female sperm are separated by staining with a special fluorescent material that makes them shine brighter than the male sperm.
Once the sperms have been sorted, the female sperms are used to fertilise the egg either through in vitro or through intrauterine insemination (IUI)
Then nine months later, the parents find themselves holding their amazing new baby girl who is ready to bring that sparkle to the world.
Improving your odds:
If we had to list down the odds of the above methods working out, then of course, scientific methods like preimplantation genetic diagnosis PGD and sperm sorting score higher.
However, these methods are only recommended in extreme cases when there is a health risk to the baby, or a couple is unable to conceive naturally.
As for the more natural methods, Shettles believed his method had a success rate of 75% and shared his findings and scientific evidence in his book, ‘How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby’.
As for the position of the moon, and the best month to conceive a girl, well it’s safe to say that these can be labeled as myths.
Bottom line, you could- and should eat healthy, load up on the dairy and fruits, and try the natural methods, so you can sway the odds in your favour.
As parents, we never stop learning. If you are keen to hear from trusted experts on topics ranging from sleep to starting solids, check out Kiindred’s selection of Kiin Courses. Our panel of experts are some of the best in their fields and are here to make your parenting adventure less mystifying and way more fun. Each course comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee, so you can purchase with confidence.
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Zofishan Umair Follow +
Zofishan is a journalist, humour columnist, and a mum who has survived nappy explosions mid-air. She has over a decade of experience writing for print and online publications and is currently working on her first book.
