Old Wives Tales About Getting Pregnant
by Lori Ramsey

If you have been trying to become pregnant for a while you may start to consider trying different things to make the conception happen. There are methods, positions, rituals and such floating around out there that are said to aid in conception.

Most of what I’m going to talk about in this article are considered old wives tales. As for the validity and accuracy of these tales – I’ll leave that up to you. But they are just that – old wives tales. Some women swear by them – some have tried them to no avail.

Probably the most widely known wives tales are those to help you predict the gender of your baby – or to help you conceive either a male or female. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve come across:

For a boy:
Allow your husband to seduce you into sex first.
Be a worrywart.
Dad – drink lots of sodas
Eat red meat and salty snacks (such as pretzels)
Have intercourse at night.
Have intercourse on the odd days of the month.
Have “standing” intercourse.
Have intercourse when there is a quarter moon.
Have intercourse with you on your belly and your husband on your back.
(Here’s a good one) Sleep to the left of your husband.
Make sure your husband climaxes first.
Point your head to the north while having intercourse.
Stay on your back after intercourse to give the “boy” sperm a chance to get to the egg.
Warm up his testicles.

For a girl:
Both of you should eat fish and vegetables.
Eat chocolate – (this would be a cinch for me – however I do have a son also!)
Have intercourse during a full moon.
Have intercourse in the afternoon.
Have intercourse with the man on top. (Another wives tale says for the woman to be on top)
Seduce your husband.
Stay calm and cool to conceive a girl.
You climax first and think pink.

In essence if you want to conceive a boy you should have a dinner of red meat and pretzels – make hubby drink a soda. Make sure it’s an odd day of the month at night with a quarter moon. Let him seduce you. Have sex while standing and then while you are on your back. Oh, let him climax first while you worry. And afterwards be sure to sleep to the left of your husband.

For conceiving a girl you seduce him during a full moon on an even day in the afternoon after a lunch of fish and vegetables and a dessert of chocolate. You are on top during intercourse, then try it missionary style. You climax first. And oh, stay calm and cool.

Whether you have intercourse with your head pointing north or eat a chocolate bar on a Wednesday of an odd month does not guarantee IF you’ll get pregnant or what you will conceive. The above statements are simply a tongue-in-cheek look at old wives tales. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – in order to conceive a baby – relax, enjoy and let nature do its thing!

Lori Ramsey of Stages in Pregnancy

©2006 Lori Ramsey