Parents reveal the strangest pregnancy myths they believe

If you have heartburn, your baby will be born with a lot of hair (29%) and spicy foods induce labor (21%) are some of the top myths Americans believe when it comes to pregnancy.

That’s according to a new survey of 2,000 parents and parents-to-be, with 250 who are currently pregnant and 250 who are trying to conceive. Results also revealed some other interesting myths, such as seeing certain animals could reveal your baby’s gender or even that listening to hard rock music has a negative effect on a fetus.

One respondent shared, “If we dream about fish, someone is pregnant in our family,” while another believes that “if I were to break a mirror, my baby would be cursed with bad skin.”

Other unique findings include the beliefs that pregnant women shouldn’t look at roadkill, thunderstorms can induce labor and that if the baby is born on their side, they will be a genius.

And though many of these things can’t be proven true until their baby is born, one thing most parents can confirm ahead of time is the gender of their baby.

Still, beliefs such as when you’re pregnant with a girl, “everything is easier and you look much prettier” may leave parents wondering.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of SneakPeek, an early pregnancy gender detection test, results found that 69% of parents polled either did or will find out their baby’s gender before birth— half have girls and the other half have boys.

Sixty-four percent of parents tried to guess the gender of their baby before they found out. Interestingly, more dads were correct in their guess than moms (70% vs 63%).

Of those who had a gender preference (43%), more preferred to have a boy than a girl (59% vs 41%).

This is perhaps because parents polled believe it is more difficult to raise a girl (48%) than it is to raise a boy (26%) today.

Almost one in five (16%) even went so far as to pay attention to the moon phases during conception, as they believed it would help their chances of having their preferred gender.

Parents were more likely to say they could feel or sense their baby’s gender (38%) than they were to consider the “symptoms” of having a boy or girl (31%) when making their guess.

In fact, results found that there is little truth to these supposed predictors. Craving sweets while pregnant is typically believed to be associated with having a baby girl, though the results found that future boy moms experienced this craving just as much as girl moms (29% vs 28%).

Though most believe severe morning sickness is predictive of girl pregnancies, in fact one quarter of both boy and girl moms reported that they experienced typical to severe morning sickness, and despite glowing skin perceived to be a “common boy symptom,” more girl moms said they had clear, glowing skin than boy moms (18% vs 17%).

Taking things a step further, 14% of boy moms found that they were carrying low, a myth typically associated with having a boy, though 12% of girl moms also carried low.
Only 10% of girl moms experienced a heart rate above 140 bpm, despite being one of the most “common girl predictors.”

“Pregnancy is full of unknowns and anticipation, and it’s natural to seek insights and answers during this time,” said Melissa Gonzales, SneakPeek, Women’s Health president, Myriad Genetics. “That’s why 76% of parents who found out or will find out their baby’s gender early will do so before 20 weeks. It's one piece of knowledge they can trust and depend on to amplify their joy, prepare for parenthood and reduce anxiety."

For more than half of parents and soon-to-be parents, picking out a name (53%) and buying clothes and toys (51%) were the key drivers in finding out their baby’s gender ahead of time, but for others, it was more personal.

Nearly a third (32%) wanted to share the news with family and friends, while 22% wanted to feel more connected to their child and 21% wanted to amplify their excitement.

But who’s at the top of the sharing list? Nearly two-thirds (65%) opted to tell their baby’s grandparents first, followed by a steep drop off with best friends (11%) and siblings (9%) falling next in line.

Still, 22% of parents polled will be hosting a gender reveal party with many friends and family, while 17% are hosting a smaller, more intimate gathering.

Despite their sometimes polarizing nature, parents are more likely to categorize gender reveal parties as fun than cringey (47% vs 31%).