Boy or Girl? Change Your Diet, Micromanage Sex - and Other Pregnancy Myths

After I had my son, I desperately wanted a girl. When I got pregnant again, I was so convinced another XY was on the way that when the doctor delivered our daughter (XX, that is) and announced as much, I asked my husband: "Is he kidding?"

Had I only followed a strict meal plan of nuts and hard cheese, I presumably needn't have waited on pins and needles - at least according to a study by Maastricht University in The Netherlands. The authors say a mother's diet can determine whether her nursery ends up being swathed in pink or blue. So to boost the odds of having a girl, mothers should say, yes, to calcium and magnesium (think yogurt, spinach, tofu, almonds, cashews, beans, oatmeal, broccoli and oranges) and, no, to salt and potassium (anchovies, olives, bacon, salami, smoked salmon, shrimp, potatoes, processed meats, bread and pastries). Combine a strict diet with some carefully orchestrated sex — to increase the likelihood of having a girl, the researchers recommend avoiding sex immediately before and after ovulation — and apparently it can make all the difference.

News reports about the study, including one in the U.K.'s Daily Mail, have crowed about the nearly 80% success rate of the baby-girl diet. But the fine print — and common sense — call into question just how realistic this recipe for baby-making actually is. Of the 172 women who participated in the five-year study, only 21 ended up adhering to the stringent guidelines about what to eat (at least a pound of dairy each day) and precisely when — and when not — to rendezvous with their lovers. Of those 21, 16 ended up bearing daughters: voila, 77%.

The study further concluded that what the women ate was more important than when they had sex. “The results show that both diet and timing methods increase the probability of 
a girl — the impact of the diet being the most pronounced,” said a spokesman for the researchers.

But don't start stuffing the fridge with Stonyfield Farms just yet. “There is no physiological probability to any of this,” says Dr. Richard Paulson, director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California. “This is a great example of what we call non-science.”

This is probably not the first time you've heard about diet influencing gender. Researchers at the University of Exeter in England surveyed 740 first-time mothers and announced in 2008 that those who ate more calories — particularly those who ate breakfast cereal — had more sons. Nor is the advice new to avoid sex right before and after ovulation in order to birth a girl. When I was new to baby-making, a girlfriend told me about the Billings Method, a natural family planning method that involves timing of ovulation, which some rely upon to help select the baby's sex. Twice it let me down. (But a Nigerian study cited in Billings Method: Controlling Fertility Without Drugs or Devices reports that 310 couples who tried to conceive a boy were successful, while only four were not. Similarly, of 92 couples who tried to conceive a girl, only two failed. Daughters are apparently not so beloved in Nigeria.)

The timing factor was also famously espoused by Landrum Shettles, a Columbia professor who wrote How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby, which has sold over a million copies since coming out in 1970. Shettles postulated that male sperm are speedier swimmers, while female sperm are hardier and tend to outlast the guys. Hence, sex at ovulation should result in a boy, since male sperm should reach the elusive egg quicker, while sex a few days before or after ovulation should yield a daughter owing to the tenacity of the female sperm.

True or not, many have been persuaded. When Paulson addresses medical students and asks who believes it's possible to alter the probability of conceiving a boy versus a girl, half of would-be doctors raise their hands.

Here are nine other tried (but not likely true) ways to select the sex of your baby:

Go Blue:

• Have sex on the day of ovulation
• Avoid sex for several days before ovulation in order to concentrate the male's sperm count
• Don't spare the salt; eat meat and fish but steer clear of dairy
• Drink multiple cups of green tea daily

Pick Pink:

• Have sex several days before or after ovulation
• Have sex — lots of it — to decrease sperm count
• Stash a pink ribbon beneath your pillow
• Men, take a hot bath prior to intercourse because male sperm may be heat-averse
• Eat chocolate!

Have you tried any of these methods? Have they worked for you?

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5 Breastfeeding Myths Debunked

1. Preemies require formula instead of breastmilk.

   While it's true that preemies require special formula if you're not breastfeeding, it is not accurate to claim that preemies need to be formula fed instead of being breastfed. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Not only does breastmilk tailor itself to even premature babies (including making lots of extra phosphorus), but studies show that while special-formula-fed preemies may gain weight more quickly, that breastfed preemies do better in physical, cognitive and motor skills and are released from the NICU an average of two weeks sooner than formula fed counterparts, and escape the risk of deadly necrotizing enterocolitis as preemies, whereas that risk continues for formula-fed infants.

   Of course, babies who are only getting IV sustenance are totally another story, and preemie moms have their own issues with making enough milk, but as long as mom is making enough -- either feeding from the breast or pumping, there is absolutely no reason to not give the breastmilk -- formula is unnecessary. For moms who are struggling with supply, breastmilk banks and milkshare programs give special priority to NICU babies, who have the most to gain from breastmilk. Call up or attend meetings of the Le Leche League as well to get the best help with upping your supply, such as an Supplemental Nursing System (SNS).

2. "No matter how long I waited until feeding, my breasts didn't fill up."

   Somewhere, people got the idea that your breasts have to feel engorged or there's no milk, and that they need time to fill before you can feed again. Thank god this one isn't true, because feeling really full can be very uncomfortable! Fortunately you only feel engorged when your milk first comes in because you body is overproducing initially (what if you had triplets to feed?) and then will begin to level off to a comfortable amount once it sees how much your baby needs. If you wait until your breasts feel full, you've waited too long and they're over-full and will signal to your body to make less milk, therefore damaging your breastmilk supply -- and resulting in a really hungry baby. After breastfeeding is established and your supply is as well (done by nursing ON DEMAND!), the only time you're likely to ever feel full is if you've missed a feeding.

3. "Unless you want to eat really healthy, your breastmilk is no better than formula."

   Also extremely untrue. In fact, just like in pregnancy, malnourishment actually does more harm to you than the baby because you're designed to reproduce and continue the species, therefore your body is made to care more about the baby than you! If you don't eat properly, your milk is still fabulous -- but it's sucking nutrients away from you that you need to be healthy instead.

   The only risk to a breastfed baby from a poor diet is that the mother will not be able to produce enough milk, and that's often more linked to hydration than nutrition.

4. "My baby was allergic to my breastmilk."

   Now, before I outright say this isn't true, it can be -- but the chances of a baby having the only true allergy to human breastmilk or lactose in any form, called galactosemia, is 0.000005%. Only about 6 babies in the entire world are born with this each year... however, 150 people die annually from a falling coconut hitting them on the head. It's safe to say that this condition is insanely rare. Also, this allergy is discovered within the first couple days or at the most, the first week of life and the diet is changed immediately or the baby dies. In fact, 75% of babies with galactosemia die because their allergy isn't discovered in time. So figure only 2 babies a year survive the newborn stage with this condition.

   So while this allergy really, honestly does exist and the newborn has no choice but to go immediately onto a soy or meat-based formula, the myth I'm addressing is people saying their baby was allergic to their breastmilk so they had to wean at 2 weeks, 5 weeks, etc. While it may present itself like an allergy to your milk, it's actually an allergy to a protein you are passing through your milk (almost always milk and/or soy) and you do not have to wean your baby -- you just have to take a break from eating or drinking things containing milk or soy for a bit. It's certainly not a reason to wean -- it just takes the tiniest bit of effort from the mother.

5. "I had to supplement until my milk came in since it took five days."

   Your breasts already produce colostrum before your baby is even born, and it is all you need! Here's a little lesson in the newborn's stomach, via the Le Leche League:

   When mothers hear that colostrum is measurable in teaspoons rather than ounces, they often wonder if that can really be enough for their babies. The short answer is that colostrum is the only food healthy, full-term babies need. The following is an explanation:

   A 1 day old baby's stomach capacity is about 5-7 ml, or about the size of a marble. Interestingly, researchers have found that the day-old newborn's stomach does not stretch to hold more. Since the walls of the newborn's stomach stays firm, extra milk is most often expelled (spit up). Your colostrum is just the right amount for your baby's first feedings!

   By day 3, the newborn's stomach capacity has grown to about 0.75-1 oz, or about the size of a "shooter" marble. Small, frequent feedings assure that your baby takes in all the milk he needs.

   Around day 7, the newborn's stomach capacity is now about 1.5-2 oz, or about the size of a ping-pong ball. Continued frequent feeding will assure that your baby takes in all the milk he needs, and your milk production meets his demands.

   Breastfeeding is supply and demand -- if you supplement in the first days of life, you're already telling your breasts to make less milk so when your milk DOES come in (which takes an average of 3-5 days!), you will have less because you supplemented. Trust that your body can make enough milk in the first week of life, and plan on keeping your baby on you pretty much all day and the majority of the night -- it's perfectly normal for a newborn to nurse for 12 times in one day, sometimes 40-50 minutes apart -- that is not a sign of a lack of milk.

   If you received an epidural, there's some evidence that it can make initial breastfeeding a little more difficult as well, though no differences were noted even at 6 weeks... as long as the mom didn't give up or supplement.

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Celine Dion Debuts Twin Baby Bump

After the announcement that she is pregnant with twins and dispelling the rumors that she experienced complications, Celine Dion debuted her baby bump on the cover of Canada's 7 Jours magazine. She poses without makeup with her husband, Rene Angelil, their 9 1/2 year-old son, Rene-Charles and their dog, Charlie.

Dion, 42, is due in November. Her rep recently denied tabloid rumors of complications saying: "She's never been in the hospital - her pregnancy continues to be healthy and she feels fantastic. As with most women expecting multiples, her doctor wants her to stay off her feet as much as possible as she finishes her pregnancy."

The longtime couple announced their pregnancy news earlier this year after a sixth attempt at in-vitro fertilization.

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Making Your Own Baby Food

Many parents don't realize that making baby food at home is a simple and economical plan to provide your baby with food that is high in quality, nutrition and taste. In addition, it gets your baby used to eating the same food the rest of the family does, a strategy that may pay off during the picky toddler years.

Here are basic steps for making your own baby food:

• Wash and rinse your hands and equipment.
• Scrub and peel fruits and vegetables.
• Steam, bake, roast or microwave until tender (steaming and microwaving will preserve the most nutrients).
• Puree in a food processor with a little liquid (breast milk, water or formula are all appropriate choices), or mash if your baby can handle more texture.
• Store in the refrigerator or freezer, in airtight containers. One to three extra servings may be stored in the refrigerator. Use cooked vegetables or fruit within three days. Raw fruit and meats should be used the next day.
• Rewarm when it's time to eat and allow to cool.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, but you can also use frozen or canned. Look for items that contain very few additives such as salt, sugar or preservatives. Recommended fruits and vegetables to soft-cook and puree include apples, plums, pears, apricots, peaches, bananas, carrots, peas, green beans, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you can also puree foods such as cooked meats. Make sure that the meat is fully cooked, with no pink, and has the fat, skin and connective tissue removed.

When your baby is just beginning to eat solids, remember to introduce only one food at a time to identify possible allergies. As your child gets older and you know which foods have been tolerated well, you can start to blend two or three different fruits or vegetables together. Try the following recipes and see how simple it is to offer your baby fresh and nutritious homemade baby foods.

Stage II (8-10 months)

Baby Beef Stew
INGREDIENTS

• 1 peeled potatocup cubed cooked beef

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash vegetables thoroughly and chop very fine.
2. Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes.
3. Add the macaroni and water; cook for 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
4. Drain.
5. Add cooked beef cubes.
6. Mash or puree the mix until consistency is adequate for baby.

Stage I (6-8 months)

Mango Madness
INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe mango
• Liquid of choice (Formula, breast milk or water)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel, de-seed and chunk the mango.
2. Place mango chunks in a blender or food processor.
3. Add formula, breast milk or water and blend or mash until the proper consistency.

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Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney Welcome Son

The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia family has expanded!

Costars Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney welcomed their first child, son Axel Lee McElhenney, at 12:52 p.m. on Wednesday, September 1 at their California home, their rep confirmed.

"I went into labor at the Phillies/Dodgers game on Tuesday night," says Olson. "As soon as Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby. We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game."

The 35-year-old actress recently talked about her plans for a home birth.

"I decided on a home birth because I believe that as long as a pregnancy is normal and complication-free, your body knows what to do and does not need medical intervention. I think the key to having a baby naturally is being able to completely relax and get out of the way of your body’s ability to get the job done."

The FX cult comedy hit, which McElhenney created and executive produces, is set to return for its sixth season on September 16.

Congratulations to the Olson-McElhenney family!

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Biosensor baby PJs track vital signs, behavior

If biosensor onesies sound absurd, consider the plethora of baby gadgetry that's hit the market in recent years: speakers for babies, tweeting for babies, clothing that changes color to reveal babies' moods.

Then consider a few scenarios: parents concerned about babysitter vigilance; mothers going back to work; that several-month window in which babies are at the highest risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

So while Exmovere Holdings, the maker of Exmobaby - supposedly the first baby garment to remotely monitor vital signs and behavior - may be guilty of preying on parents' worst fears, its rather futuristic onesie could also save lives.

CEO David Bychkov explains how it works:

"Each Exmobaby onesie will come with a baby-safe, rechargeable Zigbee wireless transceiver that snaps into a pouch. From there, the data is transmitted to a nearby PC or cell phone in order to keep parents and other caregivers informed of a baby's status. This continuous monitoring in real time will allow for an 'emotional umbilical cord' between mother and child."

The Zigbee wireless standard uses a wireless local area network (LAN) and is targeted at radio frequency applications requiring lower data rate and battery life. It's also compatible with a wide range of USB and mini SD-slot dongle devices, i.e. cell phones.

Parents or caretakers wanting to check in on a baby via cell phone or computer will see icons that represent the baby's heart rate, as well as "emotional state" and "behavior," categories the company admits are less exact. But Exmovere compares its software to voice recognition software, where accuracy increases over time as person-specific data compiles.

The first 1,000 onesies are scheduled to ship to select buyers from the Exmobaby waiting list in early 2011. Each kit will include an Exmobaby garment set (in, yes, blue or pink), a Zigbee transceiver, PC and cell phone monitoring software, and six months of online service. The company has not yet released pricing details.

Of course, babies aren't the only target market when it comes to wearable sensors. Think of elderly relatives in nursing homes. Suspicious lovers. International spies. Teenagers who just got a license to drive. For better or worse, the ability to monitor one another continues to improve.

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Free Yoga Maternity Tees from RockStarMoms

RockStarMoms Maternity is giving away 50 of their Floating Baby Tees to help kick off September's National Yoga Month and to support the growing popularity of prenatal yoga. Their newest design, Floating Baby Yoga, will be given to one mom-to-be in each of the 50 states. To be eligible, expectant moms must be enrolled in a prenatal yoga class AND be the FIRST person from their state to submit an entry. Once entered, instructions will be given on how they can be entered to win one of two $100 gift certificates for RockStarMoms Maternity Wear. Contest details can be found on the company's website at: http://www.rockstarmoms.com/giveaways.php

Prenatal yoga classes can be a great way to stay in shape during pregnancy when paired with cardiovascular exercise and healthy nutrition. According to Stacey Bell, owner of YogaBell Wellness, "Prenatal yoga is also beneficial because it promotes deep breathing and relaxation, which assists with the physical demands of labor, birth, and motherhood." In addition, "Yoga helps the body deal with stress by slowing heart and breathing rates and lowering blood pressure - a big plus for new moms and moms-to-be."

The Yoga Health Foundation has designated September as National Yoga Month to raise awareness of yoga's health benefits and provide the public with guidance and tools to improve their well-being. This month, over 1,000 National Yoga Month events will be held in communities nationwide.

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Study: Mothers and Fathers Play Differently

Oxytocin has been called "the love hormone" because levels of it rise in women during childbirth and breast-feeding, and it is thought to facilitate bonding. It is present in men, too, and everything from eye contact to orgasm can increase its amount.

But does the hormone stimulate bonding in new fathers as it does in new mothers? A new study in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the first to look at what its authors describe as “the transition to fatherhood,” suggests that it does. And it also suggests a biological basis for the fact that men and women so often relate differently to infant and toddlers, with women more often cooing and cuddling and men tickling and tossing.

First, Israeli researchers took blood samples from 80 couples, all first-time parents, when their children were 6 weeks, and then 6 months, old. Oxytocin levels at 6 weeks, they found, were just as high in new fathers as they were in new mothers (partners appear to “match” each other in the production of the hormone), and the levels rose over the next four and a half months.

The researchers also observed the couples as they interacted with their infants, noting how often each parent did things like gazing at the child, talking “mommy-ese” to him or her, playing with them and otherwise stimulating love and learning. Women with the highest levels of oxytocin were most likely to demonstrate what the journal article calls “affectionate parenting behaviors” while men with the highest levels were most likely to demonstrate “stimulatory parenting behaviors.”

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This Week's Celebrity Baby Bumps

Miranda Kerr covers her bump with a draping scarf over a flowing dress, Jodie Sweetin gave birth shortly after her baby shower, Christina Applegate keeps it simple in a black dress, Alicia Keys wears a neutral strapless top with matching shorts, Ali Larter is airport chic in all black, and Alanis Morissette goes on a date with the father-to-be in all black as well.

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A Sweet Documentation of a Woman's Pregnancy

Simply titled: "Eliza," this film made by an expectant mom will warm your heart.

Jodie Sweetin Welcomes a Daughter

Jodie Sweetin has a full house!

The 28-year-old actress and her boyfriend Morty Coyle welcomed daughter Beatrix Carlin on Tuesday (August 31), People reports.

"Jodie was amazing and is doing great," proud papa Coyle says. "We are now the proud, excited parents of Miss Beatrix Carlin Sweetin Coyle. We're already madly in love with Beatrix and are so grateful for the support from our family and friends. And we can't wait for her big sister Zoie to meet her."

Beatrix, whom dad is already calling "Bea," weighed in at 7 lbs., 4 oz. and was 19 inches in length. She is the couple's first child. Sweetin is also mom to 2-year-old daughter, Zoie, with ex-husband Cody Herpin.

Congratulations to the Sweetin-Coyle family!

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