What is the baking soda gender test and how accurate is it?
BAKING soda gender test is the new thing among expecting mothers.
The DIY test can be done all from home and it takes less than an hour.
Does the baking soda test for gender work?
Expecting a baby is one of the happiest moments for a woman when she becomes pregnant.
Many in their excitement and curiosity cannot wait until they find out whether they will be expecting a boy or a girl.
Traditionally, a mother would be able to know the gender of her baby after the second-trimester ultrasound.
That can be approximately 20 weeks into pregnancy and that is why some have opted for some newer DIY methods.
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One of them is the baking soda test for gender, which requires products that can be found in every household.
Women who have done the test, say that it has predicted rightly the actual gender of their baby, way ahead of their ultrasound.
Although some mums have had positive experiences with the baking soda gender test, medical evidence would suggest that their accurate results just happened coincidentally.
It cannot predict the baby's sex, it’s a chemical reaction of acids and bases unrelated to the X or Y chromosomes that simply determine it.
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How to test if you are having a boy or a girl with the baking soda gender test
The test does not require much, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your house.
It simply requires two tablespoons of baking soda and some urine from the pregnant soon-to-be mother.
It is all mixed in a glass, and if the combination fizzes, like a soft drink that has been shaken up, then she’s supposedly having a boy.
And, if the baking soda and urine don't react at all, she’s purportedly having a girl.
Mummies who have tried the test say that the baby's sex changes some of the hormones in the mother's body, which may then change the acid content of her urine.
How can I predict my baby’s gender at home?
Many other DIY methods similar to the baking soda test exist as well.
One of them is the nub theory, which supposedly predicts the gender of the baby at just 12 weeks.
The nub theory, also known as the angle of the dangle, looks at how your baby's spinal cord and genital tissues are forming at your first pregnancy scan.
The idea behind the nub theory is that if you can get a really good look at this nub, you can figure out which way it will go in the coming weeks.
The NHS and midwives recommend that you wait for the ultrasound in your second trimester.
Many parents say that it has given them a sneak peek at the results before the ultrasound.
Another theory that supposedly predicts the gender of the baby is the Skull theory.
Again, there has been mixed feedback from online forums for soon-to-be mums.
Skull theory is essentially looking at which shapes tend to belong to boys and girls.
Skull theory for boys is that male foreheads are lower and more sloping.
The top of the head is more blocky and the big jawbone is squared with cheekbones more pronounced.
Skull theory for girls is that the top of the head is rounder and tapers at the top.
Cheekbones are less pronounced with the jawbone more rounded, and the forehead higher and less sloping.
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The only genuinely accurate way of finding out the sex of your baby is to wait for your 20-week anomaly scan - and even that isn't 100 per cent guaranteed.