Everything from morning sickness to your dreams to what cravings you are having will be analyzed by eager people hoping to guess the sex of your child. One of the most common myths is the “high or low” myth. This myth claims that a baby being carried high is a girl and carrying baby low is a boy. This myth tends to have a lot more credibility than other myths, but that does not necessarily mean it is accurate. What is the scientific fat behind carrying a baby low? What to watch out when carrying a baby low?
Myth and Fact of Carrying Baby Low
1. The Myth
The general myth claims that a woman who is carrying her baby low is going to have a boy, and therefore babies being carried high are girls. It is generally believed that this myth was simply made up and is not based on anything more than some women hoping to have a bit of fun with a pregnant woman.
2. The Fact
The position of the individual’s pelvic and uterine muscles will determine how the baby is held within the uterus. Babies that are being carried high are sitting in the upper part of the uterus while pregnancies that sit low have the baby situated closer to the pelvis.
Women with tighter uterine muscles and abdominal muscles are likely to have a higher baby bump, while those with comparatively weaker muscles tend to have low sagging bump. Also, shorter women are also more likely to have a wider bump because there is not much room for the bump to expand in the other direction. Therefore, taller women or women with a longer torso tend to have a bump that is narrower. Your baby may also have their own preference regarding how they like to sit within the uterus. Some like to sit up high while others settle low, though this preference does not appear to fall on gender lines like the original myth would imply.
Precautions of Carrying Baby Low
Carrying the baby low means that the baby is sitting near the pelvis, meaning the mother will need to take care throughout her pregnancy. Babies sitting closer to the pelvis are more likely to be delivered early, increasing your risk of premature birth or miscarriages. If your doctor determines that you are carrying your baby at a dangerously low level you will need to avoid vigorous activities like weight lifting that may push the baby deeper into the pelvis. Many women who are carrying their baby very low will be prescribed bed rest to help them avoid premature labor or other dangers that could harm their baby.
Advantages of Carrying Baby Low
On the other hand, those that are carrying their baby in a low position may have a labor that is less painful and shorter than those that are trying to give birth to a baby that is sitting up high in the uterus. This is simply because the baby has to travel a shorter distance to exit the mother’s body. Therefore, the low position of your baby can have a positive impact on your childbirth experience.
In the end, the only way to officially determine the sex of your unborn child is to perform screenings like an amniotic fluid test or an ultrasound. There is no reason to believe that a babysitting low in the uterus is a boy, so there is no reason to get excited or upset should someone push this advice on you while you are pregnant.