Whether a baby becomes a boy or a girl depends entirely on whether the father's sperm cell that fertilized the mother's egg had a dominant female X chromosome or a dominant male Y chromosome. Expectant mothers should wait until the second trimester to allow an ultrasound test to determine the gender of their babies. However, many try to find out early with an old wives' tale test that involves mixing a little urine with boiling red cabbage. Cabbage gender test results are supposed to be accurate to at least 50 percent.
An ultrasound at about 18 to 20 weeks should reveal the sex of a baby. At this time, technicians can determine if more than one baby is coming and if there are any abnormalities present. For generations, one way to treat and at least satisfy a baby's gender curiosity has been to come home with a head of red cabbage and pull out a knife to administer the cabbage gender test.
In a pot, pregnant mothers mix a half head of chopped red cabbage with about 2 cups (about 475 ml) of boiling water, using just enough cabbage to completely submerge the vegetables. The heat is reduced once the cabbage and water return to a boil. After 10 minutes on low heat, the cabbage water will be deep purple and ready to do your rudimentary test of a mother's urinary pH.
Mothers should strain the liquid from all the cabbage. Then, a mixture of equal parts urine and cabbage water is made. According to various websites, many mothers use a morning sample to mix with the cabbage water, as its concentration will be higher. According to popular legend, the cabbage gender test causes the color of the water to fade to pink or red if a boy is on the way, but remain purple if the baby is a girl. Other wives tales insist that the color coding is backwards: faded means a girl and purple means a boy.
Medical experts have avoided settling the cabbage gender test issue. Many cite a huge difference in pH levels in all women, particularly during pregnancy, a factor that can fade or leave behind some purple cabbage water. An ultrasound appears to be the only established means of determining gender.
A variety of websites claim to help expectant mothers determine the sex of a baby. These sites rank mothers based on how well they answer various questions related to physical symptoms, claiming that mothers of boys and mothers of girls experience pregnancy in slightly different ways. The sites refer to characteristics such as whether mothers carry their babies high or low, whether their legs have gotten hairier, and whether they crave meats or fruits, sweets or flavors.