Christmas shopping for a woman who's pregnant can be a bit challenging. Often, holiday shoppers are tempted to buy gifts for the baby. But there is plenty of time to shop for gifts a new baby; the baby shower is a great time to buy gifts for the newborn. Christmas gifts for a pregnant woman should be just that – gifts for the woman!
Consider these and fun Christmas gift ideas for a woman who's expecting.
Looking for a unique and fun Christmas gift idea for a mom-to-be? Consider buying a baby gender test for pregnant women who are have yet to find out if it's a boy or a girl. In fact, some pregnancy gender tests that are available on the market are more than 95% accurate at predicting sex!
There are several baby gender test kits to determine baby gender. The Pink or Blue early baby gender test ($154 USD) uses DNA to determine the sex of a baby. The Pink or Blue DNA test can be performed "ten weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period, which is seven weeks post-conception, to guarantee accurate results."
A similar but less expensive gift idea for a pregnant woman is the IntelliGender test ($34.95 USD), which uses a urine sample to determine gender. This fun test is another way for an expecting woman to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. The IntelliGender test boasts an 82% accuracy rate and the results are available in just a few minutes!
Another fun and unique Christmas gift idea for a pregnant woman? Buy a maternity photo shoot for the expecting mother.
A maternity photo shoot will give the mom an opportunity to get "all dolled up" and it will provide an opportunity to get some professional portraits as a keepsake, documenting this very important time in her life.
A professional photo shoot also makes a great Christmas gift idea for a new mother and her baby. This is a fun and sentimental gift for a new mom, who will get some great professional photos with her baby.
Some women are profoundly affected in a negative way when they see their body changing and growing due to pregnancy. To help boost a pregnant woman's self-confidence, give the gift of a pregnancy makeover. This pregnancy gift idea can be quite expensive, but it makes a great gift from a group of friends or family members.
The pregnancy makeover gift idea can be comprised of a gift basket containing a variety of gift cards, including:
hair salon gift card
nail salon gift card
spa and/or massage gift card
gift card to a maternity clothing shop like Mimi Maternity or Pea in the Pod gift card
To top it off, include a restaurant gift card, along with tickets to the theatre, a concert or a gift card to the movie theatre – or else, the soon-to-be mom will be dressed up with nowhere to go! In addition, if the expecting woman has children at home, gift givers can also enclose a homemade gift certificate for a day of babysitting.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" – That's one of the most common questions that a pregnant woman will hear from others and wondering about a baby's gender can give rise to intense curiosity in an expecting mother. There are now early baby gender prediction tests that claim to be up to 95% accurate as soon as seven weeks into a pregnancy – about five weeks before mothers can learn a baby's sex via ultrasound.
The most traditional method of baby gender prediction involves using a sonogram, also known as an ultrasound. In the case of a level three ultrasound — performed in cases where there are concerns about the baby's health or the mother's health — the baby's gender can be determined as early as 12 weeks into a pregnancy. Notably, level three ultrasounds are not performed solely to find out the baby's sex, so this is not an option for many pregnant women who want to find out if they're having a boy or girl.
The baby's gender can be determined using level one ultrasound as soon as 15 weeks of pregnancy, but some women have to wait much longer to determine if it's a girl or boy. In many cases, the baby's position in the womb is such that the it's impossible to make an accurate gender prediction until much later in the pregnancy.
Expecting mothers can also learn the sex of a baby as early as 15 to 18 weeks of pregnancy using an amniocentesis, which involves penetrating the woman's belly with a needle to extract a sample of amniotic fluid from the sac surrounding the baby. This method of determining baby sex has a more than 99% accuracy rate, according to WebMD, but like a level three ultrasound, amniocentesis is not available to all women. This procedure is usually performed in cases of advanced maternal age (35+) or in situations where birth defects or other fetal health problems are suspected.
A company named Consumer Genetics has developed a DNA test for predicting a baby's gender. According to the Pink or Blue baby gender prediction test website, geneticists determine sex by analyzing a small blood sample that the pregnant women obtains using a home DNA collection kit.
The Pink or Blue website says that the baby sheds blood cells, that find their way into the mother's bloodstream, so the blood sample is examined for the presence of "Y" genetic material. If "Y" chromosomes are located, the woman is expecting a baby boy; if only "X" chromosomes are found, then the mother is expecting a baby girl.
Expecting mothers must use extreme caution when collecting the blood sample for the baby gender prediction test because if a male is present, his genetic material may contaminate the test, leading to incorrect results. The Pink or Blue instructional video indicates that the DNA test for gender is so sensitive that only female staff are permitted to handle the DNA collection kits during the manufacturing process to avoid contamination.
The Pink or Blue DNA test for baby gender prediction can be performed "ten weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period, which is seven weeks post-conception, to guarantee accurate results." In some cases, the test cannot be accurately performed on women who have received a recent blood transfusion, a bone marrow transplant from a male donor, or a recent miscarriage or abortion.
Learning the gender of a baby early in the game won't come cheap; the Pink or Blue DNA baby gender prediction kit is priced at more than $150.
The IntelliGender test is another, less accurate way for pregnant women to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. The IntelliGender website says the baby gender prediction test is 90% accurate in the lab, but only 82% accurate in "real life" conditions.
The baby sex prediction kit, priced at $34.95, can be used as early as six weeks from the first day of the woman's missed period. To perform the gender prediction test, the mother must urinate in a cup first thing in the morning. The urine interacts with crystals contained in the cup and the sample must be left undisturbed for 10 minutes, at which point it will turn green to indicate that the mother is expecting a baby boy, or orange to indicate that the woman is expecting a baby girl.
Unlike the Pink or Blue DNA test, the IntelliGender baby sex prediction test is intended to be "a fun, positive pre-birth experience for the parents-to-be. IntelliGender does not recommend test users to make any financial, emotional or family planning decisions based on the test results. This includes painting a nursery!"
Many pregnant mothers experience intense curiosity as they anxiously await the ultrasound to determine the gender of the unborn baby.
Before technology advanced to the point where a sonogram could be used to determine baby gender, pregnant parents had to wait out the 40 weeks gestation period before they could learn the answer to the pressing question: "Is it a boy or a girl?" This gave rise to an array of old wives tales on how to determine baby gender. These baby gender myths persist today.
Baby gender is determined at the moment of conception, depending upon the sperm's sex chromosome ("Y" for a boy, "X" for a girl.) But in terms of physical appearance, all embryos start out the same and it's not until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy (the sixth week of gestation – there is a two week difference due to the time it takes for the zygote to implant in the uterine wall) that a baby's gender becomes apparent in a physical sense.
According to DrSpock.com, it's at the eighth week of pregnancy that the embryo's gonads will evolve. They will either remain inside the body and evolve into ovaries in the case of a girl baby, or they will descend and turn into testicles in the case of a boy baby.
There are many old wives tales and myths about how to tell if a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl. Although none of these methods are regarded as a truly effective way to determine baby sex at home, many pregnant women can't help but try at least a couple "tests" for baby gender.
Baby Gender and Heart Rate – This baby gender myth says that boys will have a heart rate under 140; girls have a heart rate over 140.
The Ring Pendulum Gender Test – Thread a ring on a necklace or string to create a pendulum and hold it over the pregnant woman's belly. If the pendulum swings in a side-to-side motion, it's a girl; if the ring moves in a circular motion, it's a boy.
The Belly Shape Myth – This pregnancy myth holds that if a mother's baby bump is low, it's a boy; if the baby is carried high, it's a girl.
Cravings and Baby Gender – This old wives tale says that if a pregnant woman craves sweets, she's having a girl. But if the woman is craving salty foods, she's having a boy.
The Father's Weight Gain Myth – According to this myth, if the father gains weight during the pregnancy, it's a girl; if the father's weight remains stable or decreases, it's a baby boy.
The Key Test for Baby Sex – Place a key in front of the pregnant woman. If she picks up the key from the thin end, it's a girl; if the woman picks up the key from the base, it's a baby boy.
Myths on Acne in Pregnancy – If the woman develops acne during pregnancy, she is expecting a baby girl. If her skin remains clear, she will have a boy.
Some believe that dreams can predict baby gender. Dream symbols are said to predict whether a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl. In the case of a boy, the pregnant woman's dreams may be dominated by male-related imagery like cars and trucks, the color blue, linear objects and phallic symbols. In the case of a girl, the mother is said to dream of feminine images like flowers and dolls, cosmetics, the color pink, and rounded objects.
Myths on predicting baby gender can vary dramatically based on culture. According to IntelliGender.com, the Chinese use the ancient Chinese calendar to predict baby gender using the date of the baby's conception and the mother's age.
A baby's gender can be determined by ultrasound at 12 weeks of pregnancy. But most pregnant women will not learn a baby's gender by ultrasound until some time after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
At 12 weeks of pregnancy, the sex of a baby can only be determined using a level three ultrasound, which is only performed in cases where birth defects or other health problems are suspected. For a healthy pregnancy, mothers must wait until 15 weeks to find out if it's a baby girl or a baby boy via a level one ultrasound.
Baby gender can also be determined by amniocentesis between weeks 15 and 18 of pregnancy. For baby gender prediction, amniocentesis carries a 99% accuracy rate, but like level three ultrasounds, this procedure is only performed in cases of advanced maternal age or when genetic abnormalities or other health problems are suspected.
Pregnant mothers may be tempted to perform a home test to predict baby gender. These baby gender prediction tests are moderately to highly accurate, depending upon the testing method.
The Pink or Blue baby gender prediction test uses DNA to determine baby sex. The mother must provide a blood sample for baby gender testing and if "Y" chromosomes are present, the woman is expecting a baby boy; if only X chromosomes are present, then the mother is expecting a baby girl. The Pink or Blue DNA test for baby gender boasts a 95% accuracy rate.
There are also urine tests for baby gender, like the IntelliGender prediction test. According to the IntelliGender website, this method of testing for gender is 90% accurate in the lab, and 82% accurate in "real life."
Consider these and fun Christmas gift ideas for a woman who's expecting.
Fun Gift Idea for a Pregnant Woman – Baby Gender Tests
Looking for a unique and fun Christmas gift idea for a mom-to-be? Consider buying a baby gender test for pregnant women who are have yet to find out if it's a boy or a girl. In fact, some pregnancy gender tests that are available on the market are more than 95% accurate at predicting sex!
There are several baby gender test kits to determine baby gender. The Pink or Blue early baby gender test ($154 USD) uses DNA to determine the sex of a baby. The Pink or Blue DNA test can be performed "ten weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period, which is seven weeks post-conception, to guarantee accurate results."
A similar but less expensive gift idea for a pregnant woman is the IntelliGender test ($34.95 USD), which uses a urine sample to determine gender. This fun test is another way for an expecting woman to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. The IntelliGender test boasts an 82% accuracy rate and the results are available in just a few minutes!
Photo Shoot as a Unique Christmas Gift for a Pregnant Woman
Another fun and unique Christmas gift idea for a pregnant woman? Buy a maternity photo shoot for the expecting mother.
A maternity photo shoot will give the mom an opportunity to get "all dolled up" and it will provide an opportunity to get some professional portraits as a keepsake, documenting this very important time in her life.
A professional photo shoot also makes a great Christmas gift idea for a new mother and her baby. This is a fun and sentimental gift for a new mom, who will get some great professional photos with her baby.
Pregnancy Makeover as a Christmas Gift for a Woman Who's Expecting
Some women are profoundly affected in a negative way when they see their body changing and growing due to pregnancy. To help boost a pregnant woman's self-confidence, give the gift of a pregnancy makeover. This pregnancy gift idea can be quite expensive, but it makes a great gift from a group of friends or family members.
The pregnancy makeover gift idea can be comprised of a gift basket containing a variety of gift cards, including:
hair salon gift card
nail salon gift card
spa and/or massage gift card
gift card to a maternity clothing shop like Mimi Maternity or Pea in the Pod gift card
To top it off, include a restaurant gift card, along with tickets to the theatre, a concert or a gift card to the movie theatre – or else, the soon-to-be mom will be dressed up with nowhere to go! In addition, if the expecting woman has children at home, gift givers can also enclose a homemade gift certificate for a day of babysitting.
Baby Gender Tests for Pregnant Women
"Is it a boy or a girl?" – That's one of the most common questions that a pregnant woman will hear from others and wondering about a baby's gender can give rise to intense curiosity in an expecting mother. There are now early baby gender prediction tests that claim to be up to 95% accurate as soon as seven weeks into a pregnancy – about five weeks before mothers can learn a baby's sex via ultrasound.
Traditional Ways of Determining Baby Gender – Ultrasound and Amniocentesis
The most traditional method of baby gender prediction involves using a sonogram, also known as an ultrasound. In the case of a level three ultrasound — performed in cases where there are concerns about the baby's health or the mother's health — the baby's gender can be determined as early as 12 weeks into a pregnancy. Notably, level three ultrasounds are not performed solely to find out the baby's sex, so this is not an option for many pregnant women who want to find out if they're having a boy or girl.
The baby's gender can be determined using level one ultrasound as soon as 15 weeks of pregnancy, but some women have to wait much longer to determine if it's a girl or boy. In many cases, the baby's position in the womb is such that the it's impossible to make an accurate gender prediction until much later in the pregnancy.
Expecting mothers can also learn the sex of a baby as early as 15 to 18 weeks of pregnancy using an amniocentesis, which involves penetrating the woman's belly with a needle to extract a sample of amniotic fluid from the sac surrounding the baby. This method of determining baby sex has a more than 99% accuracy rate, according to WebMD, but like a level three ultrasound, amniocentesis is not available to all women. This procedure is usually performed in cases of advanced maternal age (35+) or in situations where birth defects or other fetal health problems are suspected.
Pink or Blue – Early Baby Gender Test Using DNA
A company named Consumer Genetics has developed a DNA test for predicting a baby's gender. According to the Pink or Blue baby gender prediction test website, geneticists determine sex by analyzing a small blood sample that the pregnant women obtains using a home DNA collection kit.
The Pink or Blue website says that the baby sheds blood cells, that find their way into the mother's bloodstream, so the blood sample is examined for the presence of "Y" genetic material. If "Y" chromosomes are located, the woman is expecting a baby boy; if only "X" chromosomes are found, then the mother is expecting a baby girl.
Expecting mothers must use extreme caution when collecting the blood sample for the baby gender prediction test because if a male is present, his genetic material may contaminate the test, leading to incorrect results. The Pink or Blue instructional video indicates that the DNA test for gender is so sensitive that only female staff are permitted to handle the DNA collection kits during the manufacturing process to avoid contamination.
The Pink or Blue DNA test for baby gender prediction can be performed "ten weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period, which is seven weeks post-conception, to guarantee accurate results." In some cases, the test cannot be accurately performed on women who have received a recent blood transfusion, a bone marrow transplant from a male donor, or a recent miscarriage or abortion.
Learning the gender of a baby early in the game won't come cheap; the Pink or Blue DNA baby gender prediction kit is priced at more than $150.
IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test
The IntelliGender test is another, less accurate way for pregnant women to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. The IntelliGender website says the baby gender prediction test is 90% accurate in the lab, but only 82% accurate in "real life" conditions.
The baby sex prediction kit, priced at $34.95, can be used as early as six weeks from the first day of the woman's missed period. To perform the gender prediction test, the mother must urinate in a cup first thing in the morning. The urine interacts with crystals contained in the cup and the sample must be left undisturbed for 10 minutes, at which point it will turn green to indicate that the mother is expecting a baby boy, or orange to indicate that the woman is expecting a baby girl.
Unlike the Pink or Blue DNA test, the IntelliGender baby sex prediction test is intended to be "a fun, positive pre-birth experience for the parents-to-be. IntelliGender does not recommend test users to make any financial, emotional or family planning decisions based on the test results. This includes painting a nursery!"
Pregnancy Myths – Determining Baby Gender
Many pregnant mothers experience intense curiosity as they anxiously await the ultrasound to determine the gender of the unborn baby.
Before technology advanced to the point where a sonogram could be used to determine baby gender, pregnant parents had to wait out the 40 weeks gestation period before they could learn the answer to the pressing question: "Is it a boy or a girl?" This gave rise to an array of old wives tales on how to determine baby gender. These baby gender myths persist today.
When is Baby Gender Determined?
Baby gender is determined at the moment of conception, depending upon the sperm's sex chromosome ("Y" for a boy, "X" for a girl.) But in terms of physical appearance, all embryos start out the same and it's not until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy (the sixth week of gestation – there is a two week difference due to the time it takes for the zygote to implant in the uterine wall) that a baby's gender becomes apparent in a physical sense.
According to DrSpock.com, it's at the eighth week of pregnancy that the embryo's gonads will evolve. They will either remain inside the body and evolve into ovaries in the case of a girl baby, or they will descend and turn into testicles in the case of a boy baby.
Myths and Old Wives Tales on Determining Baby Gender
There are many old wives tales and myths about how to tell if a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl. Although none of these methods are regarded as a truly effective way to determine baby sex at home, many pregnant women can't help but try at least a couple "tests" for baby gender.
Baby Gender and Heart Rate – This baby gender myth says that boys will have a heart rate under 140; girls have a heart rate over 140.
The Ring Pendulum Gender Test – Thread a ring on a necklace or string to create a pendulum and hold it over the pregnant woman's belly. If the pendulum swings in a side-to-side motion, it's a girl; if the ring moves in a circular motion, it's a boy.
The Belly Shape Myth – This pregnancy myth holds that if a mother's baby bump is low, it's a boy; if the baby is carried high, it's a girl.
Cravings and Baby Gender – This old wives tale says that if a pregnant woman craves sweets, she's having a girl. But if the woman is craving salty foods, she's having a boy.
The Father's Weight Gain Myth – According to this myth, if the father gains weight during the pregnancy, it's a girl; if the father's weight remains stable or decreases, it's a baby boy.
The Key Test for Baby Sex – Place a key in front of the pregnant woman. If she picks up the key from the thin end, it's a girl; if the woman picks up the key from the base, it's a baby boy.
Myths on Acne in Pregnancy – If the woman develops acne during pregnancy, she is expecting a baby girl. If her skin remains clear, she will have a boy.
Some believe that dreams can predict baby gender. Dream symbols are said to predict whether a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl. In the case of a boy, the pregnant woman's dreams may be dominated by male-related imagery like cars and trucks, the color blue, linear objects and phallic symbols. In the case of a girl, the mother is said to dream of feminine images like flowers and dolls, cosmetics, the color pink, and rounded objects.
Myths on predicting baby gender can vary dramatically based on culture. According to IntelliGender.com, the Chinese use the ancient Chinese calendar to predict baby gender using the date of the baby's conception and the mother's age.
At What Week Can You Determine Baby Gender by Ultrasound
A baby's gender can be determined by ultrasound at 12 weeks of pregnancy. But most pregnant women will not learn a baby's gender by ultrasound until some time after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
At 12 weeks of pregnancy, the sex of a baby can only be determined using a level three ultrasound, which is only performed in cases where birth defects or other health problems are suspected. For a healthy pregnancy, mothers must wait until 15 weeks to find out if it's a baby girl or a baby boy via a level one ultrasound.
Baby gender can also be determined by amniocentesis between weeks 15 and 18 of pregnancy. For baby gender prediction, amniocentesis carries a 99% accuracy rate, but like level three ultrasounds, this procedure is only performed in cases of advanced maternal age or when genetic abnormalities or other health problems are suspected.
Are Home Baby Gender Prediction Tests Accurate
Pregnant mothers may be tempted to perform a home test to predict baby gender. These baby gender prediction tests are moderately to highly accurate, depending upon the testing method.
The Pink or Blue baby gender prediction test uses DNA to determine baby sex. The mother must provide a blood sample for baby gender testing and if "Y" chromosomes are present, the woman is expecting a baby boy; if only X chromosomes are present, then the mother is expecting a baby girl. The Pink or Blue DNA test for baby gender boasts a 95% accuracy rate.
There are also urine tests for baby gender, like the IntelliGender prediction test. According to the IntelliGender website, this method of testing for gender is 90% accurate in the lab, and 82% accurate in "real life."
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