HOW TO HAVE A BABY BOY

Trying to choose the sex of your baby, boy or girl, is a very old practice. Old customs were centered around the woman, because it was not understood that the determination really lay with the man. Though as wisdom grew, the practices changed to include men in the process of deciding, but the methods were still really out there, like tying up one testicle, believing that boys had one side, girls the other; sleeping with certain objects under the bed to influence the sex of the baby; or even medicines and poultices of odd combination including animal feces. The desire to choose the sex was that strong.

Today's desire is just as strong. In fact some places report that up to 90% of people would choose the sex of their baby if it were easier. The biggest change in the minds of sex selection is that girls are a high priority in some locations now, previously there was a high need for a boy. In fact, in some countries they still have very high preferences for boys. There are even places that have banned ultrasound determination of the sex of a baby to prevent sex selection via termination.

How Sex Selection Works

Each parent contributes half of a baby's genetic make up. The female or mother is genetically an XX, so she is only able to contribute an X to the future baby. The father of the baby is XY and can contribute either an X or a Y. This means that sperm is the deciding factor in how your baby's sex is determined.

Over 200 million sperm are ejaculated into the vagina during intercourse, a mixture of X and Y. Most likely only one will be the one to penetrate the ovum.

Shettles Method

Dr. Landrum Shettles is known for his popular book on how to use low tech ways to conceive a baby of a particular sex, but particularly baby girls. Though the method can be used for a girl or a boy. The theory behind this method for having a baby boy is that Y bearing sperm are faster but die more quickly. This means that by the time the egg is released you should have no sperm near the egg and quickly have intercourse to have the biggest concentration of Y bearing sperm. The basics are as follows:

• First you must know your menstrual cycle and chart it using your basal body temperature (BBT) charts.
• Once you have done this for a few months you can more accurately pinpoint ovulation.
• Men should avoid ejaculation for 4-5 days before ovulation.
• Your goal would be to time sexual intercourse about 12 hours prior to ovulation, based on your basal body temperatures, or other methods.
• Use positions to place the sperm as close to the cervix as possible, including rear entry positions.
• Females should have an orgasm to help move the sperm towards the egg.

Previously Shettles recommended certain douches to deal with the acidity issue, but has since backed off that because of the risk of infection.

The Boy Diet

There are some who say that what you eat will determine whether your baby is a girl or a boy. Here are some foods to stock in your pantry if you're trying to have a baby boy:

• Meat, particularly red meat
• Salty snacks, like chips
• Caffeine

OVULATION PRIMER

Q. When do I ovulate?

A. This is where it gets tricky, let's talk in terms of generalities for a moment. We generally say that the average menstrual cycle is 28 days long. This means that a woman starts her period on day one of her cycle. The average woman will ovulate 14 days backwards from the start of her period. So a woman with a 28 day cycle would tend to ovulate on day 14. The woman with a 32 day cycle would tend to ovulate on day 18. The woman with a 26 day cycle would ovulate on day 12 of the cycle. This can vary widely, which is why methods to determine exactly when you ovulate are important. You need to maximize the chance of your fertile window being successful, the window being the 24 hours the egg lives.

Q. How do you know exactly when you ovulate?

A. There are a few methods available: Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Mucous, Sympto-Thermal (Combination), and Device.

Q. Which method is best?

A. There really isn't a great answer to that. The use of your body to help predict ovulation can greatly enhance any woman's ability to get pregnant. By using the simple signs like temperature and mucous changes to do this, it's simple, efficient, and cost-effective. Using the ovulation prediction kits can be very expensive and not as accurate for some women. However, I think it's important to note that prior to receiving any counseling for infertility a practitioner will usually require at least a month or two worth of temperatures and symptoms. So if you're just starting out in the game of achieving a pregnancy, or you're starting to wonder if you can get pregnant, this might be a good place to start for you.

Q. When is the best time to get pregnant?

A. While the egg is only viable for about 24 hours, sperm can live in the reproductive tract of the woman for 72+ hours. This means that you can get pregnant in a much larger window than thought. Intercourse prior to ovulation can and often does result in pregnancy, as can intercourse at the point of ovulation.

Q. Can more than one egg ever be released?

A. Yes. More than one can be released. When this happens it is common for both eggs to be fertilized, thus resulting in fraternal twins. Many common medications for ovulatory disorders can cause the ovaries to be hyperstimulated, and therefore release more eggs than normal. This is, obviously, not always the case

HOW TO HAVE A BABY GIRL

Trying to choose the sex of your baby, girl or boy, is a very old practice. Old customs were centered around the woman, because it was not understood that the determination of the sex of a baby really lay with the man. Though as wisdom grew, the practices changed to include men in the process of deciding, but the methods were still really out there, like tying up one testicles, believing that boys had one side, girls the other; sleeping with certain objects under the bed to influence the sex of the baby; or even medicines and poultices of odd combination including animal feces. The desire to choose the sex was that strong.

Today's desire is just as strong. In fact some places report that up to 90% of people would choose the sex of their baby if it were easier. The biggest change in the minds of sex selection is that girls are a high priority in some locations now.

How Sex Selection Works

Each parent contributes half of a baby's genetic make up. The female or mother is genetically an XX, so she is only able to contribute an X to the future baby. The father of the baby is XY and can contribute either an X or a Y. This means that sperm is the deciding factor in how your baby's sex is determined.

Over 200 million sperm are ejaculated into the vagina during intercourse, a mixture of X and Y. Most likely only one will be the one to penetrate the ovum.

Shettles Method

Dr. Landrum Shettles is known for his popular book on how to use low tech ways to conceive a baby of a particular sex, but particularly baby girls. This was true for girl or boy. The theory behind this girl getting Shettles method is that Y bearing sperm are faster but die more quickly. Therefore the goal is to stack the deck and have more X bearing sperm near the ovum at the time of conception. Following the "rules" of Shettles would mean that by the time the egg is released you have mostly the X bearing sperm left to impregnate the ovum. The basics are as follows:

• First you must know your menstrual cycle and chart it using your basal body temperature (BBT) charts.
• Once you have done this for a few months you can more accurately pinpoint ovulation.
• You will begin to have unprotected intercourse after your period ends.
• You should have sex once a day.
• Stop having marital relations about three days before you expect ovulation.
• For added optimism for a girl, you will want to choose sexual positions that place the sperm close to the entrance to the vagina, making the sperm have to swim further. An example would be the missionary position. (Note: If you're having trouble conceiving at all, this is not recommended.)
• Women should avoid orgasm during sex during conception attempts, this is to prevent the vaginal environment from being more alkaline, which supposedly is not favorable to baby girls.

Previously Shettles recommended certain douches to deal with the alkalinity issue, but has since backed off that because of the risk of infection.

The Girl Diet

There are some who say that what you eat will determine whether your baby is a girl or a boy. Here are some foods to stock in your pantry if you're trying to have a baby girl:

• Chocolate
• Fresh vegetables
• Fish
• Sweets, general

BABY GENDER SELECTION

Do you have boys and desperately want a beautiful little baby girl to complete your family? Or do you have your heart set on having a baby boy for your husband to play ball with? No matter what your reason for wanting to choose to specifically to have a baby boy or a baby girl, you can raise your odds of selecting your next baby's gender from 50/50 to over 94%! These methods have solid scientific backing, and won't cost you an arm and a leg like those fertility clinics can. It will take a little diligence on your part, following the steps precisely is important to ensure success. Just what are these steps you must follow? these three simple all-natural steps:

1. Timing of Conception-Time conception to occur on the day you ovulate-to have a boy baby, as the "boy" sperm is weaker and short lived, but faster swimmers then the "girl" sperm. So by waiting until you ovulate you will give the speedy "boy" sperm the best chance to fertilize the waiting egg, resulting in a baby boy. Or have sex to conceive a few days before ovulation if you want a little baby girl, as this will nearly ensure the weaker "boy" sperm will die off before the egg even becomes available for fertilization. While the longer lived "girl" sperm will still be alive and waiting to fertilize the new egg, resulting in a baby girl.
2. Position During Intercourse-Have sex in positions that favor deeper penetration-if you want a baby boy. Again deeper penetration will deposit the fast swimming "boy" sperm as close to the waiting egg as possible to help ensure they are successful in fertilizing the egg, resulting in a baby boy. Shallow penetration favors conceiving a baby girl, because the hardier, longer living "girl" sperm will survive the long trip down the vaginal tract to fertilize the egg, and the fragile "boy' sperm won't make it.
3. Control Your Vaginal ph-By altering your ph levels-if need be-you can create an environment that will favor conceiving a boy baby or a girl baby. Generally the weaker "boy" sperm is unable to survive very long in a low ph (acidic) environment while the stronger "girl" sperm is not compromised.

Caloric intake also seems to effect the baby's gender at conception. Eating a good breakfast and generally consuming more daily calories (about 2000) favors conceiving a baby boy while cutting back on your caloric intake will favor a girl baby. These techniques have worked for thousands of couples, giving then the ability to choose the gender of their baby, you too can choose, and have the little baby girl or boy you want and need to bring balance to your family!