Can You Really Choose Your Baby's Gender?

Can You Really Choose Your Baby's Gender?

 

A94%Success Rate
All Natural Way to Predict Your
Baby's Gender Accurately

Gender selection of children is a controversial topic, particularly in terms of genetic therapy and the ethics of picking the sex of your child. While there certainly have been advances in the field of genetics, there are actually some natural and completely ethical things that you can do that will increase the likelihood of selecting a gender for your child.

While no method is 100% accurate, if you are determined to have a boy or a girl, there are a few things that can be done to significantly increase your chances of conceiving the gender of your choice. Remember, the most important thing is to have a healthy baby, regardless of their gender. But if you do want to try to pick the gender of your child, it is possible. Here's what you need to know.

Differences in Sperm

The sperm that carry the Y chromosome are the "boy" sperms, while the ones that carry the X chromosome are the "girl" sperms. The Y sperm are faster, smaller, more agile but they do not last as long as the "girl" sperm. The X sperm are bigger and move quite slowly. In addition to their overall speed, they have different preferences in terms of the acidity of the vagina and cervix. An X sperm does better in an acidic environment while the Y sperm prefer an alkaline environment.

How These Differences Affect Conception

Now that we have established the differences between the sperm that carry different chromosomes, it is important to understand how these differences can be used for natural gender selection. Once you have this information, you can begin trying to conceive a child that will be a specific gender.

If you want to have a boy, the timing is crucial. Since these sperm do not live long, it is vital to time your intercourse as closely to ovulation as possible. This gives the Y sperm time to reach the egg before the X sperm do, increasing the chances that you will have a boy.

If you want to have a girl, you need to give the X sperm plenty of time to reach the egg. Since they live longer, this means that you want to time intercourse a few days before expected ovulation. By the time you ovulate, the Y sperm will have already died off, leaving only the X sperm behind. They will have the time needed to travel up through the cervix to reach the egg and fertilize it.

Making allowances for baby, or unrealistic expectations?

During our recent acquaintance with the 9 month sleep regression, we were very careful that when Isabelle was asleep in the evenings, we were nice and quiet to ensure she wasn't woken. We were much more careful than normal, closing the living room door, and generally treading nice and quietly as we moved around the house.


Simon said to me as we climbed in to bed, victorious in her silence, "I never thought we'd be the sort of parents who creep around the house so we don't wake the baby".

In part, I agree with him. We can't change our whole lifestyle just because Isabelle is asleep. We can't sit in silence all night,  not flush the toilet, tell people never to phone or knock the door, and never turn the hall light on. Those things are part of everyday life and, luckily, she has never had an issue sleeping through them as they are simply things that have to be dealt with.

But, then I thought a little more. If Simon were to go to bed early, I would make allowances for him. I would turn the TV down, and move quietly in the bedroom when I went up to bed. I wouldn't turn on a light that would wake him, or talk loudly nearby. So, does Isabelle not deserve the same respect? Why should we expect her to sleep through things we wouldn't? Just because she's a baby and we think she should?

Then, that made me think even more - you can see my mind is a dangerous business! Do we have unrealistic expectations of what a baby should do? So, should we make some allowances for them because our expectations are skewed? For example, I do not go to bed and sleep all night without waking- I never have done. So why would I expect Isabelle to do that? Sometimes during the night I wake up thirsty and need a drink - so why wouldn't Isabelle? There are some days I am grumpy for no real reason...so why do I think Isabelle should be in a good mood unless she's hungry/tired? Can't she just be in a bad mood for no reason?

Maybe we have unrealistic expectations of our little people. Maybe we expect them to be the perfect baby, but are we the perfect adult? So, maybe we should be making some allowances where our little people are concerned - remembering that they are only human, and although are only little, they deserve all the respect we show to one another as adults.

PS - Izzy's beautiful name sign was made by Handmade by Her - a lovely mummy with bucket loads of talent, and two gorgeous babies to boot!

PPS- don't forget to enter my competition to win a baby carrier! 

Sensory play: simple water tray for babies

As you know, I love doing sensory play activities with Isabelle. I usually look on Pinterest for ideas but have found that lots of the ideas are for children who are older than Isabelle. This means that they probably aren't suitable for Izzy as she doesn't have the skills or understanding to use the materials. Or, as with many, I know the first thing she would do is pop the materials in her mouth which could be a potential disaster. So I am always on the lookout for BABY sensory play ideas, which are safe to eat, and easy for her little hands to manage.

One super simple sensory play idea for babies of any age is a water tray. We take water for granted as adults and probably don't think it's very exciting. But for a baby, it's just another learning experience and as much fun as anything. Isabelle adores bath time, so I knew she'd love a water based activity.

It was so simple - I filled our tray with water, threw in a few of her bath toys, put an apron on her and lay a big towel down - and off she went. Her hands were straight in and splashing about. I used a shallow tray so that she could easily reach all around it from wherever she sat.

This activity is great for teaching babies about, obviously, water. What it does, how it moves, what it feels like, how shiny and reflective it can be and what they can do with it. She enjoyed being able to plunge her hands in, and loved when I poured water out of the scoop for her to "catch". Unfortunately, it was a grumpy kind of day so it was a short lived activity, but one she really enjoyed and I know we will be able to do lots in the future.

To keep the activity interesting, next time I will add in some liquid food colouring to give us coloured water, and I'll also switch up the toys we use. I'll include some bath toys, but also some other household items that she can use for scooping water, and letting the water trickle through. I'll also make sure to add some items which sink, to help her begin to learn about floating/sinking and weight.

Here are some photos of our water session.

Ps! Don't forget to enter my competition to win a baby carrier!

Tesco Treasures

I am a big fan of supermarkets for buying almost everything. A lot of Isabelle's wardrobe comes from Tesco, and I always think it's a great place to pick up odds and ends for the house too - one of our duvet sets is also from Tesco. A big draw for me when buying little bits from the supermarket is the low price. You can pick up some lovely things for around the house, craft items, baby items...anything you need, all for a really reasonable price.

Recently, we decided we wanted some new tea, coffee and sugar pots as our Kilner jars weren't holding our interest any more. We looked in lots of different places and didn't see anything we liked for - what we deemed - a reasonable price. Simon went to pick up some forgotten items from the supermarket last week, and came back with these little beauties. I love their style and they were really reasonably priced too. They look just perfect on the shelf!

This week when I went shopping I had a quick look in the clothing section, and saw this sweatshirt on the sale rack for just £7. I love the colour, and it's perfect for wearing round the house ona rainy day with leggings, or with jeans to head to a baby group. I bought it in a bigger size so that it was loose rather than fitted.

Lovely supermarket bargains!

Ps! Don't forget to enter my competition to win a baby carrier!

Review and Giveaway! Bunny Baby Carrier

I was really excited last month to be asked to try out a Bunny Baby baby carrier and report my thoughts to you lovely people.

Bunny Baby is run by a lovely Irish mummy, who makes custom carriers, baby wearing bags, doll carriers and beautiful clothes for little people. Helen sent us a gorgeous baby sized buckles carrier, with a colourful owl print, and a spotty sleep hood. The print on our carrier was so bright and colourful, it was lovely and Simon was thrilled to see that it wasn't "too girly" as he has a bit of an issue with our other carriers not being manly enough.

As with most buckle carriers, this has a structured and adjustable waistband, padded and adjustable shoulder straps, and a chest strap which is also adjustable. All the straps on our carrier were black, and the padding in the shoulder straps felt really soft and squidgy, and it made the shoulder straps so comfy to wear - much better than our previous SSC. One of the first things I noticed when I tried it out was that the chest strap wasn't fixed into position - it is moveable. I think that is a great idea as I find it comfy to have it high up, but I know Simon likes it further down, so we can adjust the strap to our own position easily each time one of us wears the carrier.

Unlike with the previous buckle carrier we owned, it also has a sleep hood with poppers, perfect for slipping up over Isabelle to help her fall asleep, or to help keep her asleep. I did find the poppers a little difficult to 'pop' in, but once they were in, the hood stayed put and is a great size to keep the light out while Isabelle snoozes.


I was amazed to find that the carrier we received is the 'standard' carrier - Bunny Baby can also offer you a carrier with:

*lockable dual adjust shoulder straps

* lockable single adjust waistband buckles

*extra padding at waist or shoulder

* extra length webbing

* Legs out padding

* arms out padding

*flat or pixie hood

* fold away hood

* fabric tie over buckle on waistband

Of course we had to road test the carrier. I gave it a whirl around the house and found it really comfy - but the true test was to use it out and about. I was so confident that it would be comfy and it was so easy to use, I used it for my first ever back carry in public, and it didn't disappoint. Simon's turn for a road test came when we took the dogs up a local mountain, and wanted to go off road. It's the first time he has worn Isabelle in a while, and first time ever on his back. We walked for more than an hour and Simon said he found it comfortable the whole time. Isabelle was so happy she chatted for half an hour before promptly drifting off to sleep, snuggled up to daddy - so she was clearly very happy and very comfy in there.

Overall, I am really impressed with the Bunny Baby carrier. It's well made, strong and sturdy, yet incredibly comfy for us to wear, and for Isabelle to travel in. Of course, it should go without saying that this is an ergonomic carrier which keeps Isabelle in the correct 'knee-to-knee' position - which is no doubt why she was so comfy. This carrier has only been with us for a short time, but is much loved by the Jay family, and we will be so sorry to see it go!

Because leave us it must...and make it's way to one of you lucky readers instead! Along with Bunny Baby, I am offering you the chance to win this gorgeous carrier (if you can pry it from my back!). All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter below, and you could soon be toting your little one around in this fabulous carrier! Good luck!!
Please make sure you read the T&C before entering.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

So long little kitty...

Sadly, the Jay household has lost one of our numbers this week. After a 3 week illness - which is still a total mystery to us all, despite numerous tests and overnight stays at the vet - our little cat Arthur had to be put to sleep on Friday. It was definitely for the best, but at only 2 years old he was still just a little kitty.

A very sweet little boy, with a miaow that could cut glass and make a sane person crazy, and he will be much missed. Most especially by Dexter (who loved to torture him) and Miss Isabelle (who loved to watch him).

Tell the truth - have you kept your New Year's Resolutions?*

Did you know that yesterday, January 24th, is the date by which 64% of people will have broken their New Year's Resolutions? Research by St John's Ambulance shows that at least 30million resolutions will have been broken by now.

I have to admit that, yes, mine are in that 30 million. If you check out my New Year's Resolutions post you can see my good intentions. But no, I haven't quite managed to stop biting my nails, and I couldn't bring myself to leave Isabelle with my parents last week, and the sewing machine is still in the box...I am suitably ashamed. I HAVE been making lots of soup though, and our fish intake has increased too, so not all bad news!

So, what can we do to help us keep those pesky resolutions? Here's a few suggestions:

1// Don’t always choose to stop something that’s bad in your life as a resolution, it’s often more satisfying to resolve to start something good instead

2// Choose a resolution that is goal orientated and can be monitored regularly

3// Resolutions which have some sort of responsibility outside of your own needs often feel more worthwhile and are therefore less likely to be broken.

4// Keep expectations realistic – give yourself a target that you know to be manageable

5// Resolving to do something together with a friend often helps us keep our resolutions

But, St John's Ambulance also have good news! It's not too late to rethink your resolutions, especially if you have broken them. And what better resolution to make than to learn something that could save someone's life?

By simply watching and sharing a quick video here , people can learn to spot the signs of a heart attack known as the Four Ps: 

1// Pain (in the chest) 

2// Pulse (rapid or weak)

3// Perspiration

4// Pale (or ashen skin) 

Knowing the symptoms will ensure more people can give the appropriate treatment: sit the patient down with knees bent, call 999, and offer them 300mg of aspirin to chew. Given that 92,000 people in the UK suffer heart attacks each year, and a third of those die as a result, this quick and easy resolution can make all the difference.

So there you go - don't worry if you haven't stopped biting your nails, or managed to stick to that diet - think about taking the time to learn the skill to potentially save a life. That's definitely a better use of all our time.

Have you managed to keep your resolutions?