Fish Dreams, Heartburn, And Broken Mirrors: Pregnancy Myths Many Americans Believe

If you dream about fish, someone in your family is pregnant, and if you break a mirror, your baby will be cursed with bad skin — those are just some of the pregnancy myths American parents and parents-to-be believe, according to a new survey.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of SneakPeek, an early pregnancy gender detection test, the survey of 2,000 American parents and parents-to-be — including 250 currently pregnant and 250 trying to conceive — found that 29% think heartburn predicts a hairy baby, while 21% said spicy food can trigger labor. Other superstitions included avoiding thunderstorms for fear they could induce labor, not looking at roadkill while pregnant, and that if a baby is born on their side, theyll be a genius.

Some myths tie directly to gender. While many believe pregnancy with a girl makes a mother look prettier and that cravings for sweets predict a girl, the data suggest otherwise. Nearly the same percentage of boy moms and girl moms reported craving sweets (29% vs. 28%). Severe morning sickness, often linked to girl pregnancies, was just as likely to be experienced by both (about one in four). And despite the long-standing belief that carrying low signals a boy, 14% of boy moms and 12% of girl moms reported carrying low.

Glowing skin, perceived to be a “common boy mom symptom,” was in fact reported by slightly more girl moms (18%) than boy moms (17%). Meanwhile, just 10% of girl moms reported experiencing a heart rate above 140 bpm, perceived to be one of the most “common girl predictors.”

But there’s little need to track symptoms to determine a baby’s gender, nowadays, and 69% of respondents said they did or will find out their babys gender before birth, with half discovering they were expecting a girl and half a boy. About 64% tried to guess the gender before finding out, and of those, more dads guessed correctly than moms (70% vs. 63%).

“Pregnancy is full of unknowns and anticipation, and its natural to seek insights and answers during this time,” said Melissa Gonzales, SneakPeek, Womens Health president, Myriad Genetics. “Thats why 76% of parents who found out or will find out their babys gender early will do so before 20 weeks. It’s one piece of knowledge they can trust and depend on to amplify their joy, prepare for parenthood and reduce anxiety.”

Among the 43% who admitted they hoped for a specific gender, boys were the runaway preference over girls (59% vs. 41%), and 16% even said they tracked moon phases during conception, hoping to increase their chances of getting the baby they wanted.

The preference for boys may be because the respondents tend to believe it is more difficult to raise a girl (48%) than it is to raise a boy (26%) today.

Parents said the top reasons for learning gender early were practical ones like choosing a name (53%) and buying clothes and toys (51%). Others were driven by emotion: 32% wanted to share the news with family and friends, 22% said knowing made them feel more connected to their child, and 21% said it amplified their excitement. Grandparents topped the list of people told first (65%), far ahead of best friends (11%) and siblings (9%).

“More pregnant patients are taking steps to feel informed and empowered. Thirty-six percent of those polled use apps to track movement and sleep, 36% create birth plans, 19% use at-home tests, and 18% work with midwives,” said Dr. Dallas Reed, OBGYN and geneticist at Tufts and a medical advisor for SneakPeek. “Yet only 4% said they found out their babys gender at home using a blood or DNA test. With todays technology, its possible to accurately learn your babys sex as early as 6 weeks. Its an unforgettable moment that can offer a lot of benefits for the parents-to-be, including promoting bonding.”

Gender reveal parties remain popular, with 22% planning large gatherings and another 17% hosting more intimate events. Despite their critics, parents were more likely to call the parties fun (47%) than “cringey” (31%).