And now, a word for the Royal-watchers and armchair obstetricians out there:

[full_metal_ox]

News of a pregnancy is automatically the cue for interminable gossip, speculation, and unsolicited advice; when you're the Duchess of Cambridge in the age of Twitter, the globe is your Old Wife Pool(1).

I'd like to take the opportunity to address one old saw that I keep hearing relentlessly repeated in the media coverage: no matter how hard you folks may be longing for a little princess to squee over, GUT-WRENCHING PROJECTILE MORNING SICKNESS IS NO GUARANTEE OF A FEMALE CHILD.

(Disclaimer: I am neither a certified Old Wife nor a mother--but I know one whom I'm pretty sure I can cite with absolute confidence.)

(1) Particularly when your father-in-law happens to be an alternative health-care buff who no doubt has the cream of Britain's Old Wives on call.

Comments

[kosaginolegion.livejournal.com]

Speaking as one who spent the entirety of her second pregnancy spewing (and is beginning to wonder if she might have had an exceedingly mild version of what Her Royal Highness is unfortunately experiencing) I can attest to this being no guarantee of two X chromosomes.

Little wretch pretty well made it clear from his first ultrasound, too. "LOOK WHAT I GOT, MA!"

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

Yep--I was counting on you to pick up the cue.

[pathology-doc.livejournal.com]

no matter how hard you folks may be longing for a little princess to squee over

...bear in mind that even if you get one, you might yet end up with this (http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=285257) enfant terrible. I can picture it now, right down to Julian Clary narrating (as he does in the TV version) her entire life story.

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip; I'll have to investigate those books--particularly given that I'm expecting my first grand-niece in about a month.