Wedding Ring Over a Pregnant Belly
• If it swings in circles, the baby is said to be a girl.
• If it swings back and forth, it’s said to be a boy.
People still try this one. My uneducated guess is that it works 50% of the time. People still try this one. My uneducated guess is that it works 50% of the time. Origin
This superstition has been passed down for generations across the South and Appalachia, usually performed by mothers, aunts, or grandmothers. Families swore by it long before ultrasound machines. While versions of the ring test are found in Europe and beyond, Southerners gave it their own spin, weaving it into a larger body of pregnancy folklore-like heartburn predicting a hairy baby or how a mother "carries" revealing gender.
Notes
Related Pages
How to Cite This Page
- APA (7th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 1). Wedding Ring Over a Pregnant Belly. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/wedding-ring-over-pregnant-belly
- MLA (9th edition)"The Hillbilly Dude." "Wedding Ring Over a Pregnant Belly." HillbillySlang.com, 1 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/wedding-ring-over-pregnant-belly.
- Chicago (17th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. "Wedding Ring Over a Pregnant Belly." HillbillySlang.com. October 1, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/wedding-ring-over-pregnant-belly.
Dislaimer
What you're reading here is old Southern folklore and storytelling - not medical advice, and not meant to guide health, or pregnancy decisions (especially pregnancy decisions!). These tales are part of how folks once made sense of the world, passed down from grandparents and midwives.
If you have any medical questions or concerns, talk with a qualified healthcare professional.
Learn more on the Folklore hub page.