boy or girl

[fruitsalad]

who determines the sex of a baby the man or the woman, or is it a bit of both?

[bednobs]

man

[sara3]

but both need to be present..

[bednobs]

female = xx
male = xy

therefore child is half of each
females can only give x chromosome
man can give x or y

[ummmm]

Yep...man.

[fruitsalad]

lol

[craft1948]

Which shows how thick Henry VIII was........

[Hopkirk]

Uh?

[boxtops]

Man defo - agree re Henry, what's the point of getting a new wife because you haven't had a boy baby, when it's you that is putting in the wrong chromosome? LOL - we know that now!

[zzxxee]

lol fruit salad i get you x (HENRY THE EIGHTH)

[jackthehat]

Henry kept swapping his wives for one who could give him a son.

He wasn't providing the wearwithal for them to do so...........

[Hopkirk]

I don't think we can blame him for being a bit short of knowledge in that area.

[boxtops]

..and also then, it was women's duty to have boys, Doh!

[shaneystar2]

He did have a son by Jane Seymour ..Edward V1. Not very long lived though .Died aged six.

[jackthehat]

^ erm 13.............

[shaneystar2]

Yes, of course Jack :) His reign was about six years.

[Mosaic]

Henry VIII fathered an additional illegitimate boy - Henry Fiztroy, first Duke of Richmond, who he was about to recognise as an heir when the lad popped his clogs.

[jno]

as mentioned, Henry VIII did have male children, including one with Anne Boleyn that miscarried (and maybe one with her sister who lived to 70), so he had no reason to suppose it was his fault, and neither do we. Probably just bad luck.

[jno]

PS Edward VI lived to 15.

[mike11111]

On a tangent, I like the remark of the late Queen Mother, who after years of refusing to get into a helicopter, was once forced to make a journey by that method and found she enjoyed it. Later she said, "The Chopper has done so much to make my life easier, unlike poor old Anne Boleyn".

[Andyvon]

On another tangent Henry VIII has received quite an unfair press. He wasn't the sex maniac the Victorian believed, casting aside and killing wives whenever the fancy took him.

At the time, conception was considered a gift of God. Everyone, including Henrty, believed that God wouldn't grant Henry a son and heir while he was married to his brother's widow Katherine of Aragon. The two were married for 25 years and they were always deeply in love. Thet were as popular as Charles and Diana in later years. However, Henry was pressured for years by his advisors to seek a legitimate wife to whom God would grant an heir. Anne Boleyn was used that angle to work her way into Henry's affections and encourage him to divorce his beloved Katherine.
Once Anne Boleyn failed to conceive a son and had fallen from grace, Henry realised what she had done to to Katherine who had recently died in poverty. It cost Anne her life. Everyone in the kingdom hated Anne Boleyn and welcomed her execution.

Henry's other marriages were the result of politics, bad luck and bad advice. Henry loved Jane Seymour but she died after giving birth to Edward VI. He's buried with her in Windsor. The political marriage with Anne of Cleves was a disaster, but she and Henry became very close friends and lovers after their divorce. Anne eventually became the wealthiest and happiest woman in the land. Katherine Howard cheated on Henry with her former fiance whom she brought to court as a page. She went to his bed every night after creeping out of Henry's once he was asleep. Catherine Parr was a wonderful companion for Henry in his old age and she often held him while he cried like a baby with gout.

Henry never fell out of love with Katherine of Aragon and he really has had a bad press. The whole mess was to do with the succession and Anne Boleyn.