with the heart rate thing i was told that you can tell the sex by the sound of it. girls are more rythmatic like galloping horses and boys are like trains???? i know 1 midwife who used this technique with my dp cousin and told her she was having a girl (she was right) and then the same midwife asked me what i was having with ds2 and i told her i was having a boy and she listened to the heartbeat and said 'oh yes definately boy'