There has always been a debate amongst women (pregnant women especially) about whether it is better to find out the sex of the baby ahead of time or to wait until the baby is born to find out. I've always been a big planner and don't think I could ever possibly wait until the big day to find out. With both pregnancies thus far we've kept the mindset that you will always be surprised at some point... either getting the fun news at an ultrasound or in the delivery room, both will be fun and surprising moments.

A part of me still feels this way, but I did have a thought the other day that made me think it actually could be more fun to wait (though I know I'd never have the patience). You see, I AM very excited to know that I am having a boy. And I am already having TONS of fun thinking about what it will be like to have a son, preparing his room, and calling him by name. But the one thing that delivery has over ultrasound any day is 100% certainty. There's no denying after a boy is born that he is in fact a boy. Unfortunately with ultrasound, I find myself constantly having this nagging in the back of my head making me scared that it was wrong. What if I get all attached to "Eli" only to discover later that my son is in fact a daughter??

Granted, I plan to have a couple more ultrasounds before the big day arrives and if all three times I'm told I'm having a boy, those are pretty good odds. And trust me, if you saw the pictures of the "proof" - there's really no denying I've got a son on the way. But kinda in the same way that the ultra faint pink line on the pregnancy test robbed me a little of the "Oh my gosh I'm PREGNANT!" moment when I was testing the first time (with Lydia) because I wasn't really sure if it was a positive result, an ultrasound is never 100% fool proof and it causes me to be scared to celebrate and to embrace the idea of having a son.

Maybe I'll feel differently in July when (if) I get confirmation from my next ultrasound that I'm having a boy... and again, I still don't regret choosing to learn the gender and will likely continue to do so for any subsequent pregnancies... but I now feel like I can understand a little bit of why it could be more exciting to wait.
3 Responses
  1. Jennifer Says:

    This was the very reason I thought I'd wait if we had a singleton. I can't imagine the planning aspect, but I think I would have an even harder time if it were wrong - and it's really wrong WAY too often. That being said, it was only because most women have 1 ultrasound and that's it. Since you are having at least 2, I'm totally with you. That's the biggest reason I felt ok to find out with the girls, because we'd have numerous times to "confirm"! :)


  2. ~ Says:

    Yes! My OB only gives me 1 ultrasound unless there are complications, but with Lydia we paid to get an additional 3d ultrasound. I loved having the confirmation! This time around I had a friend do an unofficial check at 15 weeks, hoping to confirm at the official ultrasound around 21 weeks, then will likely get a 3d ultrasound closer to 30 weeks. So probably 2 more chances to make sure he is still a HE!


  3. Kim Neyer Says:

    I felt the same way about #1, but with #2 I want to try it the other way and be surprised in the delivery room. I just want to try it both ways, I guess! With my third, God willing, it will depend on which way I liked better, lol.


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