Whether you are expecting your first child or a subsequent addition to the family, you are likely to have some feelings about what the new baby’s gender is. Also, no matter how hard you try to avoid thinking about the subject, you are likely to have some amount of desire for your baby to be a particular gender. With my first pregnancy, I wanted to have a little boy. When the ultrasound showed that I was indeed carrying a boy, I was elated.
During my second pregnancy, I felt like I was carrying a girl and like I wanted to have a girl. Dylan said that he wanted a little sister, and my husband was excited for the possibility of having a daughter. We had a great girl name all picked out, too, and we started talking about how nice it was going to be to meet “Lillian”. At around the twenty week mark, I had a detailed ultrasound. The technician scanned every little detail of baby, checking to make sure that the pregnancy was progressing well and that the baby was healthy. I saw tiny fingers and toes, a healthy little heart and brain, little arms and legs, and more. Finally, the technician asked me whether I wanted to know the baby’s gender.
I replied that I did want to know, and he told me that I was carrying a boy. I fully expected to be somewhat disappointed by that news, but surprisingly I was not. By the time I had finished my appointment I had forgotten all about Lillian. I was filled with joy at the prospect of being a mother of two boys, and the idea that Dylan would have a little brother. No one else was disappointed, not that I remember at least. Of course, before the little guy was even born, people started asking whether we were going to try a third time for a girl. Even at that point we already knew that once Blake was born, our family would be complete, girl or no girl.
Many parents to be are able to go with the flow when it comes to finding out their baby’s gender. However, it is also completely normal to be disappointed upon finding out the baby’s gender, and for the disappointment to last for a little while. As your due date approaches and you begin talking about baby names and buying a few little outfits for your little boy or girl, the disappointment is likely to give way to delicious anticipation. Once you see that little face, all you are likely to feel is love.