With my first two pregnancies, we found out that we were having little girls. I am in the home stretch of likely my final pregnancy and this time we opted to do SURPRISE GENDER. I thought it would be fun to tell you the Pros and Cons of doing surprise gender!
FINDING OUT
PROS
+ I was able to have full blown GIRLIE baby showers/sprinkles with both girls. I also had #ALLTHEMONOGRAMS for their outfits and nurseries.
+ We got to have a really fun gender reveal party with family and close friends!
+ I had (too many) outfits, bows, PJs, a monogrammed going home outfit, & blankets to pack for the hospital.
+ I was able to plan ahead for our newborn photography outfits/props/color scheme.
+ Both girls came home to a complete nursery (although they didn’t actually sleep in there for months-ha!)
CONS
+ I battled with a lot of anxiety the night before my scheduled C-Section. We knew everything about this baby and all I could think of the night before was how rough the recovery from the procedure was going to be.
+ Because I had a scheduled C-Section, I felt like the entire process lacked spontaneity and excitement. It felt very… clinical and controlled.
WAITING
PROS
+ Although I am miserable in my 3rd trimester in the Texas heat, the EXCITEMENT is building about finding out who this little person is inside of me!
+ I feel like I will be a lot less nervous the night before my procedure. At this moment I am way more focused on finding out the gender than I am about the recovery from the C-Section.
+ I LOVE hearing everyone’s theories and guesses. I even feel like my nurses are excited to find out! It feels like everyone is more invested in this pregnancy because they seem to be just as excited as we are to find out the gender!
+ I haven’t created preconceived ideas about who this little human will be. But rather, I just view him or her as a sweet BABY and the fact that he/she is healthy has given me such perspective on how lucky we are, regardless of gender!
+ I have opted to have a Sip & See after the baby is born vs. a sprinkle beforehand. Why? I don’t want grey elephants and a myriad of gender neutral clothes. I would much prefer to wait (especially if this is a boy) so I can get some BOY things since my house is currently PINK overload!
+ Everyone who has waited to find out swears it is the way to go and that there is nothing quite like it! I am also THRILLED that my husband will have his waiting room moment where he gets to bust through the doors and announce to everyone the gender! Gives me chills. (We hired a photographer for this very reason.)
CONS
+ Self discipline is hard. I have several friends due around the same time as me and it was a bit hard to watch their gender reveal parties and look away at that 20 week sonogram when I knew my doctor could just tell us! We were tempted BIG TIME both occasions to give in and find out but we made it through! Besides that, especially now that we are on the home stretch we just hope our doctor doesn’t slip and tell us accidentally! I would be SO UPSET that we lasted THIS LONG and then it gets ruined for us so I make sure and remind him the SECOND I see him each visit.
+ I have done NOTHING on the nursery. Although I fully realize I will have plenty of time to set it up after the fact, I still don’t feel fully “nested.” I know many women choose to do gender neutral nurseries, I just want to go all out BOY OR GIRL after the fact.
+ My hospital bag…. ha! I have a set of white Gerber onesies. THAT IS IT! I have got to get my act together! I am sort of paralyzed as to what else this Baby M needs! What going home outfit?
I am sure I will have even more insight after this sweet baby is born but for now, I am PROUD that we have made it this far… Most of my friends and family thought there was no way we would last this entire pregnancy without giving in and WE DID IT!!!
I would love to hear your experiences and why you chose to find out or wait?
Thirty years ago today I had my first child, we did have a sonogram but they were known not to be accurate so we did not find out! I loved the anticipation! My doctor was convinced i was having a girl but the nurses said a boy. At the end of a long day, during the csection my doctor triumphantly stated “ looks like girls ears to me! Oops it’s a boy!!” Such a fun memory! We did not find out for our second son, but for number three we did, it was a girl! Have fun doing it your way!!