"Should I find out the gender of my baby?" is a question we hear all the time - and it's certainly a difficult one. Surprisingly, not everyone is interested in hearing the answer - many of the people who come to us a for a pregnancy scan specifically ask not to be told their unborn baby's gender. But should you?
The Find Out or Wait debate is one that's caused a lot of arguments. Sometimes, even the parents themselves can't agree - one will want to find out right away, while the other will want to wait until the birth date! If you can't decide, then let us help. In this article, we'll discuss both arguments to help you decide if you should find out your baby's gender.
Why should you find out your baby's gender?
Here are some of the most common reasons why you should find out the gender of your baby:
- You'll be able to pick a name sooner! Finding out your baby's gender will make it a bit easier to choose a name, and you won't just be limited to gender neutral options. You won't have to worry about choosing between 'John" and 'Lilly' if you already know that you're having a boy!
- You get to tell all your friends and relatives! Your nearest and dearest are sure to be itching for updates on your pregnancy, and they'll be thrilled if they can find out the baby's gender ahead of the birth. You can even give them one of our Gender Reveal Cards to make it even more exciting!
- You won't be disappointed on the day! If you have your heart set on a specific gender for your unborn baby, it may be a good idea to find out in advance. If you aren't having a baby of the gender you were hoping for, you'll have time to get over your disappointment and get excited all over again for the child that you're actually having!
- You'll feel closer to your baby! Many expectant parents find that knowing the gender helps them to feel closer to their baby during the pregnancy. After all, it's easier to visualise your future child when you know a bit more about them.
Why should you wait to find out the gender of your baby?
You might think that, as an ultrasound clinic, we would encourage everyone to find out their baby's gender. However, we can keep your baby's gender a secret with many of our scans, and we understand why some parents may prefer to keep it a secret.
Here are some of the reasons why you should wait to find out your baby's gender:
- You'll ruin the suprise! It can be nice to have something to look forward to, especially if your baby's gender doesn't matter much to you. If you only care that your baby is healthy, then why not leave it as an extra reveal for the big day?
- You'll end up with loads of pink/blue stuff! You may be able to resist the temptation to buy loads of colour-coded, gender-specific products for your baby after finding out the results of your gender scan, but that doesn't mean your friends and family won't do it for you. If you want to avoid the 'sports for boys/princesses for girls' stereotypes, leaving the gender unknown can be a good way to do so.
- The sonographer might get it wrong! It's true that no gender scan is 100% infallible, so it's good to keep this in mind. That said, our sonographers can accurately identify the gender in the vast majority of cases. If the baby's position makes it difficult for us to know for sure, we'll tell you so - we never just guess! Furthermore, we will show you the evidence for our decision on a large plasma screen during your appointment, so you won't just have to take our word for it. If this is the only reason why you are waiting, you might want to reconsider.
Finding Out About Your Baby
Whether you want to find out your baby's gender or not, we at First Encounters Ultrasound can help you find out more about your baby. Scans are for more than just gender reveals - we can help you discover more about your baby's measurements and wellbeing.
Note that gender is always depicted using traditional 2D ultrasound technology (even when a gender scan is included as part of one of our 4D packages). Since gender is not visible on a 4D scan, you are not obliged to find out the gender if you get a 4D ultrasound session. We can keep it a secret for you!
If you've decided that you do want to find out your baby's gender, we have a variety of options to choose from. We even have a sneak peak gender blood test which you can take from as early as 6 weeks!
