Finding out your babies’ sex is a difficult choice to make as a new parent and has pros and cons to both sides of the argument.
Some parents chose to find out the first time and then not find out for any children after the first as they know what they are doing the second time around and some parents like the surprise first time and find out for the second one to see if they can use the same clothes/toys and whatever else have or need to buy new items.
How to find out the sex of your baby?
During your pregnancy, you will have a number of scans, usually at the hospital. During your scan that will be booked between 18-21 weeks of pregnancy, you’ll be asked if you want to know the sex of your baby.
This scan is called the anomaly scan and can also be used to check for and physically anomalies at the same time.
It’s important to note that your baby has to be in the right position for the sonographer to be able to tell you if you are having a boy or a girl. If your baby is in the wrong position, you may be asked to walk around and drink some cold water for 10 minutes before coming back to check if your baby has moved.
It’s not an exact science when determining the sex of a baby if the baby’s genitals cannot be seen clearly, it’s not always 100%, your babies’ sex can be verified with later scans or you can pay for a private scan in which you can also get 4D scans.
You can also find out the sex of your baby when receiving tests for certain genetic disorders. These tests include ones such as chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis tests, and non-invasive prenatal tests.
How many people find out the sex of their baby before birth?
Nowadays, it’s actually rather common that people don’t find out the sex of their baby and you’ll only be told if want to be told. The sonographer will normally ask before giving any indication of the sex of your baby.
In a recent study if was determined that around 70% of women wanted to know the sex of their baby prior to giving birth.
The main reasons people wanted to find out were curiosity, just wanting to know and because it was possible whereas the two biggest reasons for not wanting to find out were, for the surprise and it being more fun not knowing.
How accurate is finding out the sex via a scan
Although extremely rare that you would be told your babies sex incorrectly, mistakes can happen.
In a recent study, sonographers correctly predicted the sex of babies between 13-14 weeks 100% of the time.
Can I have an abortion if I’m not happy with the sex of my baby
Abortion for the sole reason of sex is against the law in the whole of the UK.
Things to Consider:
If you are struggling with your decision with finding out the sex of your baby, then there are a few things to consider:
• Are you hoping for a specific gender? Would it be easier to deal with knowing early on and having time to prepare?
• Do you share the sex with other people or keep it to yourself? Can you even keep a secret like that?
• Can you and the other parent agree on the same route?
Pros of finding out early
There are some huge positives to finding out the sex of your baby early but should always make your own decision regardless of the pros and cons.
Planning ahead
Knowing the gender from early on makes it much easier to plan ahead for when they are old. It can be helpful if you want to decorate a nursery and start to create a colour theme.
Easier to decide on a name
The battle of naming your baby can be a long and tedious one but knowing the gender early can help you decide what to name your baby or at least help whittle it down to half the amount of options!
Zero risks to accidentally finding out
If you find out, there there’s no risk of accidentally finding out… big brain movements only here at Toddler Review!
Can make gender-specific purchases
If you find out the gender of your baby, you can start buying gender specific purchases such as baby swings or changing bags.
Avoid disappointment or prepare if you were hoping for a certain gender
If you really want a specific gender, then finding out can help you avoid any unnecessary upset on the day of birth and give you time to prepare and come to terms with what you are having.
Cons to finding out early
Of course, if there are pros to finding out early there is always a flip side to the argument and here are some cons to finding out early.
Increased Excitement
A lot of parents who decided to wait to find out mentioned that they had higher levels of excitement that with previous children that they had found out about.
You’ll get lots of gender-neutral presents
When you are getting ready for your baby, there’s something about buying tiny blue or pink clothes that just feels like a rite of passage. By not finding out you’ll either need to buy both or gender-neutral stuff to avoid disappointment.
In some rare cases, the verdict is wrong anyway
As we mentioned, the scan result isn’t always 100% and can be mixed up and confused so you could, although very rarely, get given the wrong result anyway.
You’ll only be able to prep in neutral designs
If you are planning to decorate your babies nursery then you’ll only be able to decorate in neutral designs and colours to avoid a weird mix match for your baby’s room.