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Finding out the sex of your unborn baby

50 replies

Posey · 12/04/2004 19:53

Just interested to know if you found out before you gave birth whether you were having a girl or a boy.

If you did find out, why did you?

If you didn't find out, did you try and guess the sex? How did you come to that conclusion? Were you right?

I didn't want to know what I was having.
With my first I thought it was a girl for the simple reason that girls are far more common in my family so I just expected to follow suit. I was right.
With my 2nd, the pregnancy was very different and I had an inkling it might be a boy, but no strong feeling either way. It was a boy.

OP posts:
Heathcliffscathy · 12/04/2004 19:57

we found out...the scanning lady said she was 100% sure so we said we wanted to know...she said was a boy and pointed to the bits that indicated that...she was right..both of us expecting it to be a girl to that point.am really glad that we found out (tho i don't think it matters extraordinarily either way) as it helped me to imagine and bond with my little one and i could talk to him knowing more about who he was...like i say, i don't think its a big deal whether you do or not, but i have come across friends who seem to think that it is somehow more worthy to wait and see...this gets up my nose, although i think it is v important for people to know that scans can be wrong (even if the scanner thinks they know 100%)...hope this makes some kind of sense...

Lisa78 · 12/04/2004 19:59

I wanted girls both times Posey and got boys (Wouldn't change them for the world though. Well, maybe at a push )
With my first, I thought he was a boy and he was but didn't know till he was born
With DS2, both me and DH were certain I was having a girl, absolutely certain. I had an amnio and so we asked if we could be told the sex at the same time - I recall feeling really quite shocked when she said "its a little boy" - she had said that 9 times out of 10, mums instinct is right Hmmm, bad mum here!
I'd had quite a bad pg with a few scares, so by the time we found out, I was just so happy that everything was okay, that I was still pg and that we were both going to be fine. But I did feel a pang, I sort of felt like I had "lost" a daughter - I don't mean to trivialise those that have, but I had an image of a girl, I talked to a girl, named a girl etc, for weeks! Still, that feeling only lasted a couple of days and I am very very very happy with my little dumpling! I wouldn't change him for all the Emily Jessica's in the world

kiwisbird · 12/04/2004 20:02

I guessed both times but with DS I was asked if I wanted ot know and I said yes, I already was certain of a boy and I was right, also with dd I wasn't told by NHS as they "don't" tell in our hospital, so I paid for a babybond scan to help me, I knew she was a girl...
Next time... I don't think I will find out...

grumpyzebra · 12/04/2004 20:07

Wanted a surprise with first baby, but had hints (long story) to suggest it was a boy, with 2nd they couldn't tell us even though I wanted to know (we already had our surprise/suspense experience). Nevertheless...I guessed the weight (within 1 oz) and sex right with babies 1 and 2, and the date as well with baby 2.

This time scan said boy, and DH has taken much more interest in choosing the name, I think precisely because this time we know almost for sure. I feel much more prepared this time, "knowing" that it's almost certainly a boy.

Will be interesting to see if I can get sex/weight/date right with this baby, too!

Linnet · 12/04/2004 21:33

With my first baby we didn't find out as we wanted it to be a surprise.
I was convinced I was having a boy, can't remember if dh made a guess or not it was so long ago now. However I was wrong and we had a girl.

This time I said right from the outset that I wanted to know what I was having. I couldn't stand the suspense of those final few weeks when you're really fed up and want to buy just one thing in the correct colour, silly I know.
Things didn't go very well at the beginning lots of worry and tests and until we knew everything was ok I didn't want to know. Once we got the all clear I asked the sex from the amnio results.
Again I was convinced that we were getting a boy but no we're having another little girl.
We haven't told anyone in our families what we're having though. Keeping it a surprise for them.

Even though I know what I'm having I can't imagine it as a girl it's just a baby who likes to wriggle a lot, does that make sense?

oh and from a fun point of view the chinese Gender prediction chart predicted a girl and a friend of mine did the test thing with the wedding ring on a chain, months before I got pregnant and told me that if I had another child I would have another girl...Spooky.

twiglett · 12/04/2004 21:37

message withdrawn

coppertop · 12/04/2004 21:39

I just 'knew' that ds1 would be a boy and this was confirmed at the 20-week scan. By the time ds2 came along the policy had changed and it was absolutely forbidden to even ask the sex. Anyone who did so was asked to leave. There had been too many cases of women having abortions because they'd found out that their baby was the 'wrong' gender.

StripyMouse · 12/04/2004 21:44

I didn?t find out for either of mine. I "knew" I was having a girl first time right - and was right. Second time i was convinced it was a boy as the pregnanyc was so very different, deep down wanted another girl and not sure if I was busy preparing myself to be really positive if it were a boy...Anyway, turned out to be a second girl and was delighted. 50% correct for me, glad I didn?t find out before as the guessing and waiting was fun

Clayhead · 12/04/2004 21:49

Didn't ask either time.

First time thought it was a girl, it was. Second time dh asked me at about 18 weeks what I thought it was, I said boy, it was. I have no idea why I thought what I thought, just a gut feeling!

motherinferior · 12/04/2004 21:50

I didn't want to know. No idea what I'd have. Ended up with two girls, lucky me

Soulfly · 12/04/2004 21:51

I found out with both of mine. I wanted both girls, my first was a girl and i got boy next time, but i wouldn't change it for the world now. They are both so special. I don't think it matters what sex they tell you they are, you'll love it anyways.

SEXGODDESS · 12/04/2004 21:53

I was convinced I was having a girl with first pregnancy (wrong) and when pregnant with second dd really wanted a baby brother called Thomas. So we asked what sex baby was and found it was a boy (no doubt) so we allowed her to carry on talking about "thomas" right until he was born (not called Thomas!!) Had a lovely male radiographer and he let me have a whole selection of piccies including one of dd "peeing" inside me and another of him blowing bubbles. A later scan showed piccies of ds's face (a week before he was born).

WideWebWitch · 12/04/2004 23:34

With ds, I was told he was a boy at a 17 week scan. I asked and did want to know to prepare myself I suppose. Had it in my head he was a girl so I was glad I found out. With dd I was told she was a boy at 12 week nuchal fold scan but found, to my delight, that she was a girl at the 20 week scan. Both later scans were right.

popsycal · 12/04/2004 23:38

I didn't find out with the scan but 'knew' that it was a boy. I was right. i would have been gobsmacked had it been a girl - I was 100% sure that it would be a boy!

sammac · 12/04/2004 23:41

Both times I knew. Found out from scan at 24 weeks with dd and from amnio with ds. Was sure ds was a girl as pregnancy was same with no sickness. But we never told ANYONE at all, just kept our little secret till d day

polly28 · 13/04/2004 00:14

I didn't know with my first child ,Thought i woiuld have a boy as mostly boys in the family,was delighted to have a daughter.

With second child I asked at the scan and foud out it was a boy.I think I would prefer not to know if i had another as the surprise is nice,but I am far too nosey so couldn't resist when thay asked if I wanted to know.First time around wasn't asked as it wasn't done then.

nightowl · 13/04/2004 00:50

The first i said would be a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes-and he was. The second i said would be a girl with brown hair and brow eyes-she was. The freakyest thing about it was when i was 16 i had a dream and i woke up with a girl's name running through my head yet i had never heard of it before. I wrote it down, locked it away and forgot about it. Now ten years later, i found that piece of paper and it was the name i called my daughter 3 months ago! Both times we asked the sex, but i already knew anyway....just a feeling!

toddlerbob · 13/04/2004 01:25

I didn't ask, just told my husband the sex, date and weight. I was 2 oz out with the weight and spot on with date and sex.

I had a scan at 30 weeks though were the scanner refered to "he". I just presumed that she was using the term to mean "he or she", whereas if she had said "she" I would have been really peeved.

The best bit was we asked the midwife not to tell us and to let us find out for ourselves. It took 10 minutes for me to remember to look, I was more interested in staring into his eyes than his genitalia.

Ghosty · 13/04/2004 01:31

I didn't find out in my first pregnancy ... convinced myself I was having a girl and then had a boy! I felt strangely robbed of the girl I was expecting so I always said I would find out the next time so that I could 'get my head around it'.
I fell pregnant a second time and sadly miscarried at 12 weeks (having done all the 'trying to conceive a girl' thing at certain times of the month)
When I got pregnant a third time DH and I decided that after all our grief of losing a baby we really didn't care about the sex and all we wanted was a healthy baby ... so we decided not to find out ...
I would have been delighted to have had another boy but was ecstatic to be told 'it's a girl!' when DD was born ...
One of each .... never have to go through the 'let's have one more to see if we can have a girl this time' thing ...

mummytojames · 13/04/2004 01:32

i found out because of what happened to my first son and it turned out i was having a boy and a healthy one at that it was surprising though because i am the only one in my family to have more than one boy

sibble · 13/04/2004 04:50

found out both times. first time Dh wanted to know, I didn't but was very glad I did becasue desperately wanted a girl and scan showed a boy - had plenty of time to get used to the idea, bond etc. would have been harder I think if had found out at birth. Found out am expecting another boy at 20 week scan the other week, again disappointed but glad I know as am now visualising boy baby inside and bonding etc.

Blackduck · 13/04/2004 07:04

convinced it was a girl....at 20 week scan told it was a boy! - major re-adjustment!! I was shown (and have a scan) of his bits! Told that if the scanners say male they are right, the room for error is on girls.....

emmatmg · 13/04/2004 08:04

DS1-didn't find out but I knew it was a boy and when DH said it's a boy seconds after he was born I just said " See I told you!"

DS2-We did find out as had problems with the pregnancy so found out at about 14 weeks by CVS test.

DS3-I was desparate for a another baby and after a 15 months of virtual begging, DH agreed to try. I wanted to find out but he wanted a sursprise so I thought it's the least I could do as he'd changed his mind for me. However we had a late scan at 34 or 36 weeks and I just HAD to find out. Up until the morning of the scan I was convinced there was a girl in there but when I woke up I thought " Blimey all this time I've thought it was a girl but there's a boy in there". Low and behold a few hours the later the scanner showed it was a boy. DH managed to get the details out of me after about 50 minutes, even though I said I wouldn't tell him and he said he didn't want to know!

Momp · 13/04/2004 08:23

With our first we didn't want to know because we were looking forward to the surprise. We had a girl, and in actual fact were hoping for a girl!

When I was pg with number 2, we needed to know the sex because our third bedroom was DH drum room. If we were expecting another girl they could both sleep in the same room and DH could keep his drums. If we were expecting a boy, the drum room would have to become a nursery...........thank heavens for little boys!!

Tex111 · 13/04/2004 08:37

Convinced I was having a girl but at 10 week scan (super duper Japanese scanner) found out we were having a boy which was confirmed in later scans. DS was and is not shy! Surprised both of us but wonderful to know and helped us to bond with the baby. Also great for sorting out names, nursery, clothes, etc. Will definitely find out next time.