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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Shall I find out the sex of my baby at my 19 week scan?

164 replies

Enid · 23/10/2005 18:46

dh wants me to - we have 2 girls and, to be honest, he really really wants a boy and wants me to find out so he isn't horribly disappointed at the birth (if its another girl).

I don't care what I have (although having a boy would be easier in terms of family pressure!!)

I am hoping the baby will keep its legs crossed. I really don't want to know.

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GhostofNatt · 24/10/2005 14:42

Ah, well have a think about the swap idea...

SoupDragon · 24/10/2005 15:57

Found out the sex of DS2 by accident at a 37 week growth scan and was devastated. Managed to hide the fact that "it" was actually a "he" from DH - luckily only had to wait 3 days though . I have to say that I still felt robbed of my girl when DS2 was born and it took a while for this to fade, even though I'd had a few days to get used to it.

Of course it did fade and I love him dearly but it may have been easier if I'd had 20 weeks to get used to it

nooka · 24/10/2005 23:05

It's funny how much it matters isn't it? It seems to be something programmed into many (although clearly not all) of us, that the sex is such a defining thing. I felt bonded with both of my babies when they were in me, and their personalities when they came out were fairly similar to when I could feel them move inside me (ds very wriggly all the time, dd not so much, but could be quite stroppy). I didn't find out their sexes in advance, so they were both a suprise - esp. dd who we thought would be a boy. As I have one of each it is easy to characterise them by their sexes (and they are in a lot of ways very stereotypical), but friends of mine with two or more of each sex say they are very different, indeed as a feminist, I would hope so too. And yet it does seem to really matter. Maybe because it is (at least at the moment) the only thing we can find out.

princesspeahead · 24/10/2005 23:16

enid, I didn't find out for dd or ds1, and DID find out for ds2 because my dh's father was dying, and I wanted him to know what his next grandchild would be. so found out on the tuesday, told him, and he died on the sunday.

the strange thing was that I really thought that knowing the sex would make the whole thing a bit more pedestrian somehow - not having that exciting moment of finding out at the birth - but it didn't at all. It really didn't make very much difference. Except that we could manage the expectations of dd,who was DESPERATE for a sister, by saying "well we aren't sure, but we THINK we saw a willy, and if we did, it will be a boy". By the time he was born she had got used to the idea of a boy, and was fine with it.

This time around we thought we might as well find out again, again partly because dd was in agonies about wanting a sister (or horrified at the thought of maybe having 3 brothers) - but also because it is DEFINITELY my last baby and I wanted to clear out my loft of either girls or boys clothes! Anyway it is quite nice knowing, and being prepared, and waiting to meet her. And of course dd is thrilled that she will be getting her sister. But if it had proved to be a boy, I think it would also have been quite useful to know in advance to prep dd and to deal with the slight disappointment of not having another girl (which I wasn't too bothered about but you know...)

So this is a very long way of saying that if it matters SO much to your dh I think it is better to find out now. If it is a boy it will be a fantastic fillip for you all, and if it is a girl your dh can get over the initial disappointment and then start looking forward to meeting her, wondering which of your dds she will look like, etc etc....

Hope the little thing doesn't have his/her legs crossed after all this!

Miaou · 25/10/2005 00:04

Re. Soupy (and others) comments about not wanting to find out - we so desperately didn't want to know that each time I had a scan (I had three or four this time round) I wouldn't get on the couch until I had said "I don't want to know the sex", and I got them to turn the screen away from me until they were sure that the appropriate area was out of sight!

QueenVictoria · 25/10/2005 00:25

Our local hospital wont tell you even if you ask and put signs up saying dont ask and you wont be offended by our refusal.

Miaou · 25/10/2005 00:31

They have the same notices up at our hospital too QV, just shows how paranoid we were about finding out!

QueenVictoria · 25/10/2005 00:38

I really wanted to know

Enid · 25/10/2005 09:01

ah they used to have those up at our hospital - they tell you now.

When I asked why they never used to tell the sex, they said it was because some sonographers didnt like to tell the sex, but some were unofficially happy to do it. So you could still try it - you may get someone that would be happy to do it.

thanks pph that was helpful. I did talk to dh about it last night and he said that he wanted to find out 'for everyone else' - by which he means his parents (last chance for a boy that bears their name..yawn). So I said it was none of 'anyone else's business' and he said 'hmmmm'.

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princesspeahead · 25/10/2005 09:13

if his parents were so desperate for their name to carry on then they should have had more than one boy!!!
tbh your fil always seemed like a pretty laid back guy to me (in a hail-fellow-well-met kind of way), I'd be surprised if he had any real view apart from "it would be nice but as long as it is healthy..."
not as though he is lacking grandsons anyway!

Enid · 25/10/2005 10:50

ah thats sweet I forgot you probably know him! Yes he is thrilled about it all and doesnt seem in the least bothered. Good point about the sons!! Thanks pph. x E

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Enid · 25/11/2005 10:42

I have my date for this scan now 6 Dec

still in two minds whether to find out

I may go alone so the decision will be mine alone.

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aloha · 25/11/2005 10:45

I absolutely loathe surprises so I wanted to find out both times. But if you don't want to know - and it's your last baby - then I'd say don't do anything that might take the shine off the experience. It's not like you can do anything about it anyway.

aloha · 25/11/2005 10:49

I never found it spoiled anything for me, knowing the sex. And I think it actively helped ds to get used to the idea of a baby because he knew he had a sister coming.
I can see both points of view.

Enid · 25/11/2005 10:50

I think if it is a boy I'd quite like to know as dh would be so thrilled

but if its another girly I'd like to keep it quiet for bit poor lamb

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hunkermunker · 25/11/2005 10:54

Enid, I have a growth scan on 6th December (will be 34 weeks) - and DH isn't coming along. I'm going to be SO tempted to ask...but I shall resist! I think!

Enid · 25/11/2005 10:57

oh we can dither together

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cod · 25/11/2005 11:01

Message withdrawn

hunkermunker · 25/11/2005 11:03
LadyTophamHatt · 25/11/2005 11:09

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

I looked at it this way, it's one or the other, not a choice of 50 so it's not that much of a surprise.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes, find out definatley.

I'm rubbish at surprises BTW....in case you didn't realise.

hunkermunker · 25/11/2005 11:09

I know I'll dither and opt for not finding out. I love surprises!

aloha · 25/11/2005 11:10

Yes, I agree that if it was, say, a fish then that would be a surprise. A boy or girl is pretty routine really.

cod · 25/11/2005 11:13

Message withdrawn

pacinofan · 25/11/2005 11:32

I have actually changed my mind on this. We really wanted a surprise with first pregnancy so didn't find out at the 20 week scan. I 'felt' I was having a girl but dh was adamant it was a boy right up until the moment baby appeared with an enormous amount of dark hair. He said at that moment he knew it just had to be a girl, and so our dd arrived.

This time around we were of the same opinion, surprises are great. We are quite shocked we have changed our minds on this (I don't tend to change my mind often on stuff like this) but we decided we both wanted to know. Change of heart is largely down to having an amnio, can't explain it very well but it just changed things for us.

Everyone, including myself, thought we were having a boy except dh - and he is right! We are expecting a girl and are delighted. No names whatsover, have been calling baby Alexander Jude since week 5 so just goes to show how wrong my gut feelings were.

Enid · 25/11/2005 11:37

hmm

I think I like Iris or stella or honor for a girl

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