My husband and I are now two-time parents. On both occasions, we opted to find out the gender of our baby before the birth. While we consider ourselves practical people, our reasons for doing so were not solely related to physical preparations such as decorating the room, choosing colors, or selecting a name . Rather, we enjoyed daydreaming about our future as a family, imagining what adventures lay ahead and how we would grow together. Even though there are many surprises and unknowns that come with parenthood, we found comfort in knowing at least one thing in advance.
When I first became pregnant, we had a hunch that we were having a baby girl. Given that ultrasound technology can now accurately determine a baby's gender, we knew that finding out would not be a problem.
However, we were among the fortunate ones whose baby was mysterious about revealing their gender, and it wasn't until around the twentieth week that we learned we were actually having a baby boy! It's funny how such news, despite the 50/50 possibility, can still surprise you and trigger a wave of emotions and wonder. This little growing being, who up until this point has been formless and impersonal, finally gets his first piece of personality, his first trait - being a boy.
Of course, not everyone shares the excitement of having the sex revealed before birth. We know of a couple who didn't want to find out the sex of their baby before birth because they believed that not knowing would make giving birth a greater experience, perhaps even easier and faster. It would be interesting to see how things evolve when parents have different expectations about this, where one wants to know and the other doesn't.
As for myself, I'm not sure if I would be able to keep this exciting information from my partner and relatives. I also can't imagine how surprised I would be if, after birth, it turned out that the prediction was wrong, and I was holding a baby girl in my arms. Oh boy! That would be a story to tell!
One thing's for sure, the birth of a child and parenthood is an adventure that comes with so many true-life stories. Sometimes just amazing, but always full of emotions and unforgettable moments.
Bo Janice
Photo via Pixabay
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