What did you decide?
We decided not to find out the gender of both pregnancies, I was keen to wait for a surprise and be able to share the exciting news with family and friends on the day of the birth. I found it an incentive to have something to look forward to. It could potentially help in the birthing room if I was struggling...one more push and then you will know who your baby is! in reality both my boys be born by c-section so I didn't need this mental encouragement. I also didn't have a preference for a baby girl or baby boy so was happy to be patient and wait for their birth.
On my pregnancy journey, going to birthing classes, yoga classes and generally chatting about being pregnant it became clear that most people decided to find out the gender of their baby. I can totally understand why this is the case and there are pros and cons for both...
Pros and cons for finding out if you're having a baby boy or baby girl:
1. You can plan the nursery and any clothes you want to buy in pink or blue colours. Apologies this is very stereotypical but it is still very much a subconscious choice parents make when buying baby items.
Equally you can find beautiful gender neutral colour ideas that aren't bland that can suit both genders. Had I known about the advantages of black and white for young babies I would have gone for this as a nursey theme. At the time I decided on oatmeal or cream and white. Other popular colours are greys and themes such as animals, jungles or rainbows which can be colourful and gender neutral.
2. If you have other children it may help them to accept there is a new arrival about to come into your family. I can clearly remember when my sister had her 2nd baby girl, her 1st daughter (aged 18 months) wanted to know when her new sister was leaving! All jokes aside, having a new baby in the house can have a huge impact on a sibling especially if they have been centre of attention so this is definitely worth taking into consideration.
3. You or your partner may have your heart set on wanting a particular gender. Finding out before the birth will give you both time to visualise and bond with baby before the big day. In reality at the moment of birth you really don't care if they are a boy or girl...you are just please they have arrived and all are safe! but before this happens you don't know how you will feel.
4. It makes choosing a name much simpler. I had two lists, one for boys names and one for girls names. In actual fact we didn't go for any of the names on the lists. We decided in the hospital based on our gut feelings about how they looked and what suited them. If you know the gender then you only have half the name searching to do. If you want to be super organised and choose the name before you give birth then you can have anything personalised and prepped beforehand but failing that it can be done afterwards.
5. You can have a gender reveal party! This wasn't a 'thing' when I was pregnant but it is quickly becoming as popular as having a baby shower. Also, everyone loves a party and to celebrate with friends and family is wonderful.
Ultimately, finding out the gender of your baby won't change anything but it is your personal choice and with the amazing medical technologies it is now possible to find out easily the gender of your baby before they are born. For the 'baby boomers' generation scans were only offered if there were complications with the pregnancy but now ultrasound and 4D scans are all part of the pregnancy experience.
Did you find out the gender of your baby? if not, what is your preferred neutral colours? head over to our instagram page for inspiration and search on the website for babygrows for boys and girls and also gender neutral.