Finding out the gender at the hospital or doing something more special…

Maney8

My husband and I are finding out the gender of our 1st baby next Wednesday. We are debating how we should find out. I want to do something special like the balloons coming out of the box. He wants the doctor to just tell us so we can be on our way. I would love to have pictures of our reactions, and that is the main reason I don't want the doctor to just tell us. I'm completely stuck on what to do. Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions? Thanks!

chevronseven

I had the same dilemma. I wanted to do a paint fight after the appointment, but DH will be in military uniform. I decided to do the balloons out of the box for a photo op but after we find out on our own at the doctor. You don't want to see a disappointed reaction on camera in case one of you was really set on a boy and you have a girl in there or vice versa.

argonne

I am perfectly happy having the tech tell me. It's just as surprising to me.

Shelly99

With our first born we found out at the office during the ultrasound.  The next two we waited until delivery.  With our current one, being our last, we decided to do something fun.  We had a reveal party with our family and friends.  We had the tech put the ultrasound in an envelope that I gave to my friend who made the cake.  It was such a great way to find out, and see the excited and hear the reaction of everyone.  Having that video and pictures is something I'm glad we will have.  No matter what you decide it's going to be exciting. 

coffee89

If the baby shows us their parts at out anatomy scan we will find out there. I'm more interested in a healthy baby than the picture perfect reveal of their sex.

BBColt78

I'm in a similar situation (if you can call it that). DH and I did NOT find out the first time and I'm crushed that he wants to find out this time. So, I think we will have the tech write it down in an envelope. Then he and I will go on a date night dinner and open it up. It's probably silly to most, but I'm looking forward to that compromise.

EleanorKr

I would like to say something that is perhaps snarky and unpopular, but I hope no one is offended.

I wonder why everything nowadays has to be an event? Why can't we just have a birthday, just find out what the sex of a baby is, just live our lives without making everything to be a huge staged deal that we need to have professional pictures of?

Just enjoy life without making everything a big deal. Life is already beautiful and interesting enough, no need to enhance it artificially at every opportunity you get.

/Rant over

LadyMacaron

Finding out the sex at the appointment was just as good, if not better, than balloons in a box. You know why? Because it's genuine and not staged. I think those pics are cute for the rest of the world, but is nothing private between the expecting parents? For us it was such a sweet and intimate moment, I wouldn't want to put on a show for a camera...But, that's just me.

naturaloaklandmama

I find out the sex on February 13th...and amy DYING to know! I am just going to have the tech tell us because I couldn't possibly wait another second. But I am going to take a photo after we get the news of us either holding pink or blue balloons then sending it off to family members who are also eagerly waiting. I agree that we don't need a special event BUT the reveals are always so fun. We did really well in revealing we were pregnant to our parents and siblings (nothing fancy -- but we gave one set of parents a happy birthday grandpa card at a birthday dinner and another set we told them we were going to show them plans for a remodel over facetime and instead showed them an ultrasound) so want to do something simple but fun for them again too. 

oughtonk

We will hopefully be finding out at our appointment next Friday what the twins are, we are perfectly happy being told at the appointment.  We plan on doing something special to tell our parents, probably some sort of photo op and giving it to them in a frame or something.  I don't want to make it an event but we do want it to be special for the grandparents.

mob33183

I understand the whole "staged" aspect of it being annoying but I also feel like the ultrasound tech telling us is so impersonal. I've had a hard time being excited during ultrasounds and showing emotion bc I feel like they just want to get me in and out. I am rather shy anyway so it may just be my personality type. We are going to have a small reveal party with our family. For us I think it will be a more special moment to share with people who actually care about us.

Luna C

EleanorKr said:

I would like to say something that is perhaps snarky and unpopular, but I hope no one is offended.

I wonder why everything nowadays has to be an event? Why can't we just have a birthday, just find out what the sex of a baby is, just live our lives without making everything to be a huge staged deal that we need to have professional pictures of?

Just enjoy life without making everything a big deal. Life is already beautiful and interesting enough, no need to enhance it artificially at every opportunity you get.

/Rant over

I completely agree with you. We found out the sex this morning at our u/s. And it was amazing -- because it also meant the rest of the scan was clear and we had a healthy baby who happens to be a boy. 

No balloons or blue-dyed cake would have made that moment any more special for my dude and me.

talkthewholetime

We just found out at the appointment and planned a *small* reveal for our immediate family (parents and siblings only). It was a special moment finding out however you find out- no need to turn it into a big event. I cried when the tech said girl! (and looking back, I realize I would have cried either way!)

kelleighxnicole

for me it's just as exciting even being on #4, just hearing the words from the tech. i have a really good tech so she always makes it fun somehow, and she's a sweetheart. i wouldn't mind doing the whole cake thing just for fun. but i get surprised anyway! maybe it's the hormones.

yeah.

mob33183 said:

I understand the whole "staged" aspect of it being annoying but I also feel like the ultrasound tech telling us is so impersonal. I've had a hard time being excited during ultrasounds and showing emotion bc I feel like they just want to get me in and out. I am rather shy anyway so it may just be my personality type. We are going to have a small reveal party with our family. For us I think it will be a more special moment to share with people who actually care about us.

Have you ever actually experienced this? Because it's pretty fucking cool.

EleanorKr

yeah. said:

mob33183 said:

I understand the whole "staged" aspect of it being annoying but I also feel like the ultrasound tech telling us is so impersonal. I've had a hard time being excited during ultrasounds and showing emotion bc I feel like they just want to get me in and out. I am rather shy anyway so it may just be my personality type. We are going to have a small reveal party with our family. For us I think it will be a more special moment to share with people who actually care about us.

Have you ever actually experienced this? Because it's pretty fucking cool.

It really is cool! I enjoyed it, looking at our healthy little baby move around and wiggle and knowing it's a little boy. It was very special for me and my husband.

clee2009

We have found out all three times from the ultrasound tech. This time around I asked the tech if we could guess according to the picture before she told us. Made it a little more fun and suspenseful. However, there was no mistaking that baby #3 is a boy!

Luna C

yeah. said:

mob33183 said:

I understand the whole "staged" aspect of it being annoying but I also feel like the ultrasound tech telling us is so impersonal. I've had a hard time being excited during ultrasounds and showing emotion bc I feel like they just want to get me in and out. I am rather shy anyway so it may just be my personality type. We are going to have a small reveal party with our family. For us I think it will be a more special moment to share with people who actually care about us.

Have you ever actually experienced this? Because it's pretty fucking cool.

I agree... there was nothing impersonal about it with my tech -- she seemed very happy for us and was joking around with us afterward. It was sweet and I wouldn't do it any other way.

 

iqwedding3

I had a friend at work make an offer that you might find fun.  I get the tech to write the info on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope, and then I give it to her.  One day she decorates my cube at work accordingly.  We didn't end up going that way, because the reveal was right before the holidays and we wanted to KNOW.  But I don't see any reason not to do something fun!

momthatlifts

Me and H didn't do anything special. We just went in and she told us. We were just as surprised as we would be if we had balloons flying out of a box.

PinkKEL9

We debated having a bakery do a cake for us but it came down to that fact that I am cheap and didn't want to spend $30 on a little cake. So we just found out at the Dr office. It was still very special and we both cried. 

lacyanne

My husband was not able to be at the ultrasound due to out of town work. I had the tech seal the "telling" pictures in an envelope. I saved it to open with just him and our 3 yr old son. It was worth it to all find out together!!