Why I’m Keeping My Baby’s Sex a Surprise

Small Sir is getting ready to be a Big Sir! I am happily (if slightly uncomfortably) gestating another Little. A new Small Sir? Or a Little Lassie? I have no idea, and I love it!

Here are eleven reasons that I am not finding out the sex of my baby:

1) It’s an excuse to be lazy on the baby prep work—shopping, decorating, crafting, you name it! (I already have hand-me-downs from The Toddler, plus all my hygiene and diaper products, but no way am I hand-crafting a mobile or re-upholstering a glider. I wish that was something I would do, but come on. I know myself.)

2) I’m a nerd, and like the idea of claiming to be carrying a Schrodinger’s baby. (Please don’t judge me!)

3) No risk of the doctor or ultrasound tech getting it wrong, and then having to start at square one—new name, new clothes, possibly new nursery theme—once the baby is actually born.

4) It is fun to see people’s eyes bug out of their heads in shock at my choice to not find out (*evil laugh*).

5) Maybe I want to dress my boy in colors other than blue, or my girl in colors other than pink…and that’s all you’re going to get if you tell people what you are expecting!

6) This one may be kind of weird, but: I don’t want to put pressure on my little one before he or she is even born. I want to get to know my baby as he or she develops, and minimize preconceived notions. Obviously you can never get rid of those entirely, but at least this way I’m not starting extra early.

7) Anyway, it’s not like I could change anything if I found out early… ☺

8) More of an excuse to not be set on names. The hubby and I are terrible with narrowing down name lists, our name tastes clash completely. The struggle is real.

9) Motivation during labor! Come on, mama, push that baby out so you can finally know! Maybe this is why my son was born so quickly—I had waited nine months, I wasn’t going to wait any longer!

10) It is “the last surprise.” After all, pregnancy tests can tell if you are pregnant before a missed period. You can see the heartbeat on an ultrasound after about six weeks. You can hear the heartbeat, watch the baby develop in a series of scans, and even do the 3D ultrasounds to get a decent (if kind of clay-like) image of the baby’s facial features. There is so little mystery left, I like leaving a bit open-ended.

11) I honestly don’t care! I know it sounds cliché, but happy and healthy are the goals, right? Everything else is just perks. Wonderful, cuddly perks.

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