9 Reasons Why Delivery-Room Gender Reveals Are Awesome
I remember the exact moment of our first surprise—I was high
on endorphins after a long labour and three hours of pushing. The first words
out of my mouth were, “Did we have a boy or girl?” The nurse turned to my
husband. “Well, Dad, do you want to make the announcement?”
Mike had tears, a smile, and a tremble in his hands. He
paused. He might even have forgotten for a split-second in the emotion of the
moment which parts went to which gender. “A girl, Amanda. It’s a girl.”
I repeated back those words so many times, letting them sink
in. This was our surprise, our miracle: “A girl? A girl! Really? A girl? This
whole time we’ve had a girl in there? Ahh! I can’t believe it’s a girl!”
I’ve always loved surprises. So, for me, when it came time
to decide how we would find out the gender of our first baby, waiting until
delivery just seemed like the right choice. We found out the gender of our
second born because we were both really hoping for a boy. And now that we have
one girl and one boy, we are doing what I actually prefer: waiting to find out.
So, just for fun and just because sometimes I get the
awkward side-ways glance or the “Oh my goodness, I could never do that. I would
just have to know,” when people find out we are waiting, I have compiled a list
of some really great reasons why delivery-room gender announcements are
awesome.
1. You save money.
So, you know those moments when you are walking through the
baby section at Target and there’s the sweet little three piece outfit that
makes your momma-heart swoon? When you don’t know the gender, you imagine how
cute your soon-to-arrive baby would look if it happened to be a boy or girl,
and then you keep walking. Because you don’t know boy or girl. And you might
not know much about babies yet, but you at least know you don’t want to stand
in the return line with a newborn in tow.
2. You are very likely
to get what you really need at your baby shower.
So, you know how I mentioned the cute baby outfits in the
baby section and how hard they are to resist? They are! For like everyone with
estrogen in their body. So, if you have a baby shower, sure, you might need a crib, baby carrier, stroller, car
seat, bottles, breast pump, diaper pail, and a ridiculous amount of diapers and
wipes… but you will get a ridiculous amount of outfits. And they will make you and
everyone at the shower swoon. But the thing is, if you are a first time mom-to-be,
let me tell you a secret. Babies poop. They drool. They spit up. Diapers will
fail you. You might end up changing that precious baby 10 times in one day—his
diaper AND his clothes. And at some point the only clothes you will want him
in, save those special outings and picture opportunities, are the clothes that
are practical and easy to get on and off. And the adorable dress with matching
bloomers or the vest, button-down and bow tie… outfits like that, you won’t
need 20 of them.
3. Double the presents.
So here’s the good news: your mom, grandma, auntie, sister
who you are currently driving crazy because they want to shop for all the cute
stuff. Guess what? They will not only come to your shower bearing practical
gifts. They will also feel this overwhelming urge to go out and buy all the
cute stuff as soon as your precious surprise arrives.
4. More usable items for
the next baby.
If you didn’t find out the gender till delivery, you wouldn’t
have been tempted to purchase the pink carseat with the butterfly accent print.
Your nursery items will be neutral. You
will have newborn clothes that will work no matter if you have a boy or girl. And
one day, should you be blessed with the opposite gender, your future self who
is discovering how energy demanding and strong-willed a toddler can be, who
only wants a decent nights’ sleep and a shower in life, who is wondering if she
will ever have a routine again after adding a new baby to the family… that girl
will thank you because she just won’t care as much about nursery theme and she
won’t want to spend the extra money replacing the pink butterfly carseat (but
she will anyways just to save her baby boy from growing up with a complex...)
5. Focus Point? Done.
Labour is hard. Really hard. Throughout the entirety of my
first labour, the 19 hours of “back labour” and the 3 hours of pushing, I
thought of one thing: Boy or girl? When I arrived at that awful moment when I
just really thought I couldn’t do it and someone should just put me out of my
misery, I still wanted to know. I had
waited to know. The anticipation of
the surprise still somehow outweighed those grueling moments of transition-labour
despair.
6. It’s follows a
natural plot line.
Okay, maybe this is a lit-nerd thing, but good books have a
moment called the climax. Everything builds and builds—nine months of your body
growing a human and preparing to evacuate it. Then there’s start of the climax:
the labour and delivery where at some point you think you just can’t and
somehow you still do. And then the final push and that first cry: and there is
that baby. If you don’t know the gender, the room almost erupts into joy, the
culminating experience of nine months of wondering, “It’s a boy! It’s a girl! No
way! Look at that! Oh my goodness, A boy! A girl!” You have no choice but to
stop and soak in the moment, let it roll around your brain, celebrate the news—and
it is news—brand new—the baby and this discovery. It doesn’t matter that you
are now delivering the placenta or being stitched up, this news has caught your
breath and will hold it for a while. It’s a time-standing-still kind of magic.
7. It’s fun to have
something to announce that people actually want to know on such a momentous
occasion.
I mean, no offense, the birth stats are cool, but nobody but
grandma cares if the baby is 6 lbs. 15 oz. or 8 lbs. 4 oz.
8. The older generation
brings out all their old wives tales to predict the gender of your baby.
Sure, it will happen regardless, but it’s a little awkward
when you are barely showing at eleven weeks and grandma swears it’s a boy
because you are carrying low and in front. Really
grandma? I think that might be the donut I just ate? At 32 weeks, it’s
pretty clear “how you carry,” and a gender-unknown baby bump has some kind of
magnetic pull on the pre-ultrasound generations. There’s just something about
having the older women in your life gather around your belly, guess the gender,
and tell you all about their experiences from decades past. Because no matter
how technology changes, motherhood is timeless.
9. It brings your husband
into the birth experience more.
As he cuts the cord, your husband will get to announce to
you and everyone in the room who you have been carrying in your womb all those
nine months. He will call his parents, his brother, your brother. He will walk
into the waiting room where family members are anxiously waiting for the
announcement. The first words out of his mouth will not be, “She’s finally
here!” It will be, “It’s a girl!”
I’d love to hear from
you and your experiences! Any reasons to add the list? Have you ever waited till
the delivery to find out? Would you want to wait till delivery to find out?
By Grace,
Amanda Conquers
Image Credit: https://flic.kr/p/e4nLge (Please note: per license agreement, I was able to build upon this image and add my own words. They are not endorsed by photographer.)
Image Credit: https://flic.kr/p/e4nLge (Please note: per license agreement, I was able to build upon this image and add my own words. They are not endorsed by photographer.)