Here are
some tips from other mommies on how to win the Ultrasound
War.
You really
want to know and he doesn’t
- Slip the ultrasound tech a $20 with a note on it that
says “I really do want to know. Write the results
in my chart”.
- Bring
a video tape to record the ultrasound, then analyze the
tape frame by frame till you see your baby’s private
parts. Then play these parts for your friends twenty times
until they tell you what you want to hear.
- Scream
and pout in the doctor’s office until your husband
is so embarrassed that he lets you have your way.
You really
don’t want to know and he does
- Slip the ultrasound tech a little note that says “make
my baby’s parts magically disappear” while
you smile and say, “Yes, we are really hoping that
our baby shows his parts at this appointment”.
- Conveniently
have preggo brain and forget to ask the doctor what the
gender is. This only works if your husband is the shy
type that won’t ask on his own.
- Bribe
him with sex or money. That usually works.
When
these tips don’t work here are some more practical ones.
1.
Brainstorm - Put your thinking caps on. Do some brainstorming
and try to come up with fair solutions. Write down all your
ideas or talk about them. Maybe he has an idea that you hadn’t
thought of that would be fair for both of you.
2. Negotiate - If you can’t agree negotiate.
Try a little give and take on some other issues. Consider
caving on the extra money you wanted to spend on your baby’s
nursery in exchange for finding out the baby’s gender.
Or if you don’t want to find out and he does, you could
let him have his way on what type of baby name you will choose.
There are so many different choices that come up during pregnancy.
Negotiating will help you both to feel like you have a say
in things.
3. Compromise - A common solution to the
ultrasound/gender dispute is to have one partner find out
and the other not find out. As difficult as this sounds, it
is really not such a big deal. Couples do this all the time.
You can have the ultrasound tech write your baby’s gender
on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. Variations
to this idea: Have your partner and you both agree not to
tell the other if you look at the envelope. This way you don’t
know if the other knows. With this idea you both have to be
faithful to keep the other’s wishes.
4. Procrastinate - Sometimes waiting till
the day of the ultrasound to decide is okay. A lot of times
even the partner that thinks he/she does not want to find
out suddenly changes his/her mind at the last minute or vice
versa. Wait and see how things go. There is no need to be
stressed. If you are still not sure, tell the tech you are
not sure and ask her if she would mind writing something in
your records until you make up your mind.
5. Ask around - Ask other people what they
did. See how your friends and familymembers
handled the situation. Maybe someone will influence your decision
or give you some ideas you hadn’t though about.
6. Take turns - If you plan on having more
than one child, you can always take turns on finding out the
gender. A lot of couples have found this a good solution to
the problem.
