Gender Reveal Party?

[atomic sagebrush]

I really really really really really would not do a gender reveal party unless you had no preference. When I went into my ultrasound with DS 3 I really had no idea how bad I was going to take it. I am NOT an emotional person whatsoever but when they finally allowed me to go in to use the restroom I ended up crying in the bathroom. I did not have one iota of gender preference when I got pregnant. I just totally expected to hear girl and it was like a murder had been committed and someone had taken the baby away that I thought I had and brought me a changeling.

I felt like an idiot in front of my husband who thought it was humorous that I wanted a boy and was getting a girl (not in a mean way, but exactly the type of thing that people would joke about at a party setting and boy howdy am I glad it was just him instead of a room of 50 people). I also cried a little bit right in front of the tech at my ultrasound with my 4th boy (not hard like I did with DS 3, but my voice was cracking and it was obvious) and DH didn't take that quite so well. :/ He didn't come with me to my ultrasound with DD and I ALSO cried at that one LOL. I NEVER cry, let alone in front of a stranger, and I"m pretty sure that if i'd had all that pressure plus the pressure of the party I would have totally had a meltdown.

BTW did I mention I didn't even tell anyone I was pregnant till AFTER I knew gender with my daughter?? Smartest thing I ever did!!

[Adia]

OMG! I can't believe some of these horrible stories! How awful!

I don't have any horror stories to add, but I have noticed that the most successful gender reveal stories are those who really don't care or they have several of each gender and its something new and different.

If I were to do one at all it would be after I already found the gender and had time to come to terms with it. I would be overwhelmed with joy if I was having a boy, but that reaction would be intense and something I would keep private.

I think the ideas I have seen in pinterest are really creative and cute, but I am just not that kind of person. Maybe for my kids we would do that....I have to agree with one poster, if you have even an ounce of GD don't have a gender reveal party unless its for others and you already know what it is.

[carmella_marie]

I really really really really really would not do a gender reveal party unless you had no preference. When I went into my ultrasound with DS 3 I really had no idea how bad I was going to take it. I am NOT an emotional person whatsoever but when they finally allowed me to go in to use the restroom I ended up crying in the bathroom. I did not have one iota of gender preference when I got pregnant. I just totally expected to hear girl and it was like a murder had been committed and someone had taken the baby away that I thought I had and brought me a changeling.

I felt like an idiot in front of my husband who thought it was humorous that I wanted a boy and was getting a girl (not in a mean way, but exactly the type of thing that people would joke about at a party setting and boy howdy am I glad it was just him instead of a room of 50 people). I also cried a little bit right in front of the tech at my ultrasound with my 4th boy (not hard like I did with DS 3, but my voice was cracking and it was obvious) and DH didn't take that quite so well. :/ He didn't come with me to my ultrasound with DD and I ALSO cried at that one LOL. I NEVER cry, let alone in front of a stranger, and I"m pretty sure that if i'd had all that pressure plus the pressure of the party I would have totally had a meltdown.

BTW did I mention I didn't even tell anyone I was pregnant till AFTER I knew gender with my daughter?? Smartest thing I ever did!!

I think that's so smart! I am not telling anyone we are pregnant until I know the gender, and I've already talked to DH about paying out of pocket for the harmony or panorama or materniT21 test so we can know even earlier. I'm just dreading people's comments like "oh I bet you want a girl" or "do you think it's another boy?" So I just personally need to know the gender before we announce the pregnancy.

[bluebonnet22]

Carmella - are you under 35? I'm having trouble finding a test that will even allow me to take it at my age (30) even if I pay out of pocket. Maternit21 told me results were invalid at my age, WTF. So anyways if you find one let me know! Otherwise I plan on just telling everyone we took the test and it's a boy so they me alone! I show crazy early and live a block from my mom so there is no way I can hide the pregnancy from family for more than a few weeks.

[atomic sagebrush]

??? I know of several people who used the new blood tests at lots of different ages. That is the first I"ve heard of that.

FWIW I always had showed early with all my pg but for some reason (grace of God??) my pg with my daughter didn't "pop" till right before the ultrasound. Even my adult sons who lived with me didn't notice until the week before my ultrasound at which time they both asked me independently if I was pg. But I was 18 weeks by then!! I didn't even tell my husband for quite a while and he didn't notice, he told me I needed to go on a diet a couple times LOL

[nuthinbutpink]

Carmella - are you under 35? I'm having trouble finding a test that will even allow me to take it at my age (30) even if I pay out of pocket. Maternit21 told me results were invalid at my age, WTF. So anyways if you find one let me know! Otherwise I plan on just telling everyone we took the test and it's a boy so they me alone! I show crazy early and live a block from my mom so there is no way I can hide the pregnancy from family for more than a few weeks.

That really doesn't make any sense. The test is the same regardless of age.

[Prepsina2014]

I had a blood test done for gender at age 34 - it was no problem and they didn't even take an interest in my age... I also didn't tell a soul before knowing the gender (and didn't tell them the gender - my mother and MIL know of my desire for a daughter and I somehow didn't want the gender to be an issue or up for discussion). I will do the same thing next time I fall pregnant.

[bluebonnet22]

Basically when I called they sent me this from the website:

Clinical indications for testing.
We offer this test for pregnancies with one or more of the following conditions:

Advanced maternal age
Personal or family history of chromosomal abnormalities
Fetal ultrasound abnormality suggestive of chromosomal abnormalities
Positive serum screening test

In other words all the peer reviewed scientific research about risks, etc is all calculated for people with a "high risk" of a chromosomal abnormality. I get that the test is the same (especially for gender!), but kind of like how at the NT scan all the risks are calculated based on your age? They don't guarantee that the calculations are the same for a low risk population. I have a biomedical engineering degree so I get logically the test should be just as accurate on low risk populations (and I still want it really badly!), but technically I'm low risk and my doctor won't allow me to take it (and maternit21 customer service wouldn't work with me).

Anyways, all that aside, I will start a new thread when I'm pregnant (if that ever happens!) asking for all the US ladies experience with blood tests if they are under 35 (ie how much did you pay, which test, which week, etc) because I want it so badly. I wanted maternit21 so badly for my first pregnancy - not for the gender but I love how much more accurate it is than the NT scan for abnormalities and I couldn't get anyone to let me take it. As a side note my SIL conceived a child with downs syndrome (proven by amnio) so I technically would qualify based on that (I would think), but obviously have no way to prove that and I'm not about to bug my SIL for her medical records regarding a terminated pregnancy.

[carmella_marie]

This us from panoramas website:

"The Panorama test is made for women of any age and ethnicity who are at least 9 weeks pregnant. It is not meant for women who are carrying more than one baby (twins or triplets), or for women who have used a donor egg, or have received a bone marrow transplant."

[rachel]

yeh i would def NOT be able to do it and i would keep my pg secret until i knew the sex as well