Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I had an ultrasound done at 30 weeks, and asked the technician if
    she could tell if it was a boy or a girl.  She asked me if I wanted
    to know which it was, and I said "yes".  So, she showed me on the
    screen that the penis and testicles were quite visible, and said
    I'd better paint the baby's room blue!  I don't think they look
    for internal organs, and I've heard that sometimes the ultrasound
    turns out to be wrong.  I'll be *very* surprised though, if this
    ultrasound was wrong - definately looked like boy plumbing to me!
    
    BTW, we have painted the room blue, and have also received many
    blue outfits for shower gifts, so I'm hoping the ultrasound didn't
    lie!
    
    Good luck with your baby-2-b!
    -Cathy

    Depending on how far along you are, the technician can tell the sex of
    the child pretty accutrately.  In my experience, the tech has been
    accurate 100% of the times.  
    
    The first pregnancy the tech could tell the sexes of my twins, one boy
    and one girl, where they were located in my uterus.  Girl on the lower
    left, head down, boy upper right, head up - classic postion for tiwns. 
    They tell the sex not by internal organs, but by the actual genitals
    they can see with the ultrasound.  You may not be able to distinguish
    it, but they can if they're good.
    
    Second pregnancy, boy, same thing.  Third pregnancy, boy, same again.
    
    In my case I really wanted to know the sex.  That's just me, the way I
    am, made planning clothing easier.  Many people I know wouldn't want to
    know the sex of the child.
    
    You always hear stories about utlrasounds that said one thing, turned
    out to be the opposite.  But that has not been the case with me -
    they've been right on!
    
    Best to you...
    

    I am wondering about the same thing.  I am in my 37th week now.
    I had an ultrasound done at 24 week and was told that it is a
    girl.  My second ultrasound was done at 30 week and was told
    that it is a boy.  I am not sure which one I want to believe.
    Both times, the technicians were pretty sure of what they saw.
    I guess I will know in 3 weeks.  My advise is unless you have
    multiple ultrasounds and they all have the same predictions,
    then don't take too serious about the prediction.
    
    Good luck, Wendy

    It should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, it isn't
    always easy to tell the sex of a newborn out of the womb, let
    alone in utero when the organs are still developing.  Up to 10% of
    newborns have genitals that are more or less ambiguous, either
    incompletely developed or much larger or smaller than the average. 
    
    --bonnie

    As mentioned in a previous note, sometimes it does depend on how far
    along you are.  I had an ultrasound done almost every month due to
    complications, but it wasn't until my 7th month that they thought they
    could identify the sex.
    
    The sex was confirmed by a different technician in the 8th month. 
    However, she mentioned that rarely are they wrong when identifying the
    male.  But there is a chance they can be incorrect when identifying
    female.  She said there have been times that the male organs were
    hidden and they identified the fetus as female.
    
    Therefore, if they say you're having a boy, there's a 99% chance they are
    correct.  If they say you're having a girl it is only 75%.
    
    They said a girl for me and they were CORRECT.
    
    Good Luck

    I had numerous ultrasounds during my pregnancy and it wasn't until
    the last one (around 8 months) that the technician was even willing
    to make a guess.  Around 7 months she tried but my son kept his
    legs crossed for over an hour (guess he didn't want us to know).
    At 8 months it was pretty obvious and the technician told us she
    would be extremely suprised if we had anything but a boy.  Yes,
    baby's genitals are quite enlarged so it could be difficult to
    distinguish.  The girl who did all my ultrasounds said she was about
    90% right with boys but only 70% on girls.  I wouldn't count totally
    on ultrasound to predict sex.  I went with the baby back to the
    technician to show her that her prediction was right and she was
    so happy just to see us.  She said she does so many and then never
    sees the people again and wonders about all those little babies
    she sees squirming around, sucking their thumbs, etc. on the screen.
    
    pam

    Another story about innaccurate prediction....My cousins were expecting
    their second child, they already had a girl and they knew that this
    wpould be their last child due to problems before and after conception
    for the second pregnancy.....anyway, during the ultrasounds the
    technician kept telling them that it would be a girl....testicles & the
    penis were not in sight.....all along, it's a girl, it's a girl etc. 
    But whenever they gave birth to a BOY!  Everyone was surprised! Not to
    mention, the father of the baby was OVERJOYED!
    
    So you see, even though they cannot detect the penis or testicles,
    doesn't ALWAYS mean it's a girl....alot of times (depending on the
    position of the babyin the womb during the ultrasound)) you just can't tell
     until delivery!  
    
    Mel :^)   

    WELLLLL ...
    
    We were told to expect "twin boys" ... we got "A" little girl!
    
    1)  After three days, I was VERY RELIEVED it was "only" ONE!
    2)  Easier to dress Julianne in "planes, trains and boats", then
        "Jeffrey" in a dress!
    3)  JA's room IS STILL BLUE (and will be until she stops knocking
        the paint off the walls -- if that ever happens!).
    
    Just "our" experience!
    
    Dottie
    

    Dottie,
    
    Were you told to expect twin boys after having an ultrasound, if so I
    have just lost all faith in the ultrasound.
    
    What a let down.

    At 17 weeks, the baby would not cooperate and wouldn't "flash" for
    the "camera", plus that is really too early to tell.
    
    At 19 weeks, the technician *guessed* I had a boy, but admitted
    that it was still a bit too early to have any confidence in her
    prediction.
    
    At 20.5 weeks, the technician showed me the baby's testaticles and
    penis and felt pretty sure it was a boy.
    
    At 22 weeks, the technician showed me a swollen labium, but warned
    me that it is very hard to predict girl babies through ultrasounds
    and please don't buy anthing pink yet.
    
    Maybe the internal sex organs are just too tiny to see at this
    early stage.  Because of my high-risk pregnancy they were measuring
    each internal organ and external limb every week or so.  They wanted 
    to make sure that my baby was growing uniformally. So far, so good!!
    
    The technician did ask me to please stop by with the baby and let
    her know if her female prediction was correct.  She absolutely
    hates to tell people she thinks it might be a female because it
    can be wrong.  Since I am not buying anything until after the baby
    is born I guess she felt safe in giving me her prediction.  We
    have picked both a boy and a girl's name.
    
    I don't know if this is common, but I was offered a 2 minute VHS
    video of the baby during each ultrasound visit.
    
    I'm now 24.5 weeks and still dying to know what sex my baby is.

    
    OOOPS ... let me explain this a little further.
    
    Jim/I were involved in an "semi-identified" adoption (which means the
    biological mother "picked us" to have her child ... but we did not
    "meet" her and did all communications via the adoption agency (that's
    another long story!)).
    
    So ... the biological mother was passing all her medical diagnosis and
    information to the agency.  When her obyn heard "two heartbeats", the
    agency asked us if we'd ACCEPT twins (of course we would!!!).  Then she
    had the ultrasound done and it said "no, just one ... but definately a
    BOY) ... so the agency called and said "would you accept a boy?" (of
    course we would!)  So we stocked up on "blue" and "lo and behold" 
    the baby came out with "buttons and bows"!
    
    So the ultrasound could "count" correctly ... but must have had foggy
    lens!!!
    
    Dottie
     

    I too was a "victim" of "there's backround noise and you're suddenly a
    lot bigger - do twins run in your family?". I almost dropped when I heard 
    that one.  Well, the ultrasound did count correctly and there was only
    one. It think backround noises are common - things must be resonanting
    in there anyways!!!
    
    Andrea

    How does ultrasound work?  Will we see anything at 10 weeks?
    
    We just heard a heart beat at 8 weeks!!
    
    
    		Dave_who_is_enjoying_every_day_of_my_wifes_pregnancy

Dave, I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and it was quite wonderful.  Saw
this great little thing bouncing all over and having a great time!
Sex determination at this point would probably be almost impossible,
but it's great to see teh little one.

    The technician who performed my ultrasound told me that the best
    time to determine sex (although it's never foolproof) is approx.
    18 weeks.
    
    - K
    

    Hi,
    
    I've been reading Parenting for a while now, but this is the first
    time I've written.  
    
    I'm 31 weeks pregnant, and had my 2nd Ultrasound last week.  My
    husband and I were eager to know the sex of our baby, so we asked
    the technicans if they could tell us what we were having.
    
    The two technicans seemed pretty sure about the sex....it's a girl!
    
    But, what I want to know, is how accurate are they in determining
    the sex via Ultrasound?  
    
    cin
    
    BTW, the technicans told us if we go out and buy all little girl
    things to be sure to save the receipts!  ;-)
    
    

Cin,

	I believe that the accuracy depends on;

		the skill of the technician
		the position of the baby
		the sex of the baby

	I have become somewhat of an expert on this. Because of problems 
discovered with my son's kidney at 12 weeks (in utero!), I have seen 
close to 20 prenatal ultrasounds.

	In our case, one time he was positioned such that the picture was
taken right between his legs. There wasn't much doubt at that point. But I
also saw other ones where it was difficult to tell. The reason for my last
bullet above is that it is easier to tell if it is a boy when the evidence
is staring you in the face. However, if you can't see it, that doesn't mean
it isn't there. :-)

	From what most of the technician's told me, they are right more than
95% of the time. They just won't guarantee it because there is always the
possibility they are wrong.

							Mark

    This is in here somewhere else .... but then there's the friend of mine
    who had ultra-sounds done for both of her babies and they were CERTAIN
    that she was having a daughter each time .... she has two SONS.
    
    Of course, with us, they told us Jason was a boy ... and he is!
    
    I sure wouldn't buy girl stuff.  Get an amnio if you REALLY must know!

    
    I had sonograms with both of mine, and both predicted girls - and I
    have 2 girls.
    
    I think much depends on the position of the baby and the skill of the
    technician.  I did not have any doubt because I saw FOR MYSELF the
    little girl parts.  I think that if I had not seen them (and had them
    on VCR tape so I could go home and double, triple, etc. check!) I would
    have doubted.  What did you see?
    
    Congratulations, no matter what it is (but girls are absolutely
    wonderful!)!
    
    Kristen

    While I was pregnant, I had 3 sonograms and I was told each and every
    time that it was a girl.  I was given alot of girl clothes and had it
    set in my mind that I was having a girl.
    
    WRONG!  I had a boy, which I love to death, but sure wasn't expecting. 
    When we have our next one, I don't want to know the sex, it is too much
    of an emotional let down when they are wrong.
    
    Kathy

    No one has touched this topic for awhile, so I thought I'd try to stir
    things up a bit.  I'm due next month, and wanted to know from the
    beginning.  Last time, they accurately predicted that I was having a
    son at 4 1/2 months, and it was wonderful for us to know his name and
    be able to talk to him and plan for him throughout the pregnancy.
    
    This time, we wanted to know again.  I asked at my sonogram at 17
    weeks, and the technician said that while it was still too early to be
    "certain", but that she did see labia and that it was a girl.  She also
    noted that they can see with great accuracy once the pregnancy is at 20
    weeks and beyond.  (So of course I couldn't wait to have another look.) 
    
    At 26 weeks, I had another sonogram.  It took quite-awhile for the baby
    to move into a position that would allow the tehnician a proper look. 
    The baby finally did, and the technician didn't hestitate to declare,
    "It's a girl!".  I asked why immediately (if she said because I don't
    see a penis, then I wouldn't have felt confident at all), and she
    pointed to three lines.  She told me that these three lines are 
    present when there is labia only, and that a boy possibility can't be
    ruled out simply because a penis is not spotted.  Also, the scrotum is
    shaped very differently from labia.  (I felt pretty confident with this
    description.)
    
    Then, the doctor came in for a look-see.  She covered a lot of ground
    that was covered by the technician, and then asked if I wanted to know
    the child's sex -- she, too, declared it to be a girl, but her
    description was a little different.  (Without being as graphic as she
    was, let's just say that her reasoning was not a conclusion that she
    drew simply because she couldn't see a penis.)
    
    So......... the closet is jammed with pink things!  My other daughter
    is almost 19 and I can't wait for buttons and bows again!
    
    We're feeling about 99% confident.... on the other hand, do you think
    that a boy could get used to the name "Leah"???
    
    Wish me luck,
    
    Dale
    
    P.S.  Anyone else given birth since their sonograms, and care to update
          us all as to the accuracy of the sex prediction?

    
    I have a question for all of you:
    
    Did any of you WANT to know in the beginning, and then as time passed,
    changed your mind and decide you didn't want to know after all???
    
    I've always though all along (and my husband too) that we wanted to 
    know the sex...but at my ultrasounds at 7 and 13 weeks, it was still
    too early.  The other day I had some cramping that I thought might
    warrant an ultrasound (but it didn't after all), and I asked hubby
    if he still wanted to KNOW  if I did have to go for one...  And we 
    were both dumbfounded. We're not sure now. (Almost 20 weeks)
    
    I think if I was laying on the table and she asked "do you want to
    know?", I'm not sure I would refuse...   But it sure is a weird
    feeling.
    
    Anyone else change their mind 1/2 way through???
    
    Chris
    

    My first pregnancy I did not want to know, I had a daughter who is now
    22 months.  I am now in my 24th week for baby #2, this one I wanted to
    know the sex.  I had an ultrasound about the 20th week and asked the
    technician if she could tell the baby's sex, she smiled and said are
    you sure you want to know...at that instant I was not sure I then asked
    my husband and he said yes.  It's a baby boy, what a great feeling it
    was finding out, I really enjoy being able to think of it as a boy
    rather than an unknown.  I am glad that I did not find out the first
    time because it was a lot of fun finding out in the end also !  So I 
    guess knowing and not knowing are both just as fun.  I sure hope I did 
    not confuse anyone :-)
    

    Chris,

    	Your not wanting to know all of a sudden, may have had 
    something to do with the fact that, for an instant (the cramping
    episode), you probably felt the pregnancy was 'at risk'.

    	I had an amnio at 16 weeks, with my second pregnancy. 
    I wanted to know, and was informed, it was a boy.  Eight weeks 
    later, I went into labor.  All of a sudden I wished that I 
    didn't know anything about this unborn child.  Here we had a
    little boy who we immediately named. The info the amnio gave us
    allowed us to really bond to this person we hadn't even seen yet 
    and now we might lose him.  It was terribly frightening and made
    worse by the fact that we gave 'him' a name. I can certainly 
    understand being ambivalent about wanting to know anything about
    your unborn child if you think something may go wrong. It's as if
    not knowing will ease the pain somehow.  Of course, realistically
    I doubt that is true.   
    
    As it turned out, after 3 bedridden months, our little Michael was
    born, huge and healthy.
    
    Jodi-
    

    With our first, we didn't want to know AT ALL.  With our second, it was
    quite different.  We were having a really hard time figuring out
    'logical' things (should we buy pink baby clothes since we only have
    blue ones?)  and we could *NOT* decide on a name, to the point of it
    always ended in an argument.  So..... for the sake of making things a
    lot easier decision-wise, we decided to find out.  They said it was a
    boy, and it is.
    
    Also, with the 2nd pregnancy, we were initially told that we should not
    have the baby because my blood sugar was very high when we conceived. 
    Fortunately, the Dr. at the abortion clinic disagreed.  The entire
    pregnancy was very stressful in that no one was quite sure that he'd
    really be ok.  At 23 weeks we were to be given information about the
    baby's health that would force us to decide if we were going to
    terminate the pregnancy or not.  Fortunately, it was good news.  At ~27
    weeks, the baby developed an arythmia.  During non-stress tests,
    listening to the thump-thump, thump-thump, the room went deadly silent. 
    But that was just Jason playing tricks on us, and continued to scare us
    with his stopping heart, for the rest of the pregnancy.  At ~30 weeks,
    I was hospitalized overnight for sudden, heavy bleeding - just another
    surprise for Mom and Dad!
    
    I think knowing that this baby was having such a hard time ... and
    trying so hard to be healthy ... made us REALLY want to know everything
    we could about him, just in case he didn't make it.  I'm happy to say,
    that the little boy that the doctors said would never live, is a very
    healthy, happy (and slightly obnoxious! (-;) 3-year-old.
    
    Good Luck .... my one piece of advice though - if you DO find out,
    don't tell anyone else - you'll take away some of Dad's fun after the
    'Big Moment'!
    
    Patty

    We just went for our first ultrasound (with this pregancy).  We Wanted
    to at first what sex the baby was.  Well I am 29 just about 30 weeks. 
    Well guess what we still dont know the first time they looked they said
    could be a girl but we will look again in a minute or two to see if the
    baby moves so they looked again and said well this time it looks like a
    boy but we cant tell could just be the cord so they looked a few
    minutes later and said well guess what 50% chance girl 50% chance boy
    so we dont know.  Yesterday was just so nice knowing that the baby was
    alright and my husband and son were able to see the baby moving and
    playing with his/her feet and they could see the baby hit with alittle
    fist, so know I dont care if I know or not just seeing that the baby
    was healthy was enough for me.  
    
    But now the only thing I want is to hold him/her.  That was the only
    thing missing about yesterday.
    
    Della