You find out you are pregnant which is exciting news regardless if this is your first or subsequent pregnancies. One of the first questions you are often asked once people are aware you are pregnant is do you know what it is? Are you going to find out?

Why is it so important to friends and family of the parents to be to need to know who this little person is well before they arrive?

This can be a difficult question to tackle. Do you want to know as a couple but not share the news with friends and family. Did you find out on your first pregnancy and have now decided you would prefer not to know this time around or the reverse you would prefer to know this time so you can try and re use some of the existing items or re buy if a different gender.

As parents to be there are so many unknowns as you enter this stage of life so it is understandable that something that can be answered so easily would be the obvious choice. As an aunty I found it exciting to know of my upcoming nephew’s gender so I could start shopping but as the due date grew closer I found myself almost disappointed that I already knew. It can take away some of the excitement of the announcement with one the first questions once baby arrives, what was it, what is it called, how big was it already answered.

When my husband and I were expecting our first child we decided that we didn’t want to find out and would prefer the surprise at the end labour, a little like the icing on the cake. It was a lovely surprise and we welcomed a baby girl at the end of a long labour which helped to take some of that exhaustion away. Although we had no items that were pink at the hospital and had selected two names for each gender I don’t think that it made it any less special.

We have noticed a large trend amongst our generation going one step further in announcing the gender and name of the upcoming baby.

Does modern technology take away some of the excitement of this miracle? Our grandparents didn’t have access to such technology and had to wait. Have we become to impatient to know everything or are we taking advantage of the age that we now live in?

The advantages of knowing helps with shopping and only needing to select one name for the birth however that is all on the basis that the gender advised at the scan was correct.

What ever the couples choice it is exciting to welcome a little person into your lives.

Article written by Amanda mother two kids owner of Baby Presents. Baby Presents web store found at www.babypresents.com.au has a range of baby gifts suitable from Baby Shower to First Birthday.