I guess the answer to that question is that it depends on the mom. When I got pregnant the first time around, my husband and I decided not to find out the sex of our first child so we could be surprised once he or she was born. Even so, throughout most of my pregnancy, I had a feeling that I was carrying a baby boy. I honestly didn't care one way or the other, but I just had a hunch that come July 2006, I'd be give birth to a niñito.
I'm not sure if they were following my cue, but pretty much everyone else in my family started feeling the same way. We were so convinced that my mom and my sister even got some blue newborn outfits and my husband and I worried more about finding a boy's name than a girls–although we had one of each by the time our first baby was born.
So, I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when instead of having a Santiago I ended up having a Vanessa! My daughter was born via C-section, but I'll never ever forget my husband's words when he saw her before me and said to me: "Te presento a tu hija," right before the doctors lifted her up high enough for me to see that I had had a baby girl!
Since I didn't care about the sex of my baby either way, I was completely ecstatic and more surprised than I had ever been before.
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The second time I got pregnant, I really wanted a girl, a little sister for my daughter Vanessa. This time around though, my husband and I decided to find out the sex of our baby, more than anything for convenience. (I'd been holding on to almost all of Vanessa's clothes in case I was having a girl and I just wanted to know if I should keep them or give them away.)
I must say, though, that since my hunch had been so off the first time around, I honestly had no idea what we were having prior to our doctor's appointment where we were told we were having a boy.
I'm not sure why I wasn't able to really know the sex of my babies like other moms have claim to do prior to confirming it. All I know is that the only one person in my family who guessed right the two times I was pregnant was my abuelita. I guess they really do know best!
Image via Joe Schlabotnik/flickr
