Is it OK to be disappointed by the sex of your baby?
Whether you choose to find out at your 20-week pregnancy scan or you wait until you’ve actually given birth, discovering the sex of your baby is one of life’s biggest surprises.
But as it turns out, not everyone is happy with the outcome. New research reveals that one out of three parents-to-be are disappointed in the sex of their baby, with nine in 10 (91 percent) revealing they wanted a specific gender.
What’s more, of those expecting a baby that is not their preferred sex, one in 20 people stated that they would not have planned to have the baby if they had known in advance they would not be pregnant with the sex of the baby they wanted.
The research from VoucherCodesPro.co.uk was conducted as part of an ongoing study into expectant Britons. The team quizzed 2,180 U.K.-based adults aged 18 and over who were expecting a baby and who already knew the sex of their unborn child.
Respondents were then asked if their baby is the sex they expected/wanted, to which just over half (52 percent) said no, with one in three (32 percent) admitting they were “disappointed” by the gender reveal for their child.
When the expectant parents were asked if the sex would have been a “deal breaker” if they had known in advance what they would have, one in 20 respondents (5 percent) stated that they would not have planned to have a baby if they had known they would not get the gender they wanted.
Of the 52 percent who said they were not having the gender they originally wanted, 71 percent said they had already picked out a name for the baby of their preferred sex.
Commenting on the findings, George Charles, spokesman for Voucher Codes Pro, said: “It’s hard not to have expectations in life, and occasionally these expectations will leave us disappointed. This is no different when it comes to pregnancy.
“Of course those expectant parents will still love their child to bits no matter the sex, but if you have your heart set on a boy or a girl, of course you may feel a little pang of disappointment when you find out that isn’t what you were getting. I think shaming parents for feeling this is wrong — we’re all human!”
The fact is that for some parents, this disappointment can be all too real, so much so that some parents actually opt to pick the sex of their next baby via a procedure known as gender selection.
Though gender selection procedure is illegal in the U.K., many parents, like model Danielle Lloyd, consider traveling abroad to choose the sex of their baby. The mother of four recently opened up about her plan to ensure her next child is a girl.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
How I lost 150 pounds: ‘My dream of becoming a mother kept me motivated’
Jessica Biel, Kerry Washington, Pink, and more celeb moms on post-baby body pressure
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