Mommy Maven Plans a Gender Reveal Party

To find out or to not find out the sex of your baby?  Until recently 20 weeks was the magic number when we could find out whether we were having a boy or girl or decide to wait until the D day!  Now with new non-invasive blood tests you can find out your baby’s gender as early as 10 weeks, making the decision one that we think about even earlier. As with everything in pregnancy and parenting people seem to have rather strong views about this.  Well, it will be music to your ears to know that I don’t have a strong opinion either way.  I think it is an entirely personally choice and whenever you find out it’s an amazing moment that will change your life forever.  Many wait until the delivery room and if this is what you have chosen the really important thing is you make sure to communicate this to your doctor, nurses and ultrasound technicians so that someone doesn’t slip up along the way.

If you are going to find out the sex of your baby, then you get to think about just how you want to find out.  There are so many fun and exciting ways to do it.  If you simply can’t bear the suspense, you can opt for the ultrasound technician to tell you in the room at 20 weeks, or, if you have taken the new 10 week Harmony Blood test, you can have your doctor call you when those results are available.  Alternatively, you can have your doctor write down your baby’s sex and seal it in an envelope to be opened at a later date.  If you go that route, there are a whole host of possibilities:

* Cake Parties: hand the envelope to a trusty baker and have them make a cake with an interior that is either pink or blue, depending on the sex that your doctor wrote down.  Then have them slap on thick icing and deliver to your party for a cake cutting.  Alternatively you can use cupcakes.  Make sure to request the icing is thick and have a friend handle the cake when it arrives just in case any icing has melted.  You wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.

* Fortune Cookies:  have fortune cookies made with the message inside “its a boy” or “its a girl”.  Lay them on all your guests plates and have one big surprise opening.

* Balloons Party: many couples are now opting for boxes containing either pink or blue balloons.  At the party the couple opens the box and releases a sea of balloons in either pink or blue into the sky.  It makes for an amazing pregnancy keepsake and shareable picture so be sure to have either a great photographer on hand or somebody videoing the moment.

* A little more private:  if you’d rather something a little more private, taking the envelope to a place that is meaningful to both you and your partner is a great idea.  Try the place you met, where you got engaged, married, your favorite place for dinner, the baby’s new room, your church or another place of significance and joy to you.  Just be sure to pick something that feels really special to you.  After all, if you have another baby this may become your tradition.

* Sharing the moment: If you think you like the idea of the private reveal but want to share it later you might consider videoing  your reaction and the piece of paper and then sharing it with friends and family later so they too can share in the surprise.

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are doing it because it’s special to you and your partner, not because someone else thinks you should do it that way.  You will only have one moment, one chance to have that ultimate gender surprise with this baby, so take time and joy choosing which way you’d like to do it.

Tags: party planning