Team green?

We’re currently Team [name_u]Green[/name_u] with our first and due in [name_u]January[/name_u]. We decided to keep it a surprise and find out when the baby is born but there have been times I think it would have been helpful to find out - is all the time talking about a boy name going to be for nothing? Outfits wise, we’ve bought pattern onesies and a few cute and colourful bits that aren’t overly boyish or girlish. We know people will buy us gendered stuff when baby’s here but he/she will be raised to express their own likes/dislikes and not adhere to stereotypes - I hated pink as a kid myself!

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Yes! I suppose since I’ve forced the talking about names early enough hopefully we’ll be prepared regardless! I’m glad I’ve gotten a mix of responses. I too hated pink as a kid.

I think this largely depends on whether baby is your first or your last. For us, we plan to TTC our third later next year which means I would rather find out the sex as I have a ton of boys clothes. If I found out I was having a girl I could sell the boys clothes on or donate them and start buying up girls stuff etc. I am terribly impatient too so knowing the gender feels like we can organise ourselves better. If I had the willpower to not want to know that would be great lol.

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I found out the gender beforehand with my daughter. It helped me plan better for clothes, name, and baby shower, but also for what I needed to research. [name_f]My[/name_f] next child is going to be a surprise, if your SO wants to know then maybe you could find out then have it be a surprise for him?

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Yes this might be how it goes! I hate and love keeping secrets in terms of surprises. So it would be fun.

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We were Team [name_u]Green[/name_u] with our first. It was hardly a discussion, and an instant agreement between the two of us when OH said the words “we may never be able to recreate this level of surprise ever again.”

Gender-neutral didn’t come into play with our reasoning - it was all about that end-game moment. And since we were travelling full time throughout the first half of my pregnancy, I went to so many different clinics and there was so much else going on, that I think made it easier to let go of the information and not dwell on it. We went to the hospital with two names and a green outfit, and it was definitely a moment that I will never, ever forget when OH was able to announce the gender.

With number two, I decided early on that I wanted to know. I was having trouble feeling connected to the baby, was tired of hearing others’ speculation, and wanted to put my own expectations to rest. OH was totally on board, and I the added bonus of being able to plan (during this year where so so much was out of our control) was the best decision for us.

It was no less special finding out together at week 20, and then being able to share that with our loved ones.

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I was reluctantly team green with my first pregnancy. Hubs didn’t want to find out and I certainly did. After honoring his wishes, I am so glad I did and here I am pregnant with my second and we’re team green again, my choice. It was such a very special moment when my husband announced to me we had a boy when he was born. As far as feeling connected, I thinking singing,talking and reading to the baby while pregnant can create such a special bond and especially once you start feeling kicks it’s so very special. Personally, my baby responds to my voice and music. We’ve only been able to find out gender for such a small slice of time compared to how long we’ve been birthing, I think its a tradition best kept. Also, it really gave me some incentive during labor to find out because I was so excited. The patience paid off. Ultimately, it’s your choice but especially if your partner wants to be team green, I’d say give it a try. You can always find out for the next one.

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Thank you for this!! It’s encouraging :blush:

For a while I felt like knowing the sex would help me be better prepared to battle gender issues, but after reading Tomboy by [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] [name_f]Selin[/name_f] [name_u]Davis[/name_u] I’ve changed my mind. It challenged a lot of ideas I had, and has brought me both new concerns about gender and a new sense of peace as well. It’s the first book I’ve ever read on gender - it’s not perfect but has some fascinating points about the history and development of gender.

So now I very much want to be Team [name_u]Green[/name_u] but as a name nerd with great confidence in naming girls but great anxiety about naming boys, I think I might need to know the sex so I can feel confident about their name going into the delivery room.

If I do crack and learn the sex before giving birth, I still plan to keep it a secret from everyone (except my partner). The only problem is that I’m a very open person and I think I’ll have a hard time keeping it a secret!

For themes, I’m not very interested in grey (I’m a colorful person) but I LOVE animals so I think using a non-gendered animal theme (zoo, forest, ocean, etc) will be PERFECT for my child until they’re old enough to make their own decorating choices :slight_smile: