Many moms-to-be (including myself) fixate on their baby’s gender early on in the pregnancy. They desperately “pray for a girl” or are “dying for it to be a boy.” I’ve even heard of some expecting moms getting mildly depressed after they find out the sex and it’s not what they wanted it to be. If you’re like me, you were obsessed with the idea of possibly having a little girl to the point that you knew you’d need a bit of therapy if you found out you were having a boy at the five-month mark (or, as I like to say: before your head caught up with your heart). Do as I did, and make the commitment to NOT FIND OUT. Three reasons why:

1) For the spectacle of it all: Never underestimate the element of surprise! Even the most jaded friends and family will be much more intrigued about your pregnancy. Everyone will have a wacky old wives tale to tell you how you’re carrying, if you’re “glowing” enough to be having a boy, what your Chinese birth chart says, etc…. it’s more FUN to keep all parties guessing (including yourself)! And, when the baby is actually born, it will be as interesting to others as it is to you. People will be calling and emailing from miles away asking if it’s a boy or a girl. There are too few surprises these days… give yourself just this one.

2) For practical purposes: You will get gifts that you actually NEED from your baby shower, friends and relatives… rather than getting 15 hot pink tutus because everyone already knows that you’re having a girl and they “just couldn’t resist” the adorable tulle (leaving YOU to buy the receiving blankets, burp cloths and Diaper Genies that you actually will find useful once the baby comes).

3) To keep your priorities in-check: Now, at seven-and-a-half months along, I still don’t know the sex of my baby, and it’s the best decision I ever made. The silly things I thought about early on in the pregnancy have dissolved. Rather than focusing on dressing my baby in pinks or blues, decorating with princesses or trains, I instead am excited about having my BABY. Boy? Girl? It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I just can’t wait for the surprise-announcement in the delivery room… and to meet the little thing!