Hospital wouldn't reveal sex of baby at 20 week scan

galvanizersbaby

Perhaps some posters are thinking of this suggestive article written following research by Oxford University - it certainly saddened me when I read it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7123753.stm

or this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jan/22/india.uk

Evansangel

galvanizersbaby wrote: »

Perhaps some posters are thinking of this suggestive article written following research by Oxford University - it certainly saddened me when I read it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7123753.stm

or this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jan/22/india.uk

:eek::(

(message is to short)

patchwork_cat

nottslass wrote: »

I'm not naive enough to think that illegal terminations don't happen.
My job involves the implementation of patient policies and I can assure you that the NHS does not make or base its policies on unsubstantiated rumor about practises that happen illegally or abroard and they certainly wouldn't publish a policy stating "because of the amount of baby girls aborted" when there is no evidence or statistics to back this up.

They would not publish that reason, no. However as this policy is regional it is up to each PCT, presumably, to make their own descion and in my area I am very sure that this reason will have been discussed by the policy commitee. It is not an urban myth of that I am certain. I presume that you are not privy to the policy makers thought processes and believe me in my PCT the policy makers will be well aware of cultural implications

Following on from Galvaniser's baby's links although the conclusion from the stats are supposition these articles back up local knowledge.

thatgirlsam

i work within an extremely ethnic area, as a white woman i am in the minority

from what our sonographers tell us it is not usually asian women wishing to find out the sex of their baby, most asian cultures would abhor any sort of termination, and in fact when severe abnormalitys are detected they do carry on with the pregnancy as that is allah's will

the propagander (sp) you may have heard is nothing short of the medias attempt at stirring up islamaphobia

please do not beleive everything you read in the daily mail!

iceicebaby

I have my 20 week scan on Tuesday and my hospital will tell you the sex although they do say that its not 100% guaranteed. I am going to find out for no other reason other than I want to know. Not because I prefer one over the other or to prepare as its the same preparation whatever, its just because it's possible to find out so I am!

nottslass_2

patchwork_cat wrote: »

They would not publish that reason, no. However as this policy is regional it is up to each PCT, presumably, to make their own descion and in my area I am very sure that this reason will have been discussed by the policy commitee. It is not an urban myth of that I am certain. I presume that you are not privy to the policy makers thought processes and believe me in my PCT the policy makers will be well aware of cultural implications

Following on from Galvaniser's baby's links although the conclusion from the stats are supposition these articles back up local knowledge.

If any hospital had a policy not to reveal a babies gender due to "cultural reasons" I can assure you that the details would have been obtained and published by the gutter press years ago - The information is available to anyone that requests it under the freedom of information act.

Nothing would ever be gained from having such a policy and no terminations would be prevented because any woman supposedly seeking a termination for cultural reasons can have a private scan at 16 weeks.

coolcait

Well, I'm on record as being one of those who is happy to find out if it's a boy or a girl after they're born.

And, from experience, it is pefectly possibly to house and clothe your baby without knowing what 'flavour' you're expecting.

(And, I agree that going for the 'neither blue nor pink' approach makes life a lot simpler and cheaper if you go on have more than one baby).

I didn't want to know. I never asked. But, I was pretty sure that my second baby was going to be glad that I had a lot of white, lemon and mint babygros, and a magnolia nursery. Rather than pink.

The differences were very subtle (unlike the umbilical cord), but it was quite clear that the ultrasound was very different from his sister's.

Maybe some hospitals have signs up saying 'we don't tell you the sex', and others have staff who say 'we can't tell because baby's legs are crossed'.

At the end of the day, most of us have a baby who is male or female (some will be hermaphrodites, but that's rare).

If, for whatever reason, you think you might find it difficult to have a baby of whatever gender, you have all the time in the world to work through those issue before you get pregnant. Generally you have quite a few months to work through those issues once you know you are pregnant. You can do all that work without knowing the gender.

(Being fair to hospital staff, they might use the 'crossed legs' line because they have spent the limited time available for the scan actually checking the health issues. Baby might have been showing off all of his masculine glory, but the staff were too busy making sure that there were no signs of problems - rather than anything else. Personally, I prefer that approach).

thatgirlsam

there is also nothing to stop a woman booking at any hospital she wishes.. any woman wishing to know the sex can book at a hospital that tells you

it may not be convenient to where you live but if your that desperate you can, and anyone wanting a termination after they find out would be

supermaiden

I am currently pregnant and myself and hubby would love to know if we are having a boy/girl before the birth. Im an impatient person anyway but hubby decided he doesnt want the surprise, he wants to know. So hopefully we will be able to find out when the time is right. I dont think its wrong to want to know, I also dont think its wrong to not want to know. Some people want the surprise, some dont, different folks and all that.

mico62

When I had my first, after 3 late miscarriages, my consultant wouldn't tell us the sex, saying after all we'd been through we should be grateful to have got to 20 weeks and any extra weeks would be a blessing.

When I had my 2nd hubby didn't want to know but I did and asked the radiographer. She was only allowed to tell me because it was my 2nd baby. But when I look back at photos I realise that even though I knew what sex the baby would be it wore either white or unisex clothes for the first 3 months.