https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:48:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148776 Fri, 04 May 2012 19:58:07 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 148776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me, the planning meant fantasizing about her future, visualizing what she might look like, the activities she might choose etc. </p> <p>Team green is great, it just wasn't right for our first baby. With the second, we would have been happy either way... And it's not like we had a choice :)</p> <p>I think both ways are fun and valid having been down both roads and it really just depends on what is right for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148714 Fri, 04 May 2012 19:06:44 +0000 cupcakemama 148714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For us we wanted that moment, after LO was born, where the dr or dh said "it's a ...". I don't see how being team green stops you planning anything. People say that all the time, "i had to know so I could plan", I always wonder, plan what?</p> <p>Not many people here find out so I am used to the build up of anticipation of whether it's a boy or girl. I'll be honest that when the sex and name are known beforehand the birth is a bit of an anticlimax - you already know all the info. That's just me though.</p> <p>For us it's similar to a first look at a wedding. Some people like it because of the practicalities. I wouldn't have traded that moment when dh first saw me as I walked towards him to marry him for anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148490 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:55:11 +0000 MamaMoose 148490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Most of my reasons for being team green have been covered. But I'll add one more. I've had a lot of people tell me that wanting to find out the baby's gender really helped them to get through labor when they didn't want to keep pushing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148476 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:41:28 +0000 theknest 148476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Minnie_Girl: Good point on the gender/sex statement. However, some people are ok with gender biases. Honestly, I would have a hard time dressing my son in pale yellow. Wrong? Maybe. Does it bother me? Nope.</p> <p>Good thing we are lucky enough to have the choice - wait and find out or find out early. Best of luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148462 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:33:32 +0000 looch 148462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was team green and I have to say it was the best decision we made. I've only had that pregnancy so I can't say if I was more or less bonded than if I had known the sex officially...I write that because I knew that it was a boy all along. Mother's intuition. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148419 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:12:17 +0000 Minnie_Girl 148419@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: I doubt that people who are team green feel like they're less bonded with their child. :) Men do seem to be out of the loop a bit during pregnancy just because they're not experiencing the physical side. </p> <p>Does your husband feel like he'd bond better with the baby because he can refer to it as he/she? You can do that anyway without knowing! Does he want to daydream about things he'll do with the child? He can imagine playing softball with his little girl or dressing up his little boy for the ballet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148412 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:07:59 +0000 hellobeeboston 148412@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: excellent list. Thank you! so many great points... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148409 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:06:40 +0000 LuLu Mom 148409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm extremely type A so there was no question about whether we would find out. I also want to start bonding with the baby in a way that I can call it by its name and use the specific gender pronoun. </p> <p>DH orginially was wanting to be team Green, but has agreed to find out with me as he knows its importantto me to be as prepared as possible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148408 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:05:08 +0000 hellobeeboston 148408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Minnie_Girl: fixed the error... and the biggest reason is that my husband feels that he would feel better connected / able to bond with the baby knowing if it's a boy or a girl. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148405 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:03:17 +0000 DillonLion 148405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really wanted to be Team Green, because I wanted DH to announce the sex to me as soon as the baby was born, but he has already said he wants to find out ASAP. I'd still like him to be the one to tell me, though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148404 Fri, 04 May 2012 14:02:57 +0000 hellobeeboston 148404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: great list! thank you... having others know &amp; getting 5 little sailor outfits or 10 pink tutu's like you said is exactly what I want to avoid. I actually want the gender neutral stuff for the newborn... </p> <p>@Arden: great point. we could find out, just the 2 of us, then not tell anyone, pretend that we don't know..... that could be good!</p> <p>yeah, our biggest thing is we don't want our baby to be super pink or blue.... i don't want the kid to think they have to be either princess or superhero, you know? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148401 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:59:58 +0000 Honeybee 148401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I loved being Team Green with both my pregnancies; for me, I never cared to find out, but my husband did struggle a bit with our first. I was about 7 months along when he told me he wanted to find out. I told him to "suck it up because we're almost done." :) We were both way more committed to being Team Green with #2, though; it was easier because we were both motivated to relive the "big reveal" we experienced the first go around.</p> <p>For me, the pros to being Team Green were:<br /> - I didn't have any expectations, so I couldn't be disappointed. I felt like, if they had told me the sex during pregnancy and they were wrong, I might have experienced some gender disappointment.<br /> - It was a lot of fun. Being Team Green builds up a lot of excitement around the birth, not just for my husband and me, but for our friends, family, coworkers, etc.. We had a lot of fun guessing/talking about what sex the baby might be during pregnancy.<br /> - We truly did not care about the sex for either child. We wanted one of each, but we plan on having three kids, so the sex of the first two didn't matter. Now we have one girl and one boy, so the sex of the third won't matter, either. :)<br /> - Practically, pretty much everything we bought/received as gifts for DD we could reuse for DS. It was fun to celebrate both of their births by going on a shopping spree, though. Kinda the best of both worlds: practical gifts during pregnancy and fun, gender-specific gifts/purchases after the baby comes.<br /> - Birth is incredible on it's own, but finding out the sex right after birthing my babies added another dimesion for me, I think. I think part of it was just the build up; another part of it was that everything is amplified by the excitement of birth, just because your hormones and emotions are already running high. Birth in itself was amazing, but then hearing the big announcement put it over the top, for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148395 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:53:35 +0000 mrs. wagon 148395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a huge planner, but Wagon Sr. really really wanted to find out naturally by looking (or hearing the doctor exclaim "it's a boy!"). He's all about romance and spontaneity. And he explained that this was the one thing he could experience in terms of the pregnancy since the mom experiences all the physical stuff. And I could appreciate that. And since I'm not crazy on pink and he's not crazy on blue, I figured might as well entertain his ONE wish because we'd probably go all neutral colors anyway. </p> <p>We prepared a boy and girl list of names and got all gender neutral stuff (which is a money saver for baby #2 if it's the opposite gender anyway!) and honestly, once we made the decision to be team green, I was ok with it. We also decided not to have the u/s tech write it down because, as I explained, if it was in an envelope, I'd open it on the way home. Haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148386 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:47:14 +0000 heffalump 148386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first we found out because I wanted to, next time we'll go team green for dh.</p> <p>Pros: gender neutral stuff in case you have a second<br /> The fun surprise</p> <p>Cons: for lo we got lots of cute personalized stuff as gifts, wouldn't have done so if we were team green<br /> can't plan out everything, like name.<br /> People will be annoying asking and making comments </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148377 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:39:29 +0000 Minnie_Girl 148377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>FYI: People are born with a sex, not a gender. Sex is a biological difference and gender is a social construct. </p> <p>I don't see what difference it makes to find out the sex early.</p> <p>I'm "team green," and get really curious about the sex too. Sometimes it's simple curiosity...but more frequently I feel that way because there's so much pressure to find out for GENDER reasons. </p> <p>Gendering is tempting, but personally, I like to remind myself that it doesn't matter. There's no excuse I can think of to find out early that isn't rooted in gender biases. So, I'm sticking with team green. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148366 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:32:34 +0000 mamimami 148366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh I forgot to mention... at least in my case, once we decided not to find out, it really wasn't all that hard. It was a decision we made and that was that!</p> <p>And yes, unless you are doing a bris or some other ceremonial type circumcision, at least in our case, there was no planning necessary... they explained the pros and cons in the hospital and offered to do it right then and there if we wanted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148359 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:29:32 +0000 theknest 148359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To add to sloaneandpuffy's list - if it's your first one and you plan on having more - no matter if you find out or not - gender neutral baby gear (car seats, stroller, bouncers, etc) is the way to go! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148358 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:28:57 +0000 Arden 148358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We plan on being team green. Why?<br /> -Our nursery decor will be gender neutral anyway<br /> -We really don't want pink and blue stuff and clothes, we prefer neutrals<br /> -We aren't circumcising a boy, so no need to plan that<br /> -We have name lists for both genders and plan on waiting till we meet the baby to choose a name anyway<br /> - We find that team green parents receive far more useful gifts at baby showers, like gear, instead of clothes.</p> <p>Here's an option though - find out, but don't tell anyone you know. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148351 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:25:43 +0000 mamimami 148351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Team Green Pros:<br /> - gender neutral gifts (you can reuse!)<br /> - practical gifts (not 10 pink tutus)<br /> - fun surprise<br /> - drives other people crazy (in a fun way)<br /> - it's kind of like a secret club, fun and offbeat</p> <p>Our nursery was gender-neutral, we had name possibilities for both, so practically speaking there was no problem. On the contrary, I think it was a very practical choice, since now we can reuse our nursery and a lot of baby things no matter what.</p> <p>Now, like I mentioned on the other thread, it's harder for me to stay committed to green for number two. I feel like it matters more. For number one, it really doesn't matter in 99% of cases! Now, the future of our family (size, logistics, etc.) sort of depends on this baby's gender! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148344 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:21:26 +0000 Rubies 148344@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found out the gender because I like knowing and planning and it helped me visualize this little baby inside of me. The idea of being team green is appealing but if I could go back and re-decide, I'd still want to find out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148342 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:19:19 +0000 theknest 148342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It all depends on the kind of person you are. I'm very type A, so knowing the gender helped me feel more prepared, organized, etc. We found out the same way your SO suggested, sealed envelope at home. We still got the "surprise - it's a ......" moment, just a little earlier than some. </p> <p>Here were the main pros for us:<br /> -Focus on one gender for names<br /> -Purchase gender specific outfits (at sale prices!)<br /> -Decorate the nursery for specific gender<br /> -Prepare for circ. for our son</p> <p>It's funny how many people will give you crap (I'm sure it's the same for Team Green) or roll their eyes when they find out, you decided to find out what you're having. I would get upset, when I felt "judged" for the decision I made. People would always say, "Well don't you want to be surprised?" - my response was always, "we were/will be" - eventually I got over it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148331 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:10:55 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 148331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For Lala we opted to not be team green because I needed some help with bonding and picturing the little one I was carrying. It was also really nice in planning and purchasing. With Maisie, there was an indication that she could be a girl, but there was only one US and it was a maybe... so we played on team green. It was very fun to look at her after birth and say, "She's a girl!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pros-amp-cons-to-team-green#post-148326 Fri, 04 May 2012 13:07:21 +0000 hellobeeboston 148326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hey all.... We are 4 weeks away from our anatomy scan &amp; possibly being able to find out the sex. Since I found out I got pg I wanted to be team green. As the A/S is approaching though, I am feeling more &amp; more tempted to find out!!</p> <p>My husband wants to find out (sealed envelope, look at home together or with family).... and he's mentioned a few reasons why.... I had him on Team Green for a while, but he's going back to wanting to find out. He also says I can make the decision.</p> <p>SO. What do you all think?! I am one of those people that likes to know everything -- so knowing that I could know this, and deciding against it is tough. Finding out will not change how I decorate the nursery (really) i have a nice theme in mind that could go either way. I also don't want a pile of blue or pink stuff. </p> <p>Help me decide!! </p>