[lettie]

It's a very personal choice Glasgow Guy. From a midwife's point of view, the couples who don't know tend to be more excited on the big day. I have known several scans to be wrong, bearing in mind that 5% will be wrong. For a unit with 4,000 deliveries a year about 200 of those scans will be wrong for the gender of the baby (what is being scanned here is very small).

Many people choose names for both sexes just in case but will change the name a few days after the birth because they feel that the baby doesn't suit the name.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure that it is what you both want. One person knowing and the other not knowing causes problems and arguments. If your other half wants to know but you don't, then I would strongly advise that you don't find out. Remember that your scan is for diagnostic purposes only. The Sonographer will be looking for obvious abnormalities in the baby and placenta, looking at the gender of the baby is merely a courtesy and is not documented in the records, therefore there is no legal comeback if you go out and spend a fortune on baby stuff aimed at one sex.

Whatever you decide, make sure that you have a few quid with you for photos. I think they are currently about £4. People think this is expensive but it is a fraction of the cost of the photo and without that payment the NHS couldn't afford to do them. If you get a photo, store it in a brown envelope and don't expose it to light, it will last longer this way as they fade over time. Photocopy the picture before storage and show people the copy. Most of all, enjoy your scan and be prepared for baby jigging around like a loony during it......... they don't like it you see.