I didn't find out the gender for my first, but did for my 2nd and 3rd.

As they are all boys, my dream-come-true would be a girl this time and I am going to find out.

For a few reasons....firstly because this is my last chance to have a girl and I need to know early so that I have time to "grieve" (yes, strong word but when you've wished and hoped as much as I have, it will be disappointing to have another boy) and then I can put it aside and get on with the rest of my pregnancy and loving and preparing for a new little boy to join my world.

Secondly because due to recent circumstances, I am on my own and need to prepare the nursery on a very very limited income. My other children are much older so I literally have to start again from scratch. Knowing the gender will make things so much easier for me because I can just shop for what I need and not waste money on "what if" purchases. And I won't have to rely on anybody else to go shopping for me afterwards if I just purchase neutral gender items and decide that I really want a little boy or little girl outfit to bring the Peanut home in.

Lastly, because my other children have "issues" which require careful management and they need to know if they are preparing for a brother or a sister. They need to reconcile the new arrival in their own minds and even be able to call him/her by name. That is a huge part of their own individual comfort zones.

I did briefly entertain the thril of the "it's a ....." announcement in the labour ward, but for the reasons above decided to follow my head (and heart to a large extent) and find out.

Lisa