Happy birthday Ysabella

It's my little girl's birthday today. She's 12. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I can remember so many things about the day she was born so clearly.

I didn't want to know the sex of either of my babies but found out both times before they were born, by accident.

I was just about to have my first baby dragged out of my guts when the doctor, who had his hands groping around in my stomach, said something like 'He's very big'. To which the senior doctor, with a cross face, said 'The mother didn't want to know the sex of her child before the birth'. Ok, it was literally seconds before he emerged, so that wasn't too bad, but it was a bit careless on the junior doctor's part.

After my emergency caesarian with Theo, I had a planned c. section with Ysabella. There was another lady in the bed next to me as we waited to go into theatre. We were both strapped up having our babies' heartbeats monitored. She knew she was having a girl. I knew that in the 'olden days' one way they told the sex of a baby was it's heart rate. I don't know which way round it is but one sex has a significantly higher heart rate than the other. Our babies' heart rates were identical, therefore I knew I was having a girl about 4 or 5 hours before she was born.

My sister wanted to know so she could decorate the nursery accordingly - and because she doesn't like surprises. (Although she was quite surprised to find out she was pregnant in the first place!) So, knowing she was having a boy she decorated the nursery pale green with a giraffe theme to accommodate her massive giraffe collection. Erm, wouldn't that have been suitable for a girl too?

A friend of mine wanted to know the sex of her baby as soon as possible. She was having a boy, and within days they had chosen a name, Mark. She used to say things like 'When Mark comes' and When Mark arrives' and it sounded more like she was expecting a visitor than having a baby. And it was that that really put me off wanting to know.

I'd have preferred to have know more useful stuff like 'Will my baby be a total prat when he's 15' or 'Will my daughter expect to be waited on hand and foot all her life'.

And then I could have planned accordingly.