We all want a healthy baby. There is no question about that, so it’s rarely even a spoken question, just an assumption. The real questions start to come when you discuss the sex of your baby. Do you want a girl or a boy?

That is certainly a loaded question. Some would argue that we all have a preference, even if we don’t admit it. Others openly say that only sometimes does the preference surface, for example if you already have a boy and this time you’d like a girl or vice versa. Is it ever a problem to desire one sex over another?

The mother of four boys might say that her desire to have a baby girl overrides the reality that the statistics are against her. Will her desire for a baby girl impact her relationship with her sons? For most of us the answer is no. We simply grieve the loss of the dream of the sex we had hoped for and move on.

Though there are some women and their partners who actually experience more than a passing depression over the sex of their baby. For these people, counseling to explore their feelings is a must, even if they feel that it does not effect their relationship with their child. The feelings will come out, even if in small ways. There are also couples who choose to do sex selection techniques to ensure the sex of their next baby, like sex, Shettles Method, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, etc.