For What to Expect's "What I Wish I'd Known" series, moms and dads share the wisdom they’ve gained since first becoming parents. 

"It's a boy!" Hearing those words in the delivery room came as a surprise. My husband and I had waited all nine months to find out our second baby's sex, and now we finally knew. 

When I held our screaming boy in my arms — and he was a screamer — I couldn't help but feel guilty about my wide range of emotions. He was healthy, which was the most important thing. But still, I felt a twinge of disappointment. We had decided to be a two-and-done family, so already a boy mom of one, I then knew I would never have a girl. In all of the nesting and organizing I had done for this baby, I hadn't quite prepared emotionally for this moment.  

Joining "team green" — a.k.a. waiting to find out your baby's sex at birth — is a fun and exciting decision, but there are a few things you can learn from my experience. Here's how to avoid a spoiled surprise while still guarding your heart a bit, too.

Want to keep the sex a surprise? You're in a slim minority 

Only 7% of moms wait to learn whether they're having a boy or girl, a What to Expect survey found. That's maybe because learning the sex of your baby during pregnancy is easier to do earlier than ever. 

Expectant moms can get non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to screen for congenital abnormalities as soon as week 9. This test can also reveal the sex of your baby with 99% accuracy. 

It's hard to resist finding out — and my husband and I didn't wait with our first baby. Cutting into a cake from our favorite bakery, we learned we were having a boy by seeing a blue band of frosting. The casual gender reveal we did with our parents and siblings (some via FaceTime) was intimate and special. 

Plus, it made choosing a name, setting up the nursery, and buying clothes easier. Knowing the sex also made things seem more "real" and allowed us to better imagine our future as a growing family. 

But with number two, we decided to wait. This time around, we knew how little you actually need to have on hand when you bring home a baby. They'd sleep in a bassinet in our room for the first couple of months, so nursery decor didn't have to be pre-purchased. In the hazy newborn days, it didn't matter which three or four outfits they spit up on. We were going to reuse what we had, I was happy with that decision.

6 things to remember before going team green

I'll get real with you, though — there are some challenges with joining team green. Here are my best tips for parents who go down this path:

1. Be upfront with every provider

Picture this: A nurse or OB/GYN walks into the room. The first thing you should immediately say is, "Hi, we're waiting to find out the sex. Please don't let us know!" Say this even if you're sure it's written in your file. Say this even if you told them last time you were here. 

You don't want to hear any accidental slip-ups like, "how's that little boy doing?" or, "he's looking great!" A little extra caution is key.

2. Realize that you may be questioned

It's interesting how often people have opinions about others' lives that don't matter. Everyone from the cashier at the grocery store to close friends and family might question why you don't want to know. You can answer this any way you'd like, but I found a firm "Oh, we think it's fun not to know!" was good enough. 

3. Have someone else open your NIPT results

When I was pregnant, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) had different recommendations for the NIPT, so I didn't end up getting the test. However, my OB/GYN office now has signs plastered all over the walls warning moms that the test results will appear in your online medical portal before your provider has had a chance to review them. These results will also include the sex of the baby, and this info cannot be hidden. 

The key takeaway here: Make sure that you have a trusted person open the paper or digital results of the NIPT test. Trusted being the key word — this should not be the enthusiastic friend who will tell the group chat, and it should not be your mother-in-law if she's going to inconspicuously buy a bunch of pink onesies. Another option is to wait to hear the results from your doctor (but again, remember to tell your OB/GYN that you’re waiting to know the sex). 

4. Have "boy" and "girl" names picked out

You'll want to discuss both boy and girl names and have options (or the option) that you feel equally strong about. With our baby, we loved the gender-neutral name, Avery. Traditionally, it's more of a boy's name; nowadays, it's often a girl's name. Today, there are both male and female Averys at my son's school, so it all worked out. We also had two separate middle names picked out, depending on the sex. 

5. Prepare for potential gender disappointment

Honestly, I think one of the reasons we jumped on team green was because we wanted to keep the excitement — or possibility — alive for having a girl. Deep down, we had a gut feeling it would be another boy. This way, we could say, "Well, you never know!" 

I thought that when the baby came, all of the excitement over the baby being here would outweigh any disappointment I might have about it being another boy. But then when that initial rush did die down, we quickly realized that we were a boy family and that we wouldn't have a little girl. 

At the time, we both felt kind of sad. My husband would have been a great girl dad, and for the longest while, I felt as if I still had a little girl waiting for me. There were evenings when I felt very sad that that would not happen, and many times when I wanted to open the discussion of having number three. But I don't think I was ready to have a third child, boy or girl.

It's tough to say when it's best to work through these emotions: during pregnancy or after delivery? What I do know is there are a lot of conflicting feelings when you're so happy with the baby you've got, but you're also mourning one that you won't have. I don't have the right answers here, but it's something to think about for yourself. 

6. Things may not go as planned during delivery

Fortunately, I had uncomplicated births for both of my boys. Not everyone is that lucky. It's possible that your birth plan may not go, well, as planned, tarnishing the big gender reveal. 

For instance, if there's a NICU rush immediately at delivery, you may not get the "it's a boy" moment you're hoping for. Remember that any feelings you have about the birth — even when you and baby leave the hospital healthy and safe — are valid. 

My "baby" boy is now almost 8. (He'd be so mad if he knew I called him a baby, so I take it back.) Overall, I'm glad we hopped on team green. It made me (sort of) look forward to labor, and it also took the pressure off of trying to prep and buy everything we'd need. I also didn't have to plan a gender reveal, something I had far less time to worry about with a 2-year-old in tow. As for the gender disappointment? It slowly eased up until it didn't exist anymore. I'm a boy mom, and I couldn't love it more.