Undoubtedly, everyone loves their children for whoever they are, but it still may be a little disheartening if the gender isn't what a family initially hoped for. Taking to popular forum Mumsnet, a father who is expecting a child admitted his underlying fear that he'll never have his own baby girl after finding out his wife's pregnant with their third son.
In the post, the unnamed man described her heartache as his little ones celebrated that they have a baby brother on the way. However, they were unaware of their dad's heart-dropping realisation that his visions of having a daughter could merely remain as a dream.
He explained: "Watching my two sons celebrating that they are having another baby brother, their dad, me, a single child - who spent the last 25 years dreaming that one day I will have a daughter of my own - has come to a realisation that this dream will stay a dream for the rest of my life.
"As a grown-up, I understand that I must 'stay strong', 'accept the fact', 'many parents dream to have three boys', 'be happy that the baby boy is healthy', and 'move on with my life'.
"On the other hand, I am extremely worried that deep in my mind I will never accept the fact of not having a daughter for the rest of my life.
"The negative energy of 'dream not come true' accumulates and one day it will explode," he admitted.
"Of course, I'd like to prevent it from happening, but I have no idea where to start, it'd be lovely to know how parents who have already been through this and successfully moved on!
"Should I see a psychologist?" The man questioned, seeking advice.
Taking to the comments of the post, fellow users were incredible supportive and were keen to put the dad's thoughts at ease.
One person said: "Gender disappointment is a real thing and you mustn’t feel bad about it. What I would do is ask myself what I think a daughter could bring to your life that a son couldn’t.
"Either way, take care of yourself, and don’t judge yourself so hardly."
Another agreed: "This is something that is close to your heart so I think that you need to allow yourself to grieve.
"It is a loss of something you very much hoped for. And from my experience of grief (for something different) it really does get easier over time."
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