Has Anyone Been Told the Wrong Gender? A Surprise That Sticks

Yep, it happens more than you'd think

Okay, picture this: you're in the ultrasound room, holding your partner’s hand, the tech squints at the screen, and then the magical words:

“It’s a girl!”

Cue tears, nursery plans, pink onesies. And then, boom — delivery day rolls around and out comes… a boy.
Yep. It’s not fiction. It’s happened. Multiple times.

Actually, my friend Megan (we were just talking about this over coffee) had that exact experience. For nine months she called her bump “Sophie.” Then baby boy “Sophie” popped out and left her speechless.
She told me, “I didn’t even have a boy name ready. I think I called him ‘Hey you’ for two days.”

Why does this happen? Isn’t ultrasound, like, super accurate?

The science is solid, but not flawless

Ultrasound techs are good at what they do, but gender prediction isn't 100%.
Here’s why mistakes happen:

• Position of the baby: If legs are crossed, or the umbilical cord is in the way — good luck getting a clear view.

• Timing matters: Before 18–20 weeks, there’s more room for interpretation.

• Tech or human error: Even experienced sonographers can misread the anatomy, especially if it’s a quick scan.

• Rare medical reasons: In super rare cases, babies are born with intersex traits or ambiguous genitalia, which complicates early guesses.

I mean, how often do we guess something based on a shadowy black-and-white image? Imagine calling that guess a lifelong label.

How do parents react? Shock, joy, identity crisis?

All of the above — sometimes all in one day

For some, it’s a quick pivot. “Oh! It’s a boy? Cool.”
But for others, especially when you’ve bonded with a name and image, it can throw you for a loop.

A cousin of mine — let’s call her Jenna — painted her whole nursery lavender. She embroidered “Lila” on a baby blanket. Then when she delivered a boy, she said it took her weeks to mentally “switch gears.”
She confessed something really honest once:

“I felt guilty that I needed time to feel the same excitement. I loved my baby, of course… but I was mourning an idea.”

And wow, that hit me hard.

Should we even find out the gender?

A debate for the ages (and baby showers)

Some parents love the surprise. Others crave the prep time.
But with these mishaps, some now choose to keep it vague — or at least emotionally flexible.

And let’s be real — gender reveals have become a whole event. (Sometimes literally explosive. Just Google “gender reveal wildfire” — yikes.)

Maybe the deeper question is: are we placing too much weight on this single trait before birth?

Lessons from getting it "wrong"

Is it even wrong if the baby is healthy?

When we obsess over the gender and get it wrong, it teaches us something important:
Babies don’t come to fulfill our plans. They come to become themselves.

Megan told me that naming her son took her on a weirdly beautiful journey.
“He ended up being nothing like the little girl I imagined — and thank God. He’s messy and loud and perfect in his own way.”

And now she laughs when she tells the story. But I saw the hesitation in her eyes when she admitted how off-track she felt at first.
And I respect the heck out of that vulnerability.

Final thoughts: gender is one piece, not the whole picture

Yes, people have been told the wrong gender — plenty of them.
Yes, it’s surprising. Sometimes disorienting.
But ultimately, the story of who your child is will be way bigger than a pink or blue onesie.

So if it happens to you? Laugh. Cry. Pivot.
And start getting to know the real little human who showed up.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.