That was the news we blasted out to our close friends and family, with great enthusiasm yesterday when the scan showed that baby number 2 was going to be a girl.

"I'm having a baby sister!

We were excited, because it's another addition to the family, and relieved that I wasn't going to have to run out and buy everything else in blue or white, if baby number 2 is going to be a boy. Truth be told, we were happy that the scan showed baby developing and growing well and all arms, fingers, limbs, eyes etc were in the right place, which meant that it's likely she's going to be healthy.

The part that my husband and I were not expecting were the varied reactions that came back to us when we shared the news. My mother-in-law rang my husband and immediately offered a consolatory reply: "It's okay la, never mind that it's a girl." My husband, who by then was shocked and furious replied: "Of course it's okay, I'm very happy with the news."

My parents reacted with less bias, but they said: "Oh okay what, healthy can already." Blah! They didn't seem as excited, were they hoping to have a grandson, or was the news of baby number 2 not so newsy anymore? I couldn't tell the difference and my husband and I agreed that the expectations were there, that if we had a girl, a boy would be the answer to a perfect family.

I disagree, since I'm from a family of one other sibling, yes a brother and my husband is the youngest of 3 boys. But we sure know what it means to be blessed with a child, boy or girl, and we do not take for granted when our doctors tells us that the foetus is healthy, or the baby is developing well. Afterall, we've had our fair share of grief having lost my first-born, and Maegan is a definite joy.

Are we disappointed that we don't have a son? Perhaps, but there isn't anything like having a child, who is precious in his or her own right. I told my husband that I was so thankful he wasn't into the entire "have a son to carry on the surname" tradition, and to make myself feel better after hearing our parents' reaction, I assured myself that at least baby number 2 is healthy.

But my husband made one remark and he said: "Any child, healthy or otherwise, is precious in our sight." Suddenly, it made the entire issue of having a boy or a girl seem so insignificant. He was right, why did I have to console myself with health, to replace the feeling of not having a boy? We were and still are overjoyed by the fact that Maegan's going to have a sister. We even prepared a female name when I found out I was pregnant. But I realised that societal expectations, especially from the family can have such a strong influence and impact on us, that it can rob away the joy we first had.

So we bounced back stronger than before, and told everyone who consoled us that we're very happy, and that they should too, because that's exactly how we want to welcome baby number 2, with loads of celebration, joy and excitement. Plus, my husband says he gets to buy two baseball bats now, for when each girl turns 16. I say, there's going to be girl-power in the household, which just means Daddy's got to get past 3 girls before he can buy his PS3.