Tree surgeon Jon Sterkel told the BBC he used an explosive rifle target which sent blue smoke billowing into the air.
The blast was reportedly so loud that it was heard nearly 5km (3 miles) away.
Mr Sterkel has apologised after causing a police alert. He said that he was not aware his actions were illegal.
"The explosives I bought are readily available in most department stores, and even most law enforcers I have spoken to are not aware that they are illegal," he told the BBC.
He said that he had detonated exploding targets before on his remote farmland west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, without upsetting anyone.
How are new babies celebrated around the world?
He said that Saturday's explosion contained blue smoke - caused by chalk powder - to tell the outside world that his wife Ashley is expecting a baby boy.
Mr Sterkel, 26, can be heard proclaiming "it's a boy!" on the video of the explosion which has been widely featured on numerous US websites.
But the blast was so loud that police in nearby Scottsbluff were alerted, with some residents concerned that a major disaster had taken place.
Mr Sterkel said that he immediately called the local sheriff to explain what had happened in addition to  apologising for his actions.
"I would like to say sorry for all of the confusion," he said. "I am a man of character and will willingly go to court if the district attorney chooses to prosecute me.
"This was just our way of announcing what gender our baby was."
Mr Sterkel faces charges for detonating the explosive without a valid permit. There was no damage or injury but he could be punished with a prison sentence and a fine of $1,000 (Â£800).
Police told the Omaha World Herald that although exploding targets, which are detonated when shot with a high powered rifle, have recently become popular, people who use them need to follow the correct procedures.
Mr Sterkel told the BBC that he does not plan any more spectacular blasts once the baby, his first child, is born around 16 June.
And the baby's name? "Possibly Wesson, in honour of the rifle maker Smith and Wesson," he said.

The protest, organised by the GMB union, took place outside a meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CPCCG).
The union said outsourcing the multi-million pound contract was a move towards breaking up the NHS.
But the CPCCG said the bidders were a mix of named NHS and private providers.
Steve Sweeney, GMB regional organiser, said the protest near the Masonic Hall in Cambridge was part of its "fight to defend NHS services".
He said: "The NHS should be publicly run, publicly owned and publicly accountable."
Five bidders are in the running:
Clinical lead for the CPCCG's older people's programme Dr Arnold Fertig said: "There is a mix of named NHS and private providers bidding in the procurement process.
"This process is about getting the best possible health services for older people and providing them in joined-up and innovative ways.
"The intention is that older people will experience a much better service than what is currently being offered. We are following a legally agreed procurement process."
A US man who celebrated news that his wife was expecting a baby boy by setting off an explosion in Nebraska is facing police action which could result in a year in jail and a fine.
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A demonstration against outsourcing Cambridgeshire healthcare services for older people has been held as bidders for the contract were announced.