Monday, April 28, 2008

Too Pushy?



Recently I have heard buzz about "Push Presents". For those of you in the dark, they are gifts a man gives a woman after she just "pushed/birthed" their baby. I first heard of this concept when I was fresh out of college, I had a short stint at a local high end jewelry store which my friend manages. I was doing administrative things for them while I found a permanent job in the wine industry. On several occasions, men came in fresh from the hospital to purchase a diamond necklace, bracelet, earrings, etc. to give to their wives as a "thank you" for going through the labor/c-section of their babies. My friend told me that this new form of gift giving was very common nowadays.


I thought nothing of it until my brother bought my sister in law a diamond pendant necklace with the birth of my niece. Even then, I did not think much about it, however, lately I have heard varrious rumblings on the topic. Not sure what my take on it is. In some instances, I have heard of women expecting a gift when they give birth. And in one case, women compare with eachother their gifts, like it is Show and Tell. The greatest gift is the baby. Seriously, not like that is a wild thought or anything. It is the truth. Sometimes I worry that we get so wrapped up in material things that they forget the meaning of evertyhing.

Then again, if my hubby came prancing up with not only the mandatory dozen pink or yellow roses but also some nice sparkly diamond earrings- I would not protest. If it was a necklace, I would be worried that the baby would want to yank on it. Clearly I have not thought about this at all (umm hmm). I just would hate for husbands to feel obligated to do something like that. It should not be a gesture to simply impress people, but a serious thank you for keeping the bun warm for 9 months and then getting it out. And the biggest gift, besides the baby, would be to have a hubby who is a partner and does just as much as you. But a little bling never hurts either :) Any thoughts?

3 comments:

Christy said...

When Porgie was born, my husband bought a large, comfy rocking chair for me to nurse the baby in. I LOVED it. I think this tradition is sweet.

Jen said...

Yeah, I have never heard of push presents, actually. Nor would I want one. My husband didn't even get me flowers, but even if he had- I honestly would not have even NOTICED. My mind was completely on other things. Plus, he didn't really have any chance to like, "run out and get me something" because he was by my side 24/7- right where I needed and wanted him.

However, like Christy, my hubs bought me a fab rocker which was definitely better than any diamond-something or other!

Anth said...

Push present, eh. I was so high on baby love and exhaustion after both my babies births' that a push present seems like overdoing it. The baby really was enough. And as you say, shouldn't it be????

My husband read somewhere about a breastfeeding present. Not sure if you're planning on bfing, but basically the gist is, you save so much money by bfing, your husband buys you something nice. I loved that idea. It's how I got my Coach bag. :) Plus bfing is such a big commitment, I really did want some recognition from my hubs for my time, energy, and sleep lost. Ha ha