“Pushing” is a concept known to all of us! A “push present” is a phenomenon I only recently came across. I didn’t know it was so well-known (apparently more so in America than here in Europe), but ‘push present’ is now a term you can find on Wikipedia.
And as we all know, if it’s on Wikipedia, it must be true… See also the following article in the New York Times.
This has got me thinking…. how exactly does one calculate the value of the pushes? The higher the number of pushes, the higher the value of the present? Take the case of Esther and Courtney: Esther was in labour for 9 hours — does she only get a silver chain? While Courtney with her 149 hours of contractions gets a big fat diamond necklace with a bracelet and some earrings thrown in??? Is this a case of more pain more gain?
I think it is a bit hard to give birth a material value. It is quite likely that I will get a bunch of flowers for all my pushing efforts. But as long as my husband stays up all night with a screaming baby and still gets up in the morning to make me a cup of coffee, then that is a good compromise for me…
-Emilie
Comments (6)
I sort of agree with you, Emilie. I think it’s lovely that other people’s husbands buy them gifts after the baby is born, but I think it’s absurd to assume that this is standard, or to expect it. We don’t have children to receive gifts! (Or at least I didn’t).
That being said, I wouldn’t mind it if my husband took me on a wonderful vacation to somewhere warm and sunny someday when we are all finished having babies! And it could be an accumulative gift for all the hard work over the years (not just the deliveries, but also the putting up with toddlers)! 🙂
xoxo
Well said! I completely agree with Emilie and Courtney. i did not have children to receive gifts but of course I do not discourage them. But I like Courtney’s idea about a wonderful vacation after all the years of hard work. Funny thing is that this concept of a “push present” was mentioned on a sitcom my husband and I watch together and he thought it was absurd. He honestly didn’t believe there is something called a “push present”. Do you measure a push by how long you had to push or how much effort it was considering how big your baby was. My second was 9lbs 6 oz so I think i deserve huge diamond studs, ha ha. Great post, sorry for the rambling.
My husband gave me a beautiful ring after the birth of both my babies (not in the delivery room though – he gave them a couple of weeks after!).
I don’t see it at all as a reward for the pushing; I see the rings as souvenirs for the most beautiful experiences in my life!
There are three rings on my finger: one for my husband (wedding band), one for the birth of my daughter and one for the birth of my son. I think it is a lovely tradition. My grandfather gave my grandmother a beautiful ring after my mother was born. My father gave my mother a beautiful ring after I was born.
People who know me well know that I don’t care much about jewelry. But my three rings mean a lot to me!
Yes, I believe “push-present” is a misnomer. It’s not a reward for pain endured, but a commemorative gift to mark the birth of a child. It doesn’t have to be diamonds; it doesn’t even have to be a ‘thing”. My husband and I went to London when my son was 10 weeks old. I think of that trip as my “push-present” even though it was my suggestion not my husbands! Now that I’m pg with my second I’m planning a trip to Dublin after she’s born.
I really think that push present is not the right name, what about mums having c-sections then??
I think it’s a gift to celebrate an event, sometimes even grandparents give a present to the new mum. It’s a memento of some beaufitul event. It also does not have to be expensive I think, it depends what one can afford. It’s the thought behind that matters!
My husband gave me a diamond and sapphire bracelet when my daughter was born…for me it’s a souvenir of her gorgeous blue eyes. When my son was born, he gave me a pair of diamond stud earrings signifying our two little gems. So even though Americans have placed a crass name on the concept of a birth gift, it’s always the thought that counts.