One of the latest trends in labor and delivery (yes, there are trends) is the push present. The idea here is that a woman who has endured the tremendous trials of childbirth deserves some reward (you know, in addition to the child and all).
Until I had my own children, I thought this idea was kind of ridiculous. Women have been delivering children for a pretty long time, and so the idea that they now need to be rewarded for it seems like a pretty interesting comment on our times. And isn't the joy of bringing life into the world kind of a big deal anyway?
Well, when I was in the middle of delivering a 10+ lb baby, I had a change of heart. My epidural didn't exactly take, I was having serious back labor, and I wasn't feeling my best. Then the idea of the push present came to mind...why not distract myself from the pain by thinking of some special thing just for me? Realizing that my sushi sacrifice during pregnancy had been considerable, my husband agreed to take me to Morimoto and the deal was made.
We still haven't gone.
And I still kind of think the whole push present thing is silly. Diamond earrings, $700 diaper bags, post-partum plastic surgery are "common presents" I hear about and the extravagance seems so misguided. In contrast, my sister-in-law did get two charms for her two sons, each with the child's respective birth stone, and I thought that was really sweet. And reasonable.
I guess I am just curious to see what everyone else thinks. Has our extravagant consumerism infiltrated even the most sacred, and special of life's gifts? Or, should we take advantage of the means we may be blessed with, and commemorate a priceless occasion?
Feel free to post a comment about an extravagant example, your own push present, or your general opinions about the trend.
In the meantime, I thought I'd help keep things in perspective:
Reports are just coming in that Marc Anthony just gave J. Lo her push present: a pair of diamond earrings worth $2.65 millon.
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