The first time I heard about a ‘push present’ I was almost 30 years old, pregnant with my first child and watching another educational episode of something on Bravo. My husband was with me, (not pregnant, and not really watching Bravo) and my comment to him was something along the lines of ‘isn’t the baby the gift?’ and he agreed. My thinking is if the dad wants to treat the mom, why should anyone tell them it’s not ok? Don’t people buy gifts for each other ‘just because’ all the time? I guess I don’t understand why the internet is so broken up over women like Kim K getting diamonds, if they have the means to do it, why not. If a mom and dad can’t financially go all out, but he wanted to do something there isn’t anything wrong with that either. I wouldn’t have been upset at all if all I received after having a baby (besides the little bundle of joy) were some cookies. Or all the cookies. But, a little bling never hurt either.
Imagine my surprise when, a few weeks or months later we were exchanging my 30th birthday gift at Richter and Phillips (he had bought me a birthday gift that I completely loved, and was exactly the same as something I already owned!) the mention of a push present was brought up again. In typical fashion the replacement gift I wanted was wayyyy out of the budget, but my husband said it was ok, as long as it could double as my push present when our child was born. I had never asked for, nor expected, a push present, but he seemed determined that was what was going to happen and it did.
I agree with a lot of what I read about push presents, to this day, and that is the fact that my child is the most wonderful gift I could ever receive. However, since my husband and I usually don’t go all out for gifts (one year I got a water softener for my birthday, true story!) the fact that he thought something extra for what I was experiencing as a pregnant lady who was sick after almost every meal for 9 months was really nice. He appreciated the ‘sacrifice’ I was going through for our family that he was unable to experience himself. (I put ‘sacrifice’ in quotes because that is his word, not mine, while I hated pregnancy I did want children and getting them was not a ‘sacrifice’).
The second time around I never expected anything, especially since I was no longer working and I didn’t think it was either necessary or in the budget. Imagine my surprise when a courier delivered another Richter and Phillips bag to St Elizabeth’s hospital! As much as I love, love, love, my first push present, the second tops the cake. It is another birthday/push present combo, and has birthstones of my sons and I in it, which is, in my opinion the most perfect push present. Having a baby isn’t about the mom, it’s about the family, and meeting the newest love of your life, which the ‘mom necklace’ fits perfectly.
