Strollerderby : Tiffany's

How Many Carats is YOUR Labor Worth?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Push Presents -- the trend of giving a woman a gift for "pushing" out her baby, seems asinine in the extreme. Far be it from me to denigrate another woman's desire for diamonds, but the trend of showering a woman with jewelry for giving birth to a child begs so many questions, I fear for the manhood of this generation. For instance, is 30 hours of labor worth more than only 20? If the labor is all natural is that more valuable than one requiring an epidural or c-section? What about birthing multiples?

It seems a nice card and flowers doesn't cut it anymore. But even as I scoff, I scour Tiffany's "Celebration Rings" (apparently a popular push present) and have to wonder if I'd have needed quite as much Tylenol with Codeine if my finger had been properly adorned with one of these sweeties. For the man who is less well-endowed (financially) there's always the birth diamond, which is "only" $575. And honestly, isn't that cheaper and more efficient than months of marriage counseling to address post-partum resentment?

But don't take my word for it... Listen to the promo of one of the sites pushing these presents: "This keepsake design will forever mark the most meaningful and significant day of a woman's life -- becoming a MOTHER")... ALL CAPS even.. But wait, isn't that what ~~stretch marks~~ babies are for??

Congratulations...it's a Diamond Ring!

aprilpeveteaux — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:45:00 GMT

Having a baby in New York City is already a competitive sport, if you buy into all that crap, but it seems push presents are the new Bugaboo. Now the rest of the country can gasp in horror (or envy) since the Today Show made push presents go national with their segment this morning giving helpful advice on how to find the perfect gift for your lady friend, with one special item going for close to $3,000. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get anything but unpaid time off after the birth of my daughter, but that’s another topic. While you’re waddling down the aisle of Tiffany’s or Fortunoff, you can now register for what you think your kid is worth. Or am I missing the point?

I don’t think it’s bald jealousy of the rich that makes me feel crazy about this concept. After all, I believe any woman who deals with hemorrhoids, going up a shoe size, nausea, migraines and swelling of the eyeballs followed by a bowling ball exiting through either her sensitive lady parts, or sliced and diced right through the ol’ abdomen deserves a round of applause. And maybe a trip to a day spa that accepts nursing mothers. But jewelry? Why does this stick in my craw? Should we sniff at you ladies who we believe are only doing it for the ice (yeah, right) or applaud Tiffany’s and Fortunoff for making it easier to demand your baubles?