The 'push present' trend: Should women be rewarded for giving birth?

The thought of having a baby can be scary. The idea of actually giving birth? Terrifying. So it may not come as a surprise to hear that plenty of men are rewarding their partners for their hard work in the delivery room.

UK jewellers have witnessed a huge rise in the number of new fathers shelling out some serious money for rings to mark the arrival of their child. Jewlr.co.uk reported a 150% increase in ‘mother’s jewellery’ sales in the past six months; a new category that has been created by savvy brands looking to get on board with the Hollywood trend.

‘Push presents’ have been a stalwart in the celebrity world for the past few years. The likes of Kanye West, Jay Z and Ben Affleck have all spent thousands (sometimes even millions) on diamond rings.

Kim Kardashian was rewarded with a rare tiger-striped ring worth £600,000 on the birth of daughter North while Beyonce was given a 10 carat blue diamond after having Blue Ivy in 2012. Similarly, Jennifer Garner received a £500,000 ring from then husband Ben Affleck on the birth of their first child.

Marc Anthony really pushed the boat out, buying Jennifer Lopez a £2.3 million yellow diamond ring and engraved earrings following the arrival of the couple’s twins in 2008. Even the royals are in on the trend with Prince William gifting Kate jewellery from Diana’s private collection after the birth of George in 2013.

Of course, celebrities spending eye-watering sums on unnecessary items is nothing new. But these lavish gifts have crossed the pond, transforming into more affordable items. “A piece of ‘mother’s jewellery’ is a wonderful way for a father to show his admiration and appreciation for his wife or partner for having carried their baby for nine months,” Jewlr founder Tony Davis told the Daily Mail.

Doting dads can take their pick from a wide range of customisable pieces from baby foot rings to styles big enough to fit engravings of your entire family.

The question is: is this what new mums really need? A token of appreciation will never go amiss but it seems more likely that round-the-clock help with the newborn baby would be more welcome.

This trend also puts pressure on people to spend large amounts of money that they may not necessarily have. Where a bunch of flowers would once be acceptable, the expectation for jewellery could end up leaving a significant dent in your bank balance. And with the average cost of raising a child now at a whopping £230,000, most parents will need all the money they can get.

“I am as shallow as a puddle so I’m always game for a present. But I also wince at the idea of being rewarded like a skittish puppy: ‘Well done, pet. Here’s something shiny to distract you from your mangled nether regions,'” commented one mum.

Some women don’t see push presents as a reward. Instead, they view it as their partner acknowledging everything they have had to go through over the course of nine months. “I like the idea of a push present. After nine months of pregnancy, it’s a sweet and well-deserved thank you,” Kim Kardashian wrote while pregnant with Saint. “This pregnancy, I would love a Lorraine Schwartz diamond choker.”

Yet it isn’t just jewellery that new mothers are looking for. Some would rather have designer handbags, expensive watches or even a brand new car.

An article published earlier this year detailed the elaborate gifts women had received with one parenting expert giving her opinion on the phenomenon: “Though many women believe a new baby is the only gift they need, increasing numbers of mums are definitely becoming more vocal about their desire for push presents. But we have also sen a real shift in the number of dads who want to acknowledge the sacrifices their partner has made during pregnancy and birth by marking the occasion with a special gift.”

In a Netmums forum on the topic, several mums voiced their views on whether presents were a necessary part of giving birth. While some were all for the idea (saying that even their great grandmothers received a little something), others believed it was nothing more than a mere sales tactic: “It’s a nice idea but it does seem like a marketing thing to push people into buying things. Seems every event has to be marked by spending money and how much you care has to be shown by how nice the present is.”

In summary, push presents seem to be just another way of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’; yet another thing that could leave people under financial strain and feeling inferior.

Don’t we already have enough of those?

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