Should Childbirth Earn the Mom Some Bling?

Some Parents Push Back Against Push Gifts

But not all mothers think push gifts are a good idea; some are appalled at the idea of a mother coming to expect anything more than the love and support of her partner during and after her pregnancy.

Christine Koh, a 35-year-old mother of one, said that her "stomach turned" when she first heard about push gifts.

"I really am of the kind that thinks the baby is the gift," said Koh, the editor and founder of BostonMamas.com, a site that provides resources to New England-area mothers.

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"I do appreciate the idea of a partner showing a woman appreciation for carrying and delivering a baby, but my opinion is that the best push present is the tangible and the necessary -- water, foot and back rubs and a home-cooked dinner," said Koh.

"The materialism of the concept of push presents is very odd to me," she added.

Kirsten Chase, a mother of three in Atlanta, Ga., said that no gift can match what a woman goes through during labor.

"I think push presents are really silly because there is nothing you're going to be able to buy a woman that is going to equal her pushing out a baby," said Chase. "Oh, so you gave her a diamond ring? I'm not sure that's even good enough."

"Just give her a nice present and you don't have to call it anything," suggests Chase, 32, who runs the site Coolmompicks.com, where she says gifts that would fit the bill are available, but not labeled as push gifts.

And what about the people who have now become expected to deliver their wives something to thank them for their baby?

Danny Evans, father of two in Orange County, Calif., said he did not buy into the push gift trend and never gave his wife anything after she gave birth.

"I find the whole idea strange because you get a kid at the end of the pregnancy -- that should be the gift," said Evans, who writes a satirical Daddy blog, Dadgonemad.com.

"I can't imagine how a first-time dad would have the wherewithal to think, 'I should go buy my wife an iPhone or something to celebrate this great day' -- there is just too much going on," he said.

"And I think it's ridiculous for the woman to expect it," added Evans. "Just because the dad isn't doing the work doesn't mean he's just twiddling his thumbs.

"He's stressed out and busy putting together strollers and car seats and so on," he said. "There is a time for gifts at anniversaries and birthdays, but having a new baby in the house is just not the right time to go out shopping."