Baby Showers...

Lawless_Samurai

Just a quick question on baby showers...

Do lads go to baby showers or is it just a thing the girls get together and do???

silja

Never seen a baby shower in Ireland, I thought that was just a thing done in the USA!
I know there, it's usually only the female friends and relatives, unless you get given a second shower at work, in which case it's usually mixed male/female.

killwill

It's only a girl thing. My better half is from Canada and seeing as her family is so far away and they are the norm over there, they organised a baby shwer for her. They are becoming more and more popular over here seemingly. Anyway they all said it was well worth it. If you google it you will find some great games to play.

run_Forrest_run

I also only though this was something that happened in the States but I suppose the more money people start making here it is only a matter of time before we find another way to blow money!
..and yes I would believe it is something that only women would go to.

Ayla

I'm from the States, and yes, baby showers are quite the norm there. So when I moved here and went to plan one for a sister-in-law I was quite shocked to find out I nearly made a really big mistake. At least in my married family, they don't believe in celebrating the baby before its birth b/c what if something happens....?

Anyway, I personally think that's a sad, fatalistic (and outdated) way of looking at pregnancy and childbirth. But when I became pregnant I didn't think about having a shower b/c I knew it wasn't done here.

So I was quite surprised, then, when my husband and all his family planned a big shower for me. They didn't know what they were doing (as they'd never been to one or heard of "what you do") but I was quite touched by their thought and consideration. Not sure if any other showers will be done for the other pregnancies in the family, but I appreciated their thought for me.

Anyway, to answer your question, I *think* the idea of a baby shower is for a bunch of women to get together and prep the mom-to-be of all the info she'll need for her upcoming labour and early baby days. They share stories, they give gifts and they eat.

That's not to say men aren't allowed, or welcome. I just haven't heard of many men wanting to go.

ArthurDent

Ayla wrote: »

Anyway, I personally think that's a sad, fatalistic (and outdated) way of looking at pregnancy and childbirth. But when I became pregnant I didn't think about having a shower b/c I knew it wasn't done here

Most people I know don't feel particularly comfortable in celebrating the birth of a baby before it arrives and maybe it does hark back to times when the outcome of a pregnancy wasn't a certain as it hopefully is now, but that is the cultural norm here. I know I certainly wouldn't have considered a shower a) becuase of what your were describing above and b) any time I've seen them portrayed on tele they look like the sort of event I'd run a million miles away from!!!:D

I'm one of those that had only the bare necessities for the hospital bought for each of my 3 little 'uns before they arrived.

Ayla

ArthurDent wrote: »

Most people I know don't feel particularly comfortable in celebrating the birth of a baby before it arrives

As far as I know (which quite possibly isn't the whole story) showers are not about celebrating the new baby as such...it's more a prep time for the mom-to-be. Long ago this wouldn't have been such a big deal b/c women had experience taking care of babes before they had their own, but now, with the different family structure, many women have no idea what to expect during and after the labour. The shower is a way to teach the mom-to-be and share experiences to make her feel part of a circle of women.

This is the reason behind the gift-giving...the shower is an opportunity to "shower" the mom-to-be with things she'll need in those precious first few days/weeks.

So it's not really a "whahoo- welcome new baby!" party, it's more of a time to celebrate the circle of life and share experiences.