to ask if giving a diamond after the birth of a (boy) baby is an English tradition?

[Blueberryveryberry]

I'm forrin, so I heard a friend talking about this, is it true?

DH is English, so I want to find out if I'm 'owed' a diamond

No. It is just nonsense. Some women with a sense of entitlement expect a gift for giving birth, but it isn't a given.

I didn't expect or receive a present. My gift was a healthy baby. Only the greedy expect more than that.

For the birth of DC1 (boy) DH got me a diamond a sapphire ring, designed it himself.
I wouldn't call it a push present as I had an elective section!
I didn't get anything for the birth of DC2 (girl) as we had just moved and money was thin on the ground.
We shall be moving next year and he has promised me my dream kitchen as a late present, which I think I prefer tbh
I never asked or expected a gift for having the children though, I am not very materialistic, in fact I hardly wear any of my jewellery, just sits in the boxes gathering dust!

Actually, I think I got a copy of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, a litre of orange juice and a packet of Rennie. All very much appreciated, though with a 1am EMCS the mention of food after the birth is making me jealous.

hmm, I've never heard of this. Can I join the queue of ladies who are owed diamonds, even though I'm not even English? worth a try

Lovely bit of marketing by someone. But no, it's total balls. Traditionally all you get for having a baby in Blighty is a cuppa. Eternity rings are pretty recent things too.

I got a jam jar full of malt whisky to hide in my hospital locker, after 12 months of no booze. I was paranoid someone would think it was a urine sample and test it so I threw it away .

The key here is expectation. Expecting a diamond or eternity ring or similar present after the birth of a baby is grabby. Your DH surprising you with a present after the birth is lovely.

But then I am one of those miserable buggers who has been known to forget her own birthday, and who thinks birthday/Christmas lists shouldn't be allowed after about the age of 14.

I had an eternity ring from DD's dad for Christmas before DD was born in January. After the birth I asked for port and stilton and got that too :) You might wonder why he is ex-H!
There are reasons...

Hmm. I have two DC... If I get DH I'd probably get one earring each

I've heard of some new Dad's buying necklaces/lockets as keepsakes to their other halves on the birth of their baby but I don't think it is an established tradition or anything.
if it is, I have about 6 weeks to make sure my husband knows about it!!

Now, where's expat and the rest of my snobby club?

For DS I got a kiss and yesterday's FT. The shops are shut on xmas day I couldn't even send DH to the hospital caff to get me a cup of tea.

For DD I got a mega thunderstorm and a lovely midwife and the shop was shut.

Why do I have DC on bank holidays?

But for our 10th anniversary DH said "can you get yourself an eternity ring - will a cpl of grand be enough?"

25 years coming up :). Might be good.

The reason I got one when I had DS is because MIL expressly told DH to give me one! Because, yes, it is customary to do so apparently.

But she was not so adamant when DD was born.. probably because she is DC2 and I suspect diamonds are for baby boys, not girls.

Still got the matching bracelet

I got Eccles cakes and a banana after DS1.

Yeah some (lucky) people get an eternity ring after giving birth to dc1. Half my Nct group did, I think it's fairly common place.

I got nothing from my now exh when I had our son. My sister however received diamonds and a Mercedes this year after having her first child, a boy, in February. Her husband didn't get his first wife anything when she had his daughter tho.

The kind of tradition encouraged by De Beers, I think.

I got a sapphire ring for dd1 and Diamond ring for dd2. Both small not megabucks but so pretty. Birth stones he worked out I think.

If he figures out its just diamonds for boys he might demand them back

Depends on what you call tradition, how long ago is tradition ? It's another idea invented by dimond companies. Not been going on long enough to be traditional imo. And I don't know anyone who got diamonds after any child.

If that's true I might draw a moustache on dd and see if dh is fooled

The term push present is so horrible though.

I got a hot chocolate and an M&S fruit salad after the birth of DD (by EMCS). Worked for me :)

Good heavens! What they gave me was this red, wrinkly, smelly little thing. And you're telling me I could have had a diamond instead?