It is not uncommon these days to have the baby shower after the
mother has delivered the baby. The people who are involved in preparing
the baby shower no longer have to worry about the mother’s
status or contractions that she may get during the shower. They
decided to be more practical and have the shower after the birth
so that everyone can enjoy the party without worry. The usual baby
shower is held 4-6 weeks before the mother’s due date. Female
family members and friends started to share their plans regarding
the big surprise. In contrast, the post-delivery baby shower usually
happens a month after the delivery. This is much better because
the people who organized the gathering will give more meaningful
gifts.
On the other, comparing it to having the baby shower after the
delivery, it is much easier and more convenient for the organizers.
First, the baby and the parents will receive more useful and well-thought
out gifts and not just some random bib, baby bottle and excessive
diapers most attendees buy due to not knowing the gender of the
baby. No more problems about anticipating or for some, guessing
the gender of the baby. They can now easily buy appropriate gifts
for the baby. Some of them can even customize their gifts to show
how skilled they are in gift-giving.
What other advantages are there to post-delivery baby showers?
Definitely, the parents of the baby, especially the mom, benefit
from the shower being held later. Because of her condition, the
mother usually fails to stay longer at the baby shower. Ironic as
it is, the mother spoils the fun when she decides to leave or go
to sleep early. And that is the reason why organizers usually stick
to the 2-3 hours time frame for the party. The activities are also
limited. Lest you want to give everyone a heart attack when you
risk the mother’s pregnancy, the games are usually calm with
limited movement. Charades is the closest to having fun-filled action
at a regular baby shower. With post-delivery shower, everyone will
definitely have a good time without worrying about time, the food
intake, and the kind of activities for the night. Another good thing
will be the participation of males. It is no longer has to be female-centric.
Everybody can relieve themselves of stress concerning the mother
and her baby. The new mom is even allowed to drink alcohol, unlike
at a shower before the baby is born.
Amidst all of these advantages, many people still argue that post
delivery shower weakens the importance of the mother for everyone
and the event tends to focus on the baby instead. This is one of
the biggest false impressions. As a matter of fact, post-delivery
showers will induce more time spent for the attendees with the mother.
They can have more topics to freely talk about and the mother can
share more vivid and genuine first hand information to her friends
and family.
Despite the lengthy disagreements on the best time to have a baby
shower, in the end, they both aim for the same thing: to celebrate
the mother and the baby’s health and union in this world.
Many will still adhere to tradition but remember, we are living
in a constantly changing society which demands more adjustments.
For the betterment of everyone, it is best to give room for practicality.
Ultimately, it is up to the mom when to have a shower, but it is
definitely acceptable to have the shower after the baby is born.