Normally when someone is pregnant with their second, third, or fourth baby, (and so on and so forth), I don't really see a need for them to be thrown an additional baby shower. After all, that's kind of something that is reserved for first-time moms, because the gifts you receive can be passed down and used for future children as well. Seriously, who needs multiple pack-and-plays, exersaucers, and bouncy seats cluttering up their homes?
Earlier this morning, however, I read about a woman who was pregnant with her fourth child, and got her feelings hurt because an office baby shower was thrown for a co-worker who was expecting her first child, while this woman wasn't given so much as a slice of cake to celebrate her upcoming arrival. And you know what? That just doesn't seem fair to me. She totally got the shaft, and she had every right to be upset.
Regardless of how many kids you have, women should be made to feel special during pregnancy even if they've done it quite a few times before, especially in a work environment. I don't see how you can have some big hoopla to celebrate one employee's pregnancy, while virtually ignoring that another staff member is even expecting. Throwing a shower for one and not the other basically says, "Your pregnancy really isn't important or special, because you already have a kid. Now get back to your desk and finish your work while the rest of us ooh and ahh over Sally and her adorable baby bump -- you did bring her a gift, right?"
Ok, ok -- so maybe this woman doesn't necessarily need a huge shower thrown for her complete with gifts, etc. But the least her co-workers could do is to add her name to the existing invite, and maybe get a second cake for everyone to share as a way of showing that she and her baby matter just as much as the first time mom and her baby-to-be do. A little acknowledgement goes a long way -- especially for a pregnant gal.
What are your views on throwing additional baby showers?
Image via tinaxguzden/Flickr


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Comments 40
More than one baby shower is a GimmePig Extravaganza, unless there are years and years between births or you have, for some reason, a completely new circle of folks who might want to celebrate what is, for THEM, your first pregnancy.
In this situation, the shower was for the new mom-to-be and that's the way that it should be. Office showers are already fraught with landmines because people are obliged to chip in when, perhaps, they don't know the honoree very well or, worse, might not like them, but can't NOT participate for fear of office backlash. New Mom gets an office shower. Second/Third/Seventeenth-time Mom might not be out of her mind to expect, perhaps, a cake and some festivities before she leaves on maternity leave but, a full fledged shower with invites and a cake or, WORSE, horning in on someone else's - just no.
It would be nice to get an additional baby shower just in case you need something new that's on the expensive side. Like if I had my kids spaced far apart. They won't let you use a car seat that's more than six years old. Or if you just had your first boy or girl in your family and you didn't have clothes for that gender. It doesn't have to be a large baby shower but it would be nice for people to acknowledge your pregnancy and congratulate you.
I totally disagree. This woman is why we have to hand out trophies to kids just for participating in sports, and why we have to invite every sibling of all the kids our own children want to be invite to their birthday parties. It's just entitlement.
I can totally understand acknowledging a major milestone and I can see having a cake before she goes on maternity leave, but seriously? A shower for a fourth baby? You have got to be kidding me. I go to work to EARN a paycheck, not to SPEND one. Maybe I'm just not a nice person, but as a rule coworkers are not friends. If you want a shower, get your friends to throw you one. If you work in a big office and you have to stop and have a party every time anyone gets married, has a kid, moves, graduates, etc, you will never get any work done.
I don't see a problem with multiple showers - in some cases. If you have a girl and get a lot of girl oriented items, then pg with a boy. Or spaced out over several years. I don't think having a party to celebrate a pregnancy is such a bad thing, you are celebrating a new life coming into the world. Why not throw one and ask everyone to bring diapers or similar items (cause lord only knows that you only need 1 package of diapers for a child).
It is not proper etiquette. A baby shower is thrown for the mother, as she enters a new phase in life...motherhood.
"women should be made to feel special during pregnancyeven if they've done it quite a few times before, especially in a work environment."
Why? Shouldn't a woman feel special enough because she created a human being? Showers are a wonderful way to transition a woman into motherhood but guilting your co-workers into celebrating your big events (especiallly if that event has happened before) is just tacky.