ktdyd

The only tradition I'm aware of in regard to announcing a birth is a proper birth announcement in the local paper. I did that for both kids.... but not til a few weeks after, and did it mainly so I could clip it from the paper and put it in their baby books. I can't see putting a display outside the house, especially before the birth. Thats just ridiculous. There have been instances of child abduction in situations like that where people put full blown advertisements of their newborns on the front lawn. Isn't common, but it would be enough to give me second thoughts on something like that.

There are people who let family in to watch the birth. I had a family member who let her 2 older kids in to watch the birth of the 3rd child. They were a little older though.... 8 and 6. I'm pretty sure it must have scarred them a bit lol. I really don't think its something a small child should witness.... what ever happened to prolonging innocence? There's enough of that kind of thing on the learning channel without subjecting them to it first hand.

I had complicated cesareans for both kids,... the first was an emergency birth and my mom was in with me cause my ex couldn't handle the stress, and my husband was there when our daughter was born. I'm still a little surprised that he didn't pass out when he saw them cut my stomach open. They let him carry her out of the operating room and take her to see my son who was properly sitting with the rest of my family in the designated family "waiting room".... where people belong!

commoner

In my old neighborhood, people would hang a pink/blue ribbon or balloon on their mailbox to indicate the baby's arrival. This sign was displayed from one to a couple of days, and it meant, "We're ok, we're home and trying to get settled." Once the ribbon came down it was a signal for neighbors who wanted to visit to stop by.

The same ritual applied to funerals, with black ribbons or balloons.