never heard of it for a hospital visiting thing! like there isn't enough pressure on you as a new mum with establishing feeding and stuff, you shouldn't have to worry about giving out presents and things as well!
i've been to christenings where they have had gifts for the guests (but only ever our Greek friends - don't go getting ideas Sam - not happenin! lol).
we sent out birth announcement cards, and will be doing a thankyou card after E is baptised, covering gifts she got right from when we announced we were pg through to her baptism. we've kept a list of stuff and it will go in her memory box with cards and things.
can't say i'd have done anything in hospital though - you need to be focussing on you and your new bubba, not gifts for people that visit!
When I visited Dutch friends of mine after she gave birth last year they had a traditional food that is given to guests who visit - a kind of a hard bread/cracker (forgot the name sorry!) with an aniseed spread. It was quite sweet and yummy actually - and I loved that I was experiencing something from a different culture. Apparently the aniseed is supposed to help the mother's milk (she's supposed to eat some with the guests).
I haven't heard of anything else like this though. But then, I haven't visited that many people from different backgrounds having babies.
In Afghani culture they eat (Mum and visitors) a sort of nutty pastey kinda thing flavoured with cardamom after birthing but the Mum isn't expected to make it - someone else makes it for her. It's full of protein and fibre so it's pretty good for you.
I guess if you're in that nesting mode and you've cleaned your house 4 times then making gifts might be a fun project but I sure as hell wouldn't expect a gift from a new mum.
I like the idea of sharing a special kind of food with visitors after having a baby...if somebody else made it!
I have never known anyone to give gifts to visitors though - thankyou cards yes, a few weeks after the birth as a courtesy to those who gave you a gift, and birth announcement cards, but never bomboniere.
Actually, I do remember visiting a friend in hospital several years ago who had little teddybear chocolates - that didn't seem like such a big deal. She just had a bag of them for visitors and they could take one - I think they were wrapped in blue because it was a boy.
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