It's funny. Most of the stories I hear/read about baby showers (or, at least a good proportion of them) are the pregnant woman upset that a) she had to organise it herself and/or b) no one (or not many) showed up.

I honestly think our society in general do not see baby showers as a rite of passage

Like Halloween and trick or treating, I think it is largely an American thing that has infiltrated our culture to a degree, and while some see them as 'Normal' and expect it, the majority don't.