MIAMI — Pity the poor florist. Amend that. Pity the poor father-to-be on a budget.

These days, giving a mere bouquet after your partner gives birth just won't cut it.

Hang outside any maternity ward and you'll see a high-end trend in action. A good many new moms are going home with two bundles of joy — one in a blanket, one in a little velvet box.

Given traditionally after the baby is born, so-called push presents — stacked 18K gold rings studded with birthstones; baby-shoe charms drizzled with diamonds; gem-encrusted timepieces mounted on pink or blue croc-skin bands — are all the yuppie rage.

A fancy expression of gratitude for "pushing" out the baby is nothing new in other parts of the world, especially England and India, where new mothers have been scoring sparkly loot for hundreds of years.

Time to hold onto your wallets, Yanks. (For those future pops whose wallets can't take that kind of impact, better step up to the diaper-changing table and bone up on your reflexology skills. And we don't mean baby's feet.)

Helena Krodel, spokeswoman for Jewelry Information Center, a New York nonprofit trade association that educates consumers about fine jewelry and watches, has seen this trend swell in the past few years and sees no sign of it dying down, at least in this generation.

"Today's parents — children of baby boomers — have grown up accustomed to quality and luxury," she says. "They know how to shop and are really brand-aware. At important events in their lives, they want the best money can buy."

And jewelry companies are more than happy to comply.

A Mayors campaign a few months ago spoke to this issue. You may have seen the ad: "She delivered your first born: now give her twins," accompanied by a pair of multicarat diamond earrings.

GUND, best known for teddy bears, has gotten in on the act, too, coming out with a fine jewelry collection. The star of the show is the Birth Diamond necklace — a big, fat rock hanging on a Mr. T-sized chain. You may want to leave that off while burping junior. It can cost up to $3,950.

Krodel is all for it. "These gifts are also seen as tokens of appreciation and a way of saying, 'I value family and tradition,' " says Krodel. "Jewelry is also a reminder to the world that you have this beautiful child."

Mushy stuff aside, push presents are an almost sure-fire way of improving labor relations.

"At least I knew I wasn't going to get yelled at," says Mitch Morgan, a 34-year-old Weston, Fla., father of three who presented his wife, Pam, 35, with two diamond heart pendants and a whopper pink sapphire ring — before each birth. Total estimated cost: $7,000.

Yowza. "Sure, I got brownie points," says Mitch, a CFO at a real-estate firm, "but I'm gonna get ripped by my friends at work when they find out."

Understandable. This is one trend that doesn't come cheap. Especially if you're planning on having a big brood.

Rick Gomez, 40, of Davie, Fla., was one of the lucky ones: the birth of his first child, Jessica, now 2, coincided with Christmas.

The sales rep killed two birds in one swoop by getting wife Carina, 35 and pregnant with their third child, a whimsical Aaron Basha shoe charm made of ivory and gold, decorated with diamond ducks. (A special meaning for the couple because the infant's coming-home outfit had duckies on it.)

"Believe it or not, but 'quack-quack' was her first word, not Mommy or Daddy," says Carina. "The jewelry definitely represents her."

But even when you do shell out, there's no guarantee she'll like it.

"For Max, born September 2004, he bought me a Humpty Dumpty charm, but I just didn't want my son to be associated with that," says Carina, who exchanged the $3,400 roly-poly white-gold egg man for a race car studded with diamonds. "My son is very into cars now, so it's weird, it seems like the presents dictated their personalities.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what the next one will be."

Indeed, the pressure can mount for these giving types. Could it be because they don't have a choice in the matter?

"I can see that there would be this sense of expecting something for the following births if you've already received one present," says Debbie Hochman, 37, a Plantation, Fla., mother of three who snagged diamond studs, a mother of pearl chain and a diamond tennis bracelet after each birth. ("I keep having kids, otherwise I don't get jewelry," she jokes.)

Husband Jeff Hochman, 39, would rather the pricey tokens be called "appreciation presents." The trial lawyer views the gems in a less material way.

"Debbie had two summer babies, she went through a lot; especially with the first birth," he says. "Pregnancy is an emotional and uncertain journey, and at the end of this journey you get this wonderful child. I wanted to celebrate that."

The sentimental factor isn't completely lost on Debbie. Her first born, Leo, now, 8, calls the studs "his" earrings. "He knows that Daddy gave them to me because he was born," she says.

The Hochman family seems to have hit on the right reason to run out and cash in the IRA: It's a nice thing to do.

A nice thing to do that's bound to win you points at home.

"Gift giving is something that people like to do; they're just looking for an occasion," he says. "And to buy a pure luxury item for your wife, if you can, is a way of showing her she's special."

Good luck, guys.