Rating: 
Summary: Witty...but just plain wrong
Review: Five months into my pregnancy I read this book as a complement to other "more serious" pregnancy books. While there definitely were some helpful points (advice re:clothing, waiting to buy the baby's crib, and wild mood swings were particularly helpful) and she definitely made me laugh out loud a few times, I was absolutely outraged by her recommendations AGAINST exercise and her cavalier dismissal of homebirths and midwives. As another reviewer noted, she completely disregards the extent of medical intervention associated with hospital births, and if she were a true "girlfriend" this would be an area where she would engage in frank discussion. As someone who was inclined toward the certified nurse midwife route, largely because of desire to avoid unnecessary intervention and to avoid saturating my newborn's system with drugs from an epidural, I found her "frontier woman" label insulting and ignorant. It ruined the book for me; and I will stay away from her followup books as well. If I could give it negative stars, I would
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read for Soon To Be Moms AND Dads!
Review: This book was filled with great information as well as humor. I laughed and learned all at the same time.If you are going to be a new parent soon. This is a MUST READ! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A Funny and Entertaining Read
Review: In my 6th month, I read this book and it was terrific because it tempers some of the bittersweet experiences of pregnancy with healthy doses of humor. I found myself laughing out loud at a time when I was otherwise beginning to feel a little anxious about approaching the last phase of pregnancy. Don't expect some overly academic or medically bent book here -- (there are plenty of others to choose from if that is what you're looking for). Iovine never positions herself as an expert or presumes to base her information or anything really, other than her own practical experience in having babies. Iovine's writing style is quick and intelligent, and her advice strives to be these things: funny and realistic. It's like hearing the voice of a good friend relate her pregnancy experiences over a good cup of coffee.
Rating:
Summary: C-Sections are a GOOD thing?!?!?
Review: I was so excited to find a funny book on pregnancy because I take a pretty light-hearted approach to life. But [bad] information is [bad]information, and I think this book is full of it. Example: A scheduled C-Section allows you to be calm at birth and maintain great vaginal tone. Well, when I had my C-Section, I was scared and physically miserable, I couldn't hold the baby for a long time, and I hated having my baby in an operating room. The incision took WEEKS to recover from! And the scar was ropey and sensitive for a year, and I'll have it for the rest of my life!!!! All to avoid going to the hospital spontaneously and to keep good vag. tone? I don't think so. Vicki needs to tell the whole stories about each of the medical procedures she seems to love so much, otherwise her book is a funny bunch of dangerous [information].
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for pregnant women
Review: This book was my favorite pregnancy book. Vickie made me laugh through 9 months. I couldn't put it down. It's true, it's not full of quotes from the top hospitals or experts in child delivery, but Vickie is an expert in her own right; she has 4 kids. She writes about a lot of things I experienced. It was comforting to read about people having similar pregnancy experiences. This book is a nice break from the serious books that are filled with all that can go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing change from other scary books
Review: At no other time do you need to laugh more than in you 8th month... This book was great - which I had bought it early in pregnancy. I am buying it for all the first time mom friends I have.
Rating:
Summary: On the lighter side!
Review: I received this book as a gift during my second pregnancy. It was the perfect gift! I had read every pregnancy book under the sun with my first child and all were very serious upon the subject of pregnancy. I just roared with laughter through the entire "Girlfriends" book. Of course I took some of the authors opinons and suggestions with a grain of salt, but don't you have to judge all books for yourself? Don't take it too serious and enjoy the humor of it all!
Rating:
Summary: The best girlfriend to have!
Review: I got this as a X-mas gift and didn't put it down for days. It really made me feel better about my body, my feelings and emotions and more importantly, my pregnancy and my baby. It really goes deep into the things that no medical pregnancy book would tell you. For example, it's normal to want to strangle your husband! Becuase your hormones are raging like a nutty person! Nothing he does will make sense to you during this time! The poor guy! It also has tips for husbands like what to do or not do. What to expect and not expect. What to say or not to say. But most importantly, it give advice on having a healthy baby and healthy pregnancy. I highly recommend it! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: NOT for the thinking woman
Review: An easy read, humorous and sassy, but very disappointing. I found this book to be an insult to the intelligent woman and to the birthing process. Vicki Iovine indulges herself in unloading the responsibility of childbirth upon medical professionals. She is obviously pro-intervention, but fails to relay just how serious some of the consequences of these interventions are. She writes nonchalantly about C-sections and neglects to mention the side effects of the epidural or other interventions. Not all women who want to have a natural childbirth (which Vicki refers to as "frontier woman style") have "something to prove". They may have just done a little research and found out that, indeed, those medical interventions can affect the baby and the mother in adverse ways. Vicki's "go into labor with your toenails painted" approach to childbirth is not one I can relate to. If you're looking to kill some time and have a little chuckle every now and again, then this is your book. But, any woman who wants informative reading about pregnancy and childbirth needs to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes you just need to read something different.
Review: I don't look at this book as a medical journal that will prepare you for pregnancy and childbirth, I look at it as a book that will tell the 'story' of one woman and what SHE went through during her pregnancies. She relates symptoms, emotions and cravings that she experienced, as well as those of some of her girlfriends. To me, this is a light-hearted look at pregnancy. It says, "No matter what you're going through, rest assured that others have gone through it too. It's normal." I have plenty of other books that tell me the specific medial facts about pregnancy, and those are very informative and good to have. I found this book a fun read that shows the ups and downs of pregnancy. The only real nitpick I have with it is the fact that some of the things she says are a little on the feminist side. Husbands should pretty much stay out of their pregnant wife's way and accept every mood swing with a smile plastered to their face. I do not agree. My husband is as eager to experience this pregnancy as I am, and is not content with sitting back because 'his job is done'. The comments she makes in the book are not so distracting as to turn me off, but they are there and I just wanted to warn future purchasers as to what to expect. Basically, this is a biography about her pregnancies and those of her friends. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and think it should be viewed as just a 'fun read' and not as a serious, here-are-the-facts, medical journal.
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