Rating: 
Summary: Give this book to your pregnant girlfriend!
Review: What a relief to read this book after lugging around the ponderous "What to Expect" and other bibles of pregnancy! It's funny and smart and the absolute best thing you can give a newly expecting mom to read. Don't miss the pages to leave propped open on the expecting Dad's pillow!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Finally! A book that DOESN'T read like a textbook!
Review: I was given this book by my very loving and supportive husband during my first pregnancy, and I don't know what I would have done without it! This is the ONLY pregnancy book I found that doesn't scold, threaten or frighten pregnant women. (most of us are already frightened enough by this whole process, anyway!) Vicki Iovine's approach to the "mysteries of pregnancy" is both humorous and matter-of-fact. She doesn't sugar-coat things, but presents them in such a way that even us "first-timers" can easily understand. She uses her own four pregnancies worth of experience, plus those of numerous other "girlfriends" to help explain what really happens to our bodies (and our minds!) during pregnancy, labor and childbirth. Many times during my pregnancy, I consulted this book when I felt worried, and each time, I found Vicki's writing to be honest and comforting. I should also mention that her advice was always consistent with that of my doctor! Every pregnant woman (first-time or not) should have a copy of this book by her bedside. It's like having a whole crew of veteran girlfriends just waiting to answer even your deepest, darkest questions. Dads-to-be can also learn a lot from this book!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Fun Book
Review: I LOVED this book!!! I was somewhat ambivalent about my pregnancy for many reasons, one of which was because I had never planned on having children. I just wasn't into all of this "baby love" stuff that many other women are. Well I read, and read, and read all of these pregnancy books and just got more and more depressed. I just couldn't relate to any of it; I needed the "real deal" in straight up, non-sugar-coated, words. Well, then my girlfriend sent me this book and I was thrilled. Finally I'd found a book, and a mind-set, that I could relate to, and with that, I comfortably settled into my pregnancy. Vicki Iovine discusses very frankly and humorously everything about the feelings and changes of pregnancy. It is very personably written and I found every last page engaging. This is an emotional book, not a text book, and that is precisely what is so good about it.
Rating:
Summary: Now I know what I'm getting into.....
Review: I am probably one of the few that chose to read this book BEFORE I actually got pregnant. And let me tell you, boy, was it an eye-opener! I had a fairy-tale vision about what pregnancy and labor were about. In their efforts to put the baby-pressure on, none of my girlfriends had ever mentioned the sometimes unpleasant realities associated with pregnancy & labor. It was so refreshing to take awy the rose-colored glasses and hear someone say, it can and will be rough, but it is also worth it. I learned more than I ever expected to from this book, much of it gross and not necessarily something to look forward to, but at least I know I'll be going into this nine-month adventure with my eyes wide open. And in the meantime, I have a lot more empathy for my pregnant friends. I wish all books were this forthright!
Rating:
Summary: This is THE BEST!!!
Review: As my husband and I were recently married and are now trying to start a family, we decided to get SMART about what to expect in the months after we concieve. This is the first book I bought, simply based on the reviews you see here, and IT IS PHENOMENAL! Perfect for us girls who want the real scoop. You won't find any wishy-washy statements in this book. The author tells it how it is! We all know our bodies are going to go through a million changes with pregnancy, but, after hearing horror stories from women about their bodies and pregnancies, and labor, it's hard to get a really honest idea of what exactly will happen on a day to day basis, to our bodies, and ALL of it's parts! NOW I feel like I know. My husband and I read this book together at night and laugh till we hurt! We are both excited for a baby, but now I feel as though I can know what to expect when I actually get a positive reading on that darn stick!! With some positive body changes, and some negative, so be it! I am ready to tackle them all! Now I have the truth down to every last intimate detail! I love it. Every couple should read it! Luck to all in your endeavors.
Rating:
Summary: "I'm normal !!!"
Review: This book allowed me to find easy-to-understand, (non-medical)explanations to the weird things that were going on in my body...and made me feel normal! If Iovine herself hadn't experienced one of the symptoms I was, then one of her Girlfriends surely had. It is subtitled accurately-- "or everything your doctor won't tell you" and should add "or everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor." Of course I didn't agree with all of Iovine's philosophies...I haven't read a book yet that I did agree with the author on every point. However, it accomplishes what I believe her goal was: to provide a humorous, yet informative, look at the many changes you'll experience during this nine (ten) month period of life. And yes, it made me--all my mood changes and new bodily functions--feel normal!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite pregnancy books!
Review: I love this book and the 2 others that follow it (first year and toddlers) although this is my favorite. I am in my 4th pregnancy and I still read it all the time. Vicki has been there and has put her own views and experiences into something that is light-hearted for all expectant mothers to read. Whether it is for comic relief (who couldn't use it at a time like this?) or for knowing someone else has been there and thought the same things you are. When a friend talks about her experiences with epidurals during labor or whether or not she breast-fed her kids, you don't take it to mean that you should do the same things. It's her thoughts and feelings. I laughed out loud the first time I read this book and about the millionth time I am now going through it. I don't know where I would be without this book!
Rating:
Summary: The only book that tells you what you REALLY need to know!
Review: This is the only book that tells expectant moms and dads what they REALLY need to know about pregnancy and childbirth! While no substitute for one of the medical primers, this book has the kind of honest, funny, and practical information that makes all the difference to a pregnant mom's emotional health. Vicky Iovine knows that packing your own pillows for the delivery and hospital beds is far more important than packing whole-wheat crackers and a stopwatch. Truly indispensible and a thoughtful gift to expectant moms.
Rating:
Summary: The Real-Life Pregnancy Book
Review: I received this book as a gift from a friend - and what a welcome gift it was!!! It was nice to get a "real" account of what pregnancy is like from a woman with no medical background; although very important, I think that the medically-based pregnancy books tend to make the average woman feel guilty about not walking 5 days a week or eating broccoli every night. After reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting," I was very daunted by the task in front of me, being bombarded by the "Best Odds Diet" and endless pages of DONT'S and DO's. Iovine's book was a nice mix of humor and relevant, first-hand mothering experience from a woman who is not burdened with the weight of Hippocrates on her shoulders. Yes, EVERYONE should read a factual book on pregnancy to be well-informed about their health and that of their unborn child; but women also need to keep their feet on the ground and realize that the baby is not so fragile that a cup of coffee a day will disentegrate it! Iovine does tend to dissuade mothers from natural childbirth and breastfeeding, and tends to focus a little too much on how incredibly UGLY you will look and feel when pregnant, but otherwise I think she does a nice job of bringing the mania of pregnancy and childbirth to a more tolerable level.
Rating:
Summary: Good Grief! Lighten Up Already!
Review: Please, if you don't have a sense of humor, don't buy this book. For that matter, don't have a child! A good sense of humor should be required to procreate! Vicki's book was never intended to be a medical advice book -- she says so right at the beginning. It was intended to provide a laugh for anxious, expectant mothers. I bought close to 20 books in my first trimester alone. Some were dry and clinical, some were granola and earth motherish, and some were funny. They all served a purpose. At a time when I was terrified about my baby's health -- I had an abdominal x-ray series before I knew I was pregnant --this book was a lifesaver. I say again, "Lighten UP! "
|
