The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy: Or Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You

Rating:
Summary: Informative, supportive, and funny
Review: After much encouragement from others that I needed to get this book, I finally got it when I was about 28 wks pregnant with my first child. I didn't think a book would help me; I'm a RN and I know what's going on with my body. I wish I had it the moment I found out I was pregnant. It is great. I would be reading it in bed at night and bust out laughing. My husband read parts of it and did the same. The best way to put it to paraphrase from the book; most other pamphlets or whatever info you read says things like "slightly tender", "some discomfort" and so forth. This book tells it like it really is in a humorous, truthful, and supportive way.

Rating:
Summary: Great info - just don't follow the fasion.
Review: This book has tons of information and it's an EASY read! My friends bought it for me as a gift and it's my favorite of my four pregnancy books. I'm not an avid reader, however I've only had it about 3 weeks and I'm about 75% through the book. Don't use it as your medical information - just good advice and info no one seems to tell you about.

The only reason I gave this book 4-stars is because even though it's only 10 years old, it is pretty dated. I wish the author had a revised edition with at least updated information about fashion and fitness.

Rating:
Summary: disrespectful, assuming, and just dumb.
Review: my sister is pregnant (she's 18) and i thought about getting her a more hip, humorous book to help her through her pregnancy. after flipping through this and reading bits and pieces here and there, i was appauled and disgusted. not only does this book assume that if you are pregnant, than you are married (which calls into judgement pregnancy out of wedlock -- like my sister -- which is something that i think this book or its author(s) has no right to do, as well as marginalizing single girls who are artificially inseminated or lesbian couples who are artifically inseminated and therefore pregnant!). also, this takes a rather "women are subordinate" attitude about some of the symptoms/side effects of pregnancy: when the author speaks about your breasts getting bigger and more tender, she says "eventually they'll stop hurting and continue to get bigger, which means in a couple of months your husband will have a new set of playthings."

how can you not be disgusted by this?

Rating:
Summary: Not that great!
Review: I didn't find it funny or informative. The only useful thing was the checklist of what to buy for the baby. You can find that in many other books.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommend
Review: I can't wait for someone else I know to get pregnant just to pass this book on. I think it is a must read for anyone who is pregnant .. and has even a slight sense of humor. Which if you're pregnant and don't .. wait a few months. I enjoyed reading this book more than some of the other recommended books for pregnant women. Having just recently gone through the nine months I would read it again, but I just ordered the guide to the first year. I anticipate that one to be equally enjoyable to read, while offering some valuable information.

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Gift For All Your Pregnant Friends
Review: As a parenting expert, author and family counselor this is one of the first books I recommend to pregnant mothers! Why? Vicki is able to laugh at herself and as a result puts to ease a new moms fears and worries. Her practical advise is sound and her humorous asides are a welcomed relief!

- Kelly E. Nault


Rating:
Summary: Depressing and disrespectful
Review: I bought this book because it did make me laugh in the store after just a few pages with girl-talky descriptions of indigestion and mood swings, etc. But at home reading futher, I was appalled by Iovine's bossy, negative attitude about just about every aspect of pregnancy! 1) Exercise (she says not worth it, you're going to get fat and ugly), 2) Maternity wear (she says also not worth it, you're going to look ugly), 3) Sex (if you happen to have low sex drive while pregnant, she suggests you lie back and think of england or your husband will cheat on you!), 4) Husbands (I am sorry for her and her girlfriends who seem to have only macho, unsympathetic mates--she tells you to expect no understanding or support from them); and on more serious medical issues of choosing a practitioner, birth method, or breast feeding, the book is ridiculous: with little or no explanation, she simply tells you you'll be terrified unless you're in the care of an MD, that not using pain medication during birth is silly, that breast-feeding and formula are one and the same--what doctor or midwife has she been talking to? Anyone seen the movie "Mean Girls"? The more I read the 'girlfriends' advice, the more I felt I was surrounded at a junior-high locker getting pressured into hating pregnancy like them, thinking you have no control over your body, and thinking no one else can understand what you're going through. Yes, pregnancy puts you through some really uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden changes, but this book is truly unhelpful with its entirely negative take on the experience. Plus, so much has changed in medical and cultural approaches to pregnancy that whether you enjoy her humor or not, this book is really outdated--published 1995, 10 years ago! Do not put yourself through this!

Rating:
Summary: I'm not even pregnant!!
Review: That's right, I'm not even trying but babies are on my mind! All my girlfriend's are and I plan to be within the next year so curiosity got the better of me a little early. I loved this book. It was very down to earth all the while being hysterical! The way she talks about throwing somthing at her husband more than once! She, to her best ability describes, from start to finish what the nine/ten months of pregnancy was like for her and a group of girlfriend's she's consulted. She explains this is not a medical book and that these are the things that the doctors don't tell you like the hemmoroids and uncontrollable flatulence! She just describes her 4 experiences or her girlfriend's in a way that always can make you smile or even laugh out loud! Very enjoyable and I definatley want to read it again when I actually am pregnant.

Rating:
Summary: Great resource...
Review: The book made me laugh. I really appreciated the light hearted way she talked about all of the symptoms, reactions, and relationships that would change through out the pregnancy.

All the things that you wanted to ask but were afraid to. I got so much information out of this book that after I took notes, I passed it to my friends and they passed it along. I want to thank author for telling me about a alternative to coffee that is absolutely delicious. Its caffeine-free and comes in 8 delicious flavors. Just google it under "s oyfee" to find it. This is a great helpful book. Read IT!

Rating:
Summary: lame
Review: This book promises much more than it delivers. I found it to be ridiculous - suggesting that excerise during pregnancy is silly because you're just going to get fat anyway, that drinking diet coke is just fine and that husbands are generally worthless and don't expect any help or support from them. The author promotes the use of drugs during labor and can't seem to understand that not everyone shares her views. Save your money and your time. This book attempted to scare you into her way of thinking. To me this seemed more like a justification for her behavior during her four pregnancies rather than a sincere helpful guide. Yeah thanks for the tip on not wearing half shirts when you're 7 months prego!