A delivery room veteran gives you the low-down as only the best friend can. From the top ten lies ("Maternity clothes are so much cuter now"), to the long-awaited birth, here are practical tips and hilarious takes on everything pregnant.

Beginning with the "10 Greatest Lies About Pregnancy" (number 10: Lamaze works), and ending with postpartum dementia, Vicki Iovine's Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy has fast become the laywoman's mouthpiece for the American pregnancy experience. Iovine is irreverent, sassy, and incredibly reassuring as she exposes the "truths" of pregnancy and childbirth, from sex to cellulite to cesareans. Iovine birthed four kids in six years, none of them twins, which certainly qualifies her as an expert. The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy does reveal Iovine's particular cultural biases (pregnant or not, most of us don't have record-producer husbands, hang out with supermodels, or wear size-four pants) and philosophical beliefs (she's not a particularly strong proponent of natural childbirth or nursing), but, taken with a grain or two of salt, she provides many hilarious moments, acres of advice, and honest reassurance readers will find nowhere else. --Ericka Lutz

Best Pregnancy Book Ever! (5.0)

This is probably the easiest to read, most enjoyable, and most informative (on all the things you don't find in the more 'medicalized' books) book about pregnancy ever. It is humorous, yet straigtforward, and gives you the information that no one else is talking about - the stuff your girlfriends will tell you! A MUST READ for every pregnant woman (and father-to-be) out there! I will be owning the whole collection of girlfriend guides before long. Thank you!

Not for mothers who are looking to give birth in a non-mainstream way (1.0)

I finally finished this book today. The first few chapters left me nauseated and depressed, but then I was going through my first trimester, so I'm not sure if it was just symptoms of the pregnancy. But I do believe, the negativity of the first few chapters were really not helpful, in fact when I finally decided to put down the book, I felt better. Reading Vicki complain about her husband made me feel like it was okay to be bitchy and self-absorbed. But it really isn't necessary in all situations. I feel better when I maintain a positive mood.

As for the last few chapters about episiotomies and c-sections and such traditional methods of birthing, I think is misleading. After watching "The business of being born" and reading books like Ina May Gaskin's, there are other methods to give birth, and even on video it doesn't look all that painful when giving birth sitting up. But then I have yet to reach the labor stage, so I really don't know yet. If you have a midwife and not a ob-gyn who's watching their watch, an episiotomy may not and is usually not necessary.

I think this book is good for the expecting mother that plans to do the mainstream birth that hospitals and ob-gyns prefer. But for others looking for different options, it might be best to read other books that are more hopeful.

great book for first time moms (5.0)

This book is informational, and funny. Tells you straight the stuff a first time mother needs to know. I would recommmend this to any first time pregnant woman.

Super Fun and Informative Pregnancy Book! (5.0)

I love love loved this book! I enjoy reading and researching, so I will confess that I've read three general pregnancy books and two fun books. This book was a sanity saver! I felt it really empathized with the pregnant woman while acknowledging that not everyone's experience is the same. I love that it shared various experiences as opposed to just hers. I found it to be very empathetic and funny (I literally laughed out loud many times while reading) and was surprised to find out how helpful it was as well. She really is a straight shooter, but she does it in a non-crude way. Some may say I'm a fairly conservative person, and though I did not agree with all her advice or perspectives, I still feel this book is a must read. I definitely feel like it prepared me for what to expect and reassured me that things going on in my body were normal in different ways than the medical type guides, and I had fun reading it! Get ready to laugh, and enjoy it!

would recommend (4.0)

I really enjoyed reading this book which was recommended to me by my cousin as being hilarious. Going into it knowing not to take the book too seriously helped a lot. I don't know if I'd say it was hilarious, but it was fun to read. Some people have said that the author is too hard on men or doesn't share the medical facts of pregnancy. I didn't really see any male-bashing in the book, myself. You just need to know your mate and know that all men are different and will react to pregnancy differently. Also, make sure to read other, more medical books in addition to this one. This book is great for "telling it how it is" and I learned a lot that my mommy friends never told me about pregnancy. But to get more medical info on pregnancy, I will be reading another book. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to pregnant friends.