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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
Loved it! Loved her refreshing way of telling us about not only her four experiences but experiences of her girlfriends as well. Everyone knows that every pregnancy is different and many books i've read seem to treat every pregnancy as if they were all identical. Loved her humor. When you are pregnant (especially the first time) sometimes it feels like you are bombarded with worst case scenario type information. This one is more fun and less sky is falling. You're pregnant...enjoy it...relax...and here are some fabulous tips to get through it.
this book is written in the genre of nanny diaries (in the whiny way cynical people complain). Does make me feel better about hating my pregnancy. It's good to know things will get better in the future without all the preachy hallowed vessel mantra (pregnancy is awesome. you'll love your baby. just let nature take its course. you are sacred.).
While this book my be humerous it lacks honest medical facts. I know she does admit to not being a doctor, but my fear is that people will follow her advice anyway. In my opinion you should only read this book if you want to laugh or are willing to read some more serious book that tell you about all the risks that come along with the medical model of birth...
The premise of this book is that what we really need during pregnancy is a ton of good advice and a ton of good cheer. The information in the book is accurate, but not medically thorough (if you want that, please see "What to Expect when you are Expecting"). It is shared amusingly. If you need belly laughs and good ideas, this is your book. It is the one that I have shared with multiple girlfriends who have told me that they are pregnant. My own copy is dogeared and has pages falling out.
This is the book for you if you want to know that you should bring a snack for after your blood sugar test. Or that you should buy clothes that either go over the bump or under it, or face your clothes rolling up like a roller window blind. For most of us who are pregnant we get advice everywhere we turn, but some of it is highly questionable. Here the advice is very good.
To avoid build-up of pregnancy anxiety I had chosen to read this book first before I had read any serious "how-to" books on pregnancy and labor. I am glad I did! Every expecting mother has enough worries about what lies ahead, so this book is great to quell the anxiety and to make you feel "normal" while abnormal things are happening to you. Any expectant mother can identify with the hilarious stories that Vicky shares with the readers. It's a fun read! But don't count on this book to be the pregnancy Bible and know-it-all resource. "Pea in a Pod" by Linda Goldberg is a great reference guide, while "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" is a relaxing read for Moms with a sense of humour!