Rating: 
Summary: Honestly. Must We All Be So Sensitive?
Review: Good golly. Some of my fellow reviewers are a bit hung up on the size 4 thing with Vicki Iovine's book. So you're not a size four? My suggestions: a) get over it and b) read this book. There is a wealth of good information, and great humor, in its pages.
Rating: 
Summary: flawed, but worth it
Review: Other reviewers have pointed out the flaws in this book--basically, all the "girlfriends" seem to have the same priorities and opinions which the reader won't necessarily share (I too got a little tired of the comments about losing weight, for example, and she could've promoted breastfeeding without being a snot). However, while you're pouring through all those books on baby, it's nice to read a fun, down-to-earth, honest, and reassuring book about YOU--a book that acknowledges the terror of seeing all that blood coming out of you postpartum, or the difficulty having intercourse or even wanting to have it, to give two examples. It's so important to remember your own needs after you've given birth, and Iovine helps you do just that.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for new moms--loved it!
Review: I loved this book because it was so honest and humorous. My mother gave me this book as a gift, and I started reading it the day I came home from the hospital after giving birth to my first child--it provided a wonderful outlet for my initial anxieties, guilts, and questions. I thought the tone and style were down to earth, realistic, and laugh-outloud funny. Since so many of my close friends live out of town and since newborns make phone calls almost impossible to carry on, this book was a great substitute for an actual, in-the-flesh girlfriend. It was also great to read (aloud) while I nursed my daughter. I could relate to so many of the topics Iovine discusses. Thank you Girlfriend! I can't wait to read the other Girlfriend books now.
Rating: 
Summary: Honest and opinionated -- isn't that why you read Iovine?
Review: I've read several opinions in this space that compain that Iovine criticizes/looks down upon bottle-feeding and make snide comments about it. Quite frankly, doesn't everyone these days? I mean, if I hear one more commercial that ends with "Breast is best, but..." The reason I enjoyed Iovine's Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy and this subsequent book is that she isn't afraid to voice opinions...and she does say, "If you don't like my advice, don't follow it." I wish more mothering guides took stronger stances, but then again, I'm pretty opinionated too! On a more serious note, I give thanks to Iovine for pointing out to me and my spouse that we needed to think about financial/support issues beyond college funds and life insurance -- like, what about a scenario where (God Forbid) both parents should die? Guardians? Assets? Sobering stuff but sooo important to think about. Thanks Vicki!
Rating: 
Summary: Friendly but not Wise
Review: Her writing style has a good flow, and you feel like you're right there with a bunch of understanding moms. But, well, then she starts sounding too all-knowing and unnecessarily funny. Listen folks, what made me really mad (when I really couldn't afford to get any more emotional), was how she manages to nonchalantly state that giving birth at hospitals are the best. Thus, if you were interested in more natural-type birthgiving procedures or Active Birth, the first half of what this book says might sound rather uneducated.Also, the section about resuming sex was not really assuring for me. I think many women need more time, and more sensitive support than what the book may vaguely suggests. Overall, as funny and well-meaning as she probably is, I didn't find her sensitive enough when I naturally expected her to be so. A "Girlfriend" alright, but depending on your experience and personality, she may be too overwhelming for you to have around. Yes, after childbirth and everything you want some affirmations, some practical info, oh lord, you're desperate. My recommendation: Do yourself a favor and read "Laughter and Tears" by Libby Colman.
Rating:
Summary: Like her style, but she makes some bad judgements
Review: I have to say first that while I enjoy Vicki Iovine's style of writing, she has the ability to tick me off. I picked up this book right after I had my first child and some of the judgemental statements she tends to make are not the thing you need to hear as a new parent. I think the thing that offended me the most is the line about women who choose to use formula coming from areas where perms are still popular. Excuse me. I used formula for my VERY healthy boy and I do not have a perm and it was MY choice and I don't appreciate such a statement. Especially since Mrs. Iovine told her readers she was not endorsing a specific kind of feeding program. I also did not spend a lot of time whining about my weight or falling apart if my baby cried. I don't think that is a very realistic view. I read Mrs. Iovine's first book as well, and even though I do like her advice at times, I do wish she would be less judgemental about those who choose to handle things differently. Women should be supportive of other women when it comes to motherhood, not knock them down for choosing to do something different.
Rating:
Summary: Tell it like it is, girlfriend!
Review: My husband and I have recently begun to try to conceive. We've both had our own ideas concerning conception, pregnancy, hormones, and bodily functions.( Well, at least I've thought about bodily functions!) We also both have many friends and family members who have gone before us into the great unknown of parenthood and seem to have come out of it with most of their sanity intact. But for some reason, I have had my doubts as to the complete honesty from these people, most of whom have a vested interest in us conceiving. Thank god for Vicki! Now, at least I have an honest and very forthright picture of the whole messy, ugly, painful, scary, beautiful, and worth-while future that lies ahead of me! I'll know what to expect, when to expect it, and, most importantly, that it's completely normal! My husband, God bless him, has not yet read the entire book. However, he has read enough to know that both my sanity and his own life depend on his reading and understanding all that she reveals. Thanks, Vicki, for giving us this straight-forward, no-nonsense, (Well, some nonsense!) approach to the wonderful world of pregnancy. It was both insightful and hysterical, truthful and tasteless, and should be handed out with all at-home pregnancy tests. I will also invest in the other "Girlfriend" books, for future refrence.
Rating:
Summary: This was my antidote to too much advice from the internet
Review: I found this book to be more representative about what REAL people do than any "straight" child care book I found. It's good for the confidence to hear that an imperfect "birth experience" isn't the end of the world, and that some perfectly good mothers choose not to breastfeed their children until school age. Vicki can make you believe that if she can handle four, you can figure out what to do with your first (& 2nd). Thanks, girlfriend!
Rating:
Summary: Love it! Mostly.....
Review: Her "guide" to the first year, no matter how flawed, IS a must-read for all new parents...I regularly give this as a gift to new mothers. What is especially valuable are her descriptions of the general emotional changes that a woman goes through immediately after childbirth. Her casual, funny, easy to read style, makes reading about the dramatic changes that one experiences a little less threatening to a new, usually overwhelmed, mother. But as a mother to a now toddler (been there, done that), I must add that her cavalier description of how long a woman breastfeeds AND her glib, everyone goes to the land of crying it out, attitude...left me COLD. Many women breastfeed for more than just a few months (the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at LEAST a year) and no, we don't all leave our babies crying behind a closed door while we wring our hands in angst! A lot of us actually parent our children to sleep as long as they need us to! So..yes, it is definitely worth reading, but it shouldn't be considered a parenting bible.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book for some relief of the motherhood blues, but there was very little to be found in this book. The book did have a few funny moments, but the "girlfriend" references were too much. This book doesn't really have any quality advice and your precious time could be better spent doing anything besides reading this book!
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