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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.
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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.
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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! "
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Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Vicki Iovine must have cracked herself up writing this book. So to humor her, buy her book. But if you want helpful, truthful information, don't waste your money. I read the entire book and can best describe it as "cynical" and "misleading". If you are like me, you are excited about your first pregnancy but also feeling that you have much to learn. So buy some books that are actually helpful, like the very famous "What to Expect When You Are Expecting." I found Vicki's opinions against exercising during pregnancy really misinformative! ("If you find yourself with extra time on your hands...spend it needlepointing.") Perhaps Vicki wouldn't have had so many complaints about her pregnancies had she followed a sensible prenatal fitness routine. I recommend "Pregnancy Fitness", very interesting and informative as well as practical. Enjoy your pregnancy!
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Summary: What a wonderful book....
Review: I loved this book. After reading many other pregnancy-related books, I found this one to be a breath of fresh air, from all of the sterile, listen-to-the-professional books. I felt I needed a refresher course because my first child was born 7 years ago, because so many aspects of the birthing experience have changed in that short time. Vicki tells all of the facts of the birthing experience from the pregnant woman's point of view rather than the health professional's and she uses terminology that anybody can understand. Not to mention the fact that the book is quite humorous. Some parts had me in stitches. I took it with me everywhere I went in case I needed something to pass the time away. Now I can't wait for some girlfriend of mine to get pregnant so I can pass it along. I will be on the look-out for more books by Vicki Iovine.
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Summary: Natural birthers and AP advocates, beware
Review: This was the first book I read when I discovered I was pregnant and while it was humorous in spots, I found her attitude toward natural childbirth and Attachment Parenting to be sadly biased and misinformed. Her statement that there are no medals given out if you give birth without drugs may be true, but it implies that any woman choosing to a drug-free birth is doing so to impress others. HELLO! Perhaps because the author made other decisions for her own births, she cannot fathom that most women choose natural childbirth because they see it as the initiation experience it is! They want to be totally conscious and participate fully. The very real risks to mother and baby that epidurals and other drugs pose were dismissed totally, which I found frightening. Yes, a healthy baby is the most important outcome, but so many women allow books like this to frighten them into believing that they cannot manage giving birth without drugs. Iovine's statement that the only women perky and drinking champaigne after giving birth were the drugged women is simply biased and wrong. My drug-free birth (24 hours of labor) left me feeling alive, empowered and feeling as if I could fly to the moon (it was hubby and baby who slept all that day :-). Yes it was hard, but the sensations were managable. Parents-to-be: if you're hoping to have a positive natural birth experience, I would recommend purchasing William Sear's "The Birth Book," or Susan McCutcheon's "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way." Let this book give you a giggle, but understand that her attitudes are biased indeed!
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Summary: Much Needed Comic Relief!
Review: After 3 months of morning sickness and other unanticipated maladies (girlfriends, you understand! ), Vicki Iovine's book was just what I needed to help me through the remaining 6 months of my first pregnancy. That you can get all of this great information in a readable and enjoyable way (as opposed to some of the other more serious texts) made it a pleasure to learn - and understand better what I'm really going through. I'd also recommend "What to Expect When Expecting," for more detailed information, and "My Boys Can Swim: The Official Guy's Guide to Pregnancy," a hilarious book that is sort of like the male version of the Girlfriend's Guide.
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Summary: A funny, lighthearted look at pregnancy
Review: I received this book as a gift in the middle of my second pregnancy. I found it to be a refreshing change of pace compared to the heavy handed "What to Expect" and the Dr Sears books - all very helpful on their own but each coming with a heafty dose of GUILT if you didn't perform up to par. (for ex: you MUST breastfeed, you MUST have natural childbirth, you MUST eat from the BestOdds diet EVERYDAY, you MUST NOT gain more than XXlbs, etc. etc.) I think other books are necessary to answer the medical questions (no way would I consider this book to be a sole source for pregnancy information for anyone) but for a first time mom who already has nagging doubts about her mothering abilities and fears about what she is going through, this "Guide" is a helpful reminder that it's okay to feel fat, that it's okay to be scared - you're human and other women have felt the same way. So you read it and laugh - it's like sitting around your dining room table chatting wiht other women about what they went through when they were pregnant. You'll gain some insight on what is happening to you and what might happen - and it talks about the physical changes in an upfront, realistic and honest way. I thought it was a fun book to read and it made me laugh, and I'd buy it for a friend if she was pregnant.
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Summary: Thank Goodness for this Book!
Review: As a newly pregnant woman, I have felt at my wits end with the clinical how-to and flowery "earth mother" literature that seems to be the norm with pregnancy books. While the clinical bit can be useful, all that hippy-esque stuff simply doesn't connect with this Gen Xer. This book was hilarious and full of great info - although like all written material, the smart reader takes things with a grain of salt. The reviews by the men in this area have made me laugh. I think it's great to attempt to keep abreast of the developments of your pregnant partner, but Dear Sirs, this book wasn't written for you - unless, of course, you have a highly interesting ability to get knocked up :).
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Summary: Not terrible, not great.
Review: I bought this book when I was 2 months pregnant. It has its good points and its bad. It definately is funny, that's for sure. It also provides some good advice on preparing for the hospital stay and what to take with you, etc. Other than that, this book was not that great. I read the entire thing and YES, the author is quite opposed to exercise during pregnancy. NOT JUST WEIGHT-LIFTING! She has a top ten list on why not to exercise! Maybe the last reviewer is the one that needs to read the whole book. In addition I got the impression that the author is also not into breasfeeding at all. All in all, I was dissapointed in it.
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