The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood: Wise and Witty Advice on Everything from Coping With Postpartum Mood Swings to Salvaging Your Sex Life to Fitting into That Favorite P

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Summary: This is a must have for new mothers
Review: Vicki Iovine writes this book as if she is your best friend talking to you. Her words are honest and re-assuring. Even if you have not even bought that pregnancy test yet, you should read this book to get an inside look at what the first year of mother hood will be like from someone who would never lie to you...your Girlfriend.

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Summary: Irresponsible writing
Review: I'm pregnant and have to say, THANK GOD I knew most of what she says is *highly* exaggerated before I picked up this book. Where "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" is on the border of being too negative to be helpful, this one is simply irresponsible writing.

While the author acknowledges that she's not a doctor, she takes a delicate, highly emotional subject and spins it for the sake of humor. The point she misses, however, is that the approach would work except for the fact that her target audience is a bunch of women WHO DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER. That makes her a bully, in my book. She's a one-trick-pony who finds humor in exploiting the perils of pregnancy. I personally know a lot of women who tell retrospective "horror" stories -- the difference is that they understand the difference between yukking it up over a cup of coffee and directing their "memories" toward an unknowing group looking for guidance.

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Summary: Alarmist and Depressing - don't get this book!
Review: I was given this book from a dear friend during my last month of pregnancy. Instead of becomming optomistic about the birth of my first child, I began to view it with dread and fear. Iovine made the whole experience sound horrible and scary. It gave me no comfort, or even good, sound advice. Her humor demeans the whole experience of childbirth and children, focusing and exaggerating the negatives rather than advising and capitalizing on the positives. I was SO relieved to find out that after my son's birth, it really WASN'T as bad as she said it would be. For first time mothers and people who really look forward to raising their kids well, DON'T buy this book! It will scare you and make things seem so much worse than they really are. This author is obviously someone who was pushed into having kids and really wasn't ready for the rigors of parenting. You would be much better off buying "What to expect the first year," which gives a lot of educated, sound advice instead of the rantings from some tired, overworked and bitter mom who would rather hang out with her "girlfriends" instead of raise good kids.

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Summary: Another must read...
Review: After reading "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" I knew that I had to read this follow up. And I was not disappointed!
I love that Vicki Iovine can be so honest...about the good and the bad. Let's face it - motherhood is wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it HURTS to give birth and there's a lot of stress the first year! This book kind of helped me along...helped me realize that I was not alone.
I am the first of all of my friends to have a baby, and I loved both this book and the first one. It was kind of like I had a "hidden buddy" to guide me through the whole process. And while there is some outdated information and things that have changed - I found that true in any pregnancy/mommy book that I read.
I really recommend both of these books...2 of my friends are now pregnant and they're both getting this book as a baby shower present!!!

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Summary: Sick of all the baby whispering? Try this instead!
Review: Iovine won't give you much in terms of learning about how to care for a baby... this is a book for US!

This book is honest, direct and FUN to read, even before you deliver, although she is painfully honest about a few things that you probably won't want to think too hard about until after your baby arrives. (but who gets a chance to read then, anyway, really?)

Because she veers off the traditional how-to-diaper-a-baby / what-to-do-if-they-cry formula, some reviewers have found this book "depressing", disappointing inconsistent or unwise medically. This is NOT a medical book. It is NOT a baby-care book.

Some say it's overwhelming to read about the challenges on the road ahead. They should stick with the perky books that tell you that you can get your baby on a schedule painlessly by the age of <however-many> weeks. This book won't do that.

Iovine tells you you'll be sleepless, so you'd better drive carefully. She tells you you will be in pain, so get other people to help out whenever you can. She points out that even if you can get baby on a schedule, he or she may not stick with it for more than a few days at a time before a growth spurt or teething or other changes kick in to undermine the whole thing.

This, like the pregnancy Girlfriend's Guide, is fun reading and realistic for MANY women (not all). And it reminds us to focus on caring for ourselves, something we may lose sight of in the
months ahead. Also, that no matter what shape you're in when you come out of the delivery room, you WILL recover.

This is a terrific book, especially if you're looking for a change from all the baby whispering type books that are around these days.

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Summary: LOVED IT!! MUST READ!!
Review: This book is funny, funny, funny! A girlfriend gave me a copy after my 1st child was born, and it was just what I needed!

For anyone who is giving this book a negative review, please remember that this book is supposed to be funny, the author states many, many times that she is neither a doctor nor a medical professional of any kind, that she is just writing from her own experiences.

I recommend this book highly to all my girlfriends, and usually give it as a shower gift!

If you want to laugh, I strongly recommend this book!!

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Summary: The greatest book for new moms
Review: As a postpartum nurse and a mother of two I would strongly advise every soon to be mom to get this book! It is not a book of baby care but rather a book of the real life issues women face as new moms. Vicky tells it exactly how it is, as only a real "girlfriend" would.

She handles every subject from what to wear in the hospital to how to deal with teaching your baby to put itself to sleep. As a mother of 4 her experience and frankness are refreshing and funny. New moms will feel less bewildered and more confident in the knowledge that other new moms are experiencing the same problems, questions etc. I bought this as a gift for a friend and couldn't put it down.



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Summary: Tells it like it is (and makes you laugh!)
Review: After my first baby was born, I recall the nurses commenting on how I wasn't freaked out by some of the grosser and bloodier aspects of childbirth. I was well prepared, because I had read Vicki's book!

Now, this is not a REFERENCE book or anything. It is an amusement, a "we've all been there and we survived, and so will you" sort of book. Do not rely on it for hardcore medical or parenting advice. Read it, accept that fact that Vicki is like one of your more colorful girlfriends who likes to share her opinions, and LAUGH!

Yes, it is quite obvious that Vicki (and most of her Girlfriends) are wealthy white women from SoCal, so if you are the sort of person who finds it unendurably vain for a new mommy to wonder if she will ever be slim again, or if you are extremely militant about things like breastfeeding and natural childbirth, you may find her annoying. However, if you have a good sense of humor you will probably find Vicki entertaining even if you don't agree with her.

I will confess I found this book vaguely frightening and depressing when I read the chapters on post-partum depression etc., while pregnant. However, in real life, when I was experiencing post-partum depression, severe sleeplessness, cracked nipples, colic, etc., it was this book I turned to for. All of my other "real" parenting books seemed to minimize the hard parts of motherhood or somehow suggest that I was just not doing things "right"; I found it oddly reassuring that Vicki had felt just as fat, crazy, exhausted, and depressed and yet had survived and in fact done it four times over!

Rating:
Summary: thumbs up!
Review: i bought this book for a friend and she told me it is the best baby book she has read. her husband has read it also. she said this book gets down to the nitty gritty and does not sugar coat stuff like the other books.