Vicki IovineCritiques

I'm at that early stage in my pregnancy that has me diving into all kinds of research. This is my first pregnancy and I have no idea what to expect, so I'm buying as many books as I can and devouring them, one by one. I started with THE GIRLFRIEND'S GUIDE TO PREGNANCY because it came highly recommended, and seemed to be less panic-inducing than WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING. I have enough panic in me for a dozen other pregnant women, and I don't need anyone else adding to it. I found this book to be comforting, informative, and written in a very easy to read style. The author clearly has her biases and beliefs, and I took some of what she said with a grain of salt, but overall I found the book a great addition to my prenatal library.

I read this guide from cover to cover a decade ago now, and I decided to revisit it as an older person thinking about having another baby. My original score for this book was somewhere around 4 or 5 stars, but now it's 3. The first time along I was a very young woman who was very taken in by the humor and the way the author encourages women to do things whatever way that they need to. It's very much a calm down, everything will be fine, even if you're a little crazy right now book. I still like the humor and the message to just get it done whatever way you need to, but older me has more reserve. I know now that she is a bit misinformed about some things, and that there are things that you can do to screw the pooch in pregnancy. These days I'm more of a there's very little that you can do to really mess things up person. So my overall opinion on this book is that it is good for the humor and calming yourself down when you're about to melt down, but I wouldn't advise taking all of the information inside to heart. This is feel-good reading, not hard hitting research. Treat it accordingly.

At first I thought this was just a funny read on all the good stuff that happens during those first month, but after my daughter was born I actually found myself going back to some parts and they were really depicting some situations perfectly. I like it as it is non-judgemental whereas many other parenting books are. It won't change your world, but it's a fun read nevertheless.

Read sometime in May. I thought it was better than What to Expect.

I read this book as I pumped at work. HILARIOUS! Plus truly insightful, I would not have survived without it.

Vocki Iovine puts a hilarious spin on pregnancy. Now, having had three kids, I probably wouldn't recommend it for it's usefulness, as what I know about pregnancy and childbirth and the highly medicalized industry it's become has changed vastly, but when I was pregnant for the first time I really enjoyed it. For the mainstream population out there it's probably a good selection.

"Now is the time for a reappraisal of your relationship with your bed pillows. They will grow to become your best friends, not only the one or two that you have always known and loved, but all the new pillows you will buy (or steal from your husband) to help them in their duties."

Vicki Iovine, veteran of the birthing suite x 4, is here to save you from all the conflicting pre-baby advice. With humour.

I have to say, I thought this was going to be funnier than I found it. Only at two points (and now, of course, I cannot find them to quote them) did I actually burst out laughing. Some of the time I smiled, the rest of the time it was just, you know, a normal book.

What I did like about this was that it felt very real. Like Iovine had gathered the experiences of Actual Humans and not the magical birthing droids who live in What to Expect. She has examples from an array of her girlfriends, which was quite reassuring.

Worth a read, but definitely when I did, towards the end of pregnancy when you've already read the whole internet. And more for a light bit of reading than for side-splitting hilarity or particularly sage advice.

A fun and easy read, full of lots of fun and funny tidbits, but lacking in content. Read this and buy a more "medical" type book too.

informative, funny, a good read for pregnant ladies who might need a laugh.½

Despite my childless status, I loved this book--it's laugh-out-loud funny. I've given it as a gift too.

A lot of women seem to swear by this book, but it wasn't my cup of tea. For one thing, I have an interest in natural childbirth, which plenty of women recommend, and this book is very mainstream and utterly dismissive of the natural route. It also says that you shouldn't exercise. For another, I just didn't like the tone--it's very sarcastic and tends to assume the worst. I tend to take things seriously and be sincere about them. The chapter on (ahem) intimate relations during pregnancy was pretty entertaining, but otherwise I didn't feel like I would have been missing anything by note reading the book. It just irritated me.½

A funny, irreverent look at pregnancy.

I loved the REAL approach to pregnancy. It was refreshing to read a pregnancy book that didn't make me feel guilty or like I should be doing more to have a "perfect" pregnancy.

I've read quite a few pregnancy books lately, and this was one of my favorites. It is a light read that addresses all of the ups and downs of our crazy nine months with brutal honesty and humor - the 'Sex and the City' of pregnancy guides. Most books of this genre barely gloss over or omit entirely the crappy and embarrassing side effects that crop up during pregnancy, and the more 'serious' books (What to Expect) have a preachy tone to them. From morning sickness to diet to skin weirdness to birth this book offers the reader practical and realistic advice. I can't think of another pregnancy manual that details what REALLY happens to your hoo-ha following labor...haha! Some prudish readers might be offended by some of the content and commentary (and its against the grain view of the whole 'magical' experience), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm definitely not one of those women who 'loves being pregnant' (no hearts and flowers here!), so this book really helped me realize that I am not alone and not a bad momma for feeling this way!

I read this book every time I get pregnant, repeatedly. It always helps me laugh at the discomfort and know that it will pass. After 5 kids and 2 miscarriages, that's a lot of repeats, and I still love it.

If you can read this book without feeling in danger of losing all bladder control then you've obviously never dealt with a toddler. Iovine describes the daily joys and frustrations of navigating this stage of development in a child's life with so much humor and warmth that you sincerely feel as though you are one of her girlfriends chatting on the phone about your day. A must-read for any mother of preschoolers.

Love this! Made me laugh out loud!

I guess I should have gotten from the title that the author is an innumerate who feels datum are far more important than data. While few pregnancy books take a scientific bent, this one goes way too far in the opposite direction. I guess parts were funny - I chuckled once or twice - but others were just infuriating. This book is really more of a memoir of one woman than an informational book about pregnancy. Its one plus is that is does delve into a bit more of a negative (and realistic) tone than "What to expect" at its imitators. That said, I didn't relate to her relationship with her husband, her obsession with her appearance, her multiple children, or her annoying friends. I am glad it was library book...

I greatly appreciated the candor with which topics such as emotions, gas, sex, and relationships were handled in this book. The humor was great, and I loved the annecdotes. What I struggled with in this book was the sense that Iovine and her clique of "Girlfriends" had the monopoly on how a woman feels about her pregnancy. And it isn't a perspective that I want. Iovine's take on pregnancy is that it's the terrible ordeal that a woman has to survive in order to get the great prize of a newborn baby. Maybe I'm just niave, but that isn't the perspective I want to take into my first pregnancy. I want to enjoy the path not just rush to finish line. She definitely doesn't present pregnancy and birthing as a set of options, but rather as a predertermined path that you would be silly to divert from.

I found the book to be a little dated. The copy I read showed a copywrite of 1999, but it felt older than that. Perhaps because the author was a "mature" pregnant woman, she may have written it for an older audience.

It is a quick read. If you're looking for a quick primer on all things pregnancy, it might be worthwhile. Be prepared for an awful lot of discussion about how ugly and terrible you will look when pregnant!

This is a good book about what to expect during pregnancy. The author is honest and open about embarrassing and difficult-to-talk-about issues like gassiness, incontinence, constipation and hormone-induced bitchiness. (All those things should be expected and it's normal and okay!) She also covers issues like what to buy for the baby's nursery, what delivery is like and sex during pregnancy.

I was a bit annoyed by her preoccupation with looks: advice to get your hair done, wear makeup, shave, paint your toenails, etc. She obviously doesn't realize there are some nature girls out here who find the toxic chemicals in beauty products to be uncool - especially during pregnancy! Since she doesn't even bring the topic up, I'm inclined to believe she doesn't even know about the dangers of certain chemicals. If she doesn't know about that stuff, how reliable is her information?

I was also a little surprised at her admissions to some of the emotionally abusive things she said to her husband and her girlfriends (especially since one of the big points of her book is that you should trust and listen to your girlfriends). She was trying to drive the point that, during a hormonal time like pregnancy, it's normal to be bitchy. But, she's not just bitchy, she's completely shallow! Issues she brings up are non-issues and really just go back to her own personal insecurities; she really just argues to be controlling and abusive. I feel really sorry for her husband and friends. I would never, EVER say those types of things to my husband or friends - even during my ultra hormonal pregnancy. So I have a hard time digesting her argument that pregnancy excuses abuse. To me, abuse is NEVER okay.

She is a big supporter of epidurals. She doesn't talk much about non-medicated labor (beyond the fact that it exists and she knows someone who went through it), nor does she mention positive aspects of it. However, she does advise several times over that you request an epidural because it's the greatest thing ever. I am neither for nor against epidurals; I just think she should have been more diplomatic about presenting both arguments rather than her one opinion.

Throughout the book, she justifies her preaching with the fact that she is the mother of four. There is definitely an overtone of 'if you haven't experienced it, you have no right to have an opinion about it' which really turned me off.

Overall, this is a book of one mother's opinions and advice. You can pick and choose what you want to believe and leave the rest. I would recommend it to my friends, but only under the pretense that it should be taken with a grain of salt.

funny

This book is hilarious! Not for those who need actual, serious help, but if you just need a good laugh, and who doesn't, this is the book! I loved it and get it for all my girlfriends who get knocked up!

I loved this book! She tells it like it is, but in a hilarious way, and gives genuinely good advice.½

This book was funny, and filled with great advice. Wonderful!½

Humorously written book organized by different "problems", providing lots of advice on how to deal with the not so pleasant behavior of toddlers.