A humor book, which made this a brisk two hour read, and kind of a meh one for my first read on postpartum (though to be fair, it's a library one). I found[b:The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond|34733557|The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond|Dawn Dais|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497340237l/34733557._SX50_.jpg|55919377] a liiiiiittle bit funnier/more pertinent, but maybe that's because by book 4 Dawn cultivated her parents on the front line for a great mix of anecdotes. I see from other reviews I was not the only one turned off by her lackadaisical chapter on vaccines (which boiled down to "you're a terrible parent whether or not you do because moms are so judgy of each other, and while the autism link study is debunked there's a lot of scary stories online so trust your gut") because that's straight up dangerous, especially with viral pandemics still ongoing (heck. this book is from 2013 but I still remember news about H1N1 and zika virus from the mid 2000s).

Also, probably would've wanted to hear more from the partners too, since they're also parenting bab after birth?? Like, it's kind of weird that they get space in the pregnancy one but not this one which is weirdly heteronormative for a lesbian author, just saying!!

anyway this might be a good gift for a wine mom-to-be along with a snarky live laugh love variant wall sign ( )

I picked up this book about a week after coming home from the hospital with my adorable and completely overwhelming little bundle. I couldn't believe taking care of her was SO DAMN HARD. "Why didn't anyone warn us?" I asked my husband, over and over again. I was angry with all those people who jumped up and down with joy when we told them we were expecting, because what I'd really needed was a heart-to-heart about how difficult this was going to be, not a goofy grin and a pat on the head on my way out. Although this book didn't answer all my questions, it did set my mind at ease just a little that what I was feeling was completely normal -- and more importantly, that it would get better. I appreciated the author's lighthearted take on the topic of bringing a baby into your life. I think the book is especially well suited to first time moms used to a professional identity; women who suddenly find themselves knee-deep in diapers, spit up and mountains of laundry. ( )

So once upon time, as a twenty year old, a friend who had just had a baby turned to me, tired and worn, and declared, "Being a mom is NOT fun!" Although I love kids, toys, and children's books (and, hey, my husband and I still watch cartoons), I realize that parenting is hard work. As a super planner personality type, I'm already looking into baby and parenting books to prepare myself.

That said, I was drawn to this one because of the title, lol, thinking that there must be something moms are not telling...or going into detail.

But, overall, this book wasn't for me. It's pretty clear that the author was very annoyed by babies and children prior to having any. There were times while reading it that I repeatedly wondered why she even decided to have kids because of all the complaining. There's a point where she explains that her partner asked when their pets would hurry up and die...yeah, strange stuff. I realize people say stuff they don't mean when they're stressed, but it creeped me out. Give your pets...or babies for that matter, up for adoption if they annoy you so much.

The chapters I found most helpful covered postpartum, feeding, and sleeping. Thankfully there's insight from several other moms in the book and generally their advice and opinions were more helpful. Where's their book(s)?? ( )

A decent book with a lot of personal stories and anecdotal evidence of what will happen to your life when you have your first child. There's not a lot of practical information in this book, but a lot of moral support to tell you that you'll probably be okay. Some of it was insightful, like the chapter on childbirth--those are details people really don't discuss--but a lot of it was stuff I really have heard before. I was disappointed, too, that it only took a mother's point of view (why do so many parenting books focus on the mother and forget that there's a dad?). The author's partner is a woman, but even she came into the stories relatively little. It is definitely geared at middle-class moms--it doesn't assume you can afford a personal full time nanny, but it does assume a certain level of comfort and ability. ( )

Obviously as a woman with no plans to have kids, I am not the target audience for this book. However, as a sponsor of the Shirley You Jest Humor awards, I was happy to review this winner of the non-fiction category. And let me tell you, the judges picked a great winner! With short chapters, this book was like a collection of humorous essays. Even though this topic wasn’t one I’d read on my own, I found large portions of it very funny. Some of my favorite jokes were the cartoons and one-liners beginning each chapter, but there were jokes through-out that kept me laughing too. I did have two small complaints about the humor in this book. First there was one joke of exaggerating numbers that got a bit repetitive. And second, I personally prefer that if an author is going to use curse words, they just do it. “F’n” or “farkin” seems a bit juvenile to me.

In addition to the parts that kept me laughing, there were parts that would be far more helpful to people with babies or babies on the way. Each chapter tackled a particular issue new parents might face, discussing tough issues with humor and empathy. At the end of each chapter, the author polled a panel of mothers in diverse life situations for their related advice. I suspect this perspective from experienced mothers could provide some very helpful insights. So, as I began, I am not the intended audience for this book, but I found it quite funny anyway. However, there are enough serious bits and bits about giving birth that you just don’t want to know unless you need to, that I would only recommend this book to parents or parents-to-be. For new mothers in particular, I think the humor, advice, and emotional support in this book would make this great holiday gift.

This review first published on Doing Dewey. ( )