And this was recommended to me as a lollarious romp, which it is in parts. But you know how I feel about lollarity (reluctant, and highly critical), so allow me to lower your expectations: this is less The Bloggess (i.e. all amusements, all the time) and more your average, chatty blogger who has a few winning moments. Maybe it was funnier back in 1995?
Because there may be an updated version, but my library's copy is from my 7th grade year. And there are THINGS she says about, say, maternity fashion that may not be true today. And then there are other things she says, like the entire chapter on exercise (which boils down to Don't Do It Because You're Going To Get Fat Anyway And It Doesn't Help Anything So Why Bother And Also What If Something Happens And You Miscarry You Will Always Blame Yourself, the last part of which is totally true but if I miscarry, I am totally going to blame having slept on my back or having eaten spicy eggs, WHAT I'M SAYING IS I cannot let that fear dictate my actions), which I and the modern medical community violently disagree with.
(At one point in the chapter on fashion she's like, You will eventually outgrow even your husband's clothes and probably weigh more than him at some point. And, ok, maybe her husband is really little, I don't know her life. There are some dudes wandering around town with enviable hips and lovely lady legs, don't think I'm not coveting your calves, whom I probably weighed more than to start with. But for me to outweigh my own personal Dude, I would have to put on sixty MORE pounds. [I have already put on a healthy serving of pounds. It is weird, after 29 years of life, to be like, Hello weight gain. You are totally welcome here.] And weight and sundries are VERY STICKY SUBJECTS with women, both fetus-filled and non, so I'm not going to say that her stance on exercise and her tendency to weigh more than her husband are LINKED, I'm just going to eat a bag of chips and then go for a walk, because adding sixty more pounds to the front of my angry back is terrifying to me.)
But (we are now going back to the topic of this book being Supah-Old) a surprising amount of pregnancy, and the dealing with thereof, has remained the same (like, a weird amount. She's all, Dude, yes to breast pumps and my bff the other day was all like, Breast pumps indeed so apparently breast pumps are a go [come at me, spammers]). And though it feels like We, the Modern Woman are super-educated about everything to do with our bodies, it's nice to have everything sort of laid out by sub-heading because I'm not always going to be Googling ahead.
On the whole, it is very sane and relaxed, and if Iovine glosses over some things or has a few wacky opinions, we still have the internetz (where all opinions are Reasoned and Footnoted). She tells you straight out the gate that any real medical information passed on is 'largely accidental,' and is very like ALSO TALK TO YOUR DOCTORS. Which is sage advice.
Seven caterpillars (with swollen ankles).
Im 6 months preggers and still haven't read a single pregnancy book. My friends who've had children (well, the 2 of them) think i am a bit strange but i just feel a bit....blah about it. I know im getting fat and growing a third chin and feel unconfortable and need to buy stuff for baby and me but I can't bring myself to read about it. Good or bad? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI was pregnant for the first time in 1996, and a friend gave me that book. I remember enjoying it for the most part, although I also recall being pissed off at the part about "if you exercise and then have a miscarriage, you'll never know if it was because you exercised" -- WTF??? My favorite part was how now your father will KNOW you're not a virgin -- even if you've been married for 10 years, he's still been pretending you've never had sex. ;)
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! I now have a place to go to when I'm trying to figure out what to read next:)
ReplyDeleteI had to be really careful with what I read, not so much while pregnant but in the fragile state of sleepless new motherhood that followed (for me, not you--I'm sure that you will get lots of sleep and be very peaceful as a new mom). The internets can tell you lots of things, many of them stupid, unfortunately. I got to the point where I threw all my motherhood books away except the snarky ones and was banned from Googling anything since I would invariably find the site that told me I was a terrible mother for breastfeeding (or not) or taking my baby outside in winter (or not) or because my baby cried (or not).
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the book "Breastfeeding Sucks" during this fragile time.
YES BREAST PUMPS. Yes you will feel like an actual cow while milking yourself, but having waved goodbye to a normal sense of dignity many months ago; you will not care about this. What you will care about is that if someone else feeds the baby, you may be able to sleep in until say...7.45.
ReplyDeleteBest book I read on pregnancy was 'The Mumsnet Guide to Pregnancy' which is the interwebs in book form, with the truly crazy ones weeded out, and only the black humoured big sisters left.
I'm like Rachel though: once you HAVE the baby, best not to read books about what to do with said baby. I actually *serious face* feel very strongly about this: you are already feeling very wonky, and there is nothing like an 'expert' telling you what your baby 'should' be doing at any given point to make you burst into tears. This is the one time when books are not worth the paper they are written on. Ask your mum, your friends with babies, and other new mum's you meet; and then trust yourself.
One exception - any book by Naomi Stadlen. They may make you cry, but in a good way.
Heheheeee, confession time. I read this book . . . okay, I skimmed this book . . . a little more than three years ago. I was not (and am not) preggers. I was not married. And what I remember from it? Hemorrhoids.
ReplyDeleteMy wife received this book from a co-worker.My wife loved the book and it was VERY helpful throughout the pregnancy:)
ReplyDeleteI had the same mixed feelings about this book.
ReplyDeleteOne part of me was "Wow, a pregnancy book with a sense of humor." It is very funny in parts.
The other part of me went "Um...no, lots of parts of it aren't quite true (even if trying to be funny)". :)
You don't have gain like 60 pounds during pregnancy. Just don't eat like an idiot who thinks that pregnancy allows you to magically eat 1/2 gallon of ice cream in one sitting with no ill effects. Remember at *most* the other person you're eating for weighs all of 6-8lbs (and that's at the bitter end). You don't really need that much extra food. (I gained the 25 pounds each pregnancy by the way, in the dead center of what they recommend. I was back within 5 lbs of pee-pregnacy weight by 6 weeks out.)