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The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
By Vicki Iovine
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The practical, comforting, honest, and hilarious bestseller for moms-to-be, with more than one and a half million copies in print!
Your doctor gives you medical advice. Your mother buys you baby clothes. But who can give you the real skinny when you’re pregnant?
Your girlfriends, of course—at least, the ones who’ve been through the exhilaration and exhaustion, the agony and ecstasy of pregnancy. Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine talks to you the way only a best friend can—in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. In this revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant.
What really happens to your body—from morning sickness and gas to eating everything in sight—and what it’s like to go from being a babe to having one.
The Many Moods of Pregnancy—why you’re so irritable/distracted/tired/lightheaded (or at least more than usual).
Staying Stylish—You may be pregnant, but you can still be the fashionista you’ve always been (or at least you don’t have to look like a walking beachball)—wearing the hippest designers and proudly showing off your bump.
Pregnancy is Down To a Science—from in vitro fertilization to scheduled c-sections, there are so many options, alternatives, and scientific tests to take that being pregnant can be downright confusing!
And much more! For a reassuring voice or just a few good belly laughs, turn to this straight-talking guide on what to really expect when you’re expecting.
Your doctor gives you medical advice. Your mother buys you baby clothes. But who can give you the real skinny when you’re pregnant?
Your girlfriends, of course—at least, the ones who’ve been through the exhilaration and exhaustion, the agony and ecstasy of pregnancy. Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine talks to you the way only a best friend can—in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. In this revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant.
What really happens to your body—from morning sickness and gas to eating everything in sight—and what it’s like to go from being a babe to having one.
The Many Moods of Pregnancy—why you’re so irritable/distracted/tired/lightheaded (or at least more than usual).
Staying Stylish—You may be pregnant, but you can still be the fashionista you’ve always been (or at least you don’t have to look like a walking beachball)—wearing the hippest designers and proudly showing off your bump.
Pregnancy is Down To a Science—from in vitro fertilization to scheduled c-sections, there are so many options, alternatives, and scientific tests to take that being pregnant can be downright confusing!
And much more! For a reassuring voice or just a few good belly laughs, turn to this straight-talking guide on what to really expect when you’re expecting.
Book Actions
Start ReadingBook Information
The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
By Vicki Iovine
Description
The practical, comforting, honest, and hilarious bestseller for moms-to-be, with more than one and a half million copies in print!
Your doctor gives you medical advice. Your mother buys you baby clothes. But who can give you the real skinny when you’re pregnant?
Your girlfriends, of course—at least, the ones who’ve been through the exhilaration and exhaustion, the agony and ecstasy of pregnancy. Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine talks to you the way only a best friend can—in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. In this revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant.
What really happens to your body—from morning sickness and gas to eating everything in sight—and what it’s like to go from being a babe to having one.
The Many Moods of Pregnancy—why you’re so irritable/distracted/tired/lightheaded (or at least more than usual).
Staying Stylish—You may be pregnant, but you can still be the fashionista you’ve always been (or at least you don’t have to look like a walking beachball)—wearing the hippest designers and proudly showing off your bump.
Pregnancy is Down To a Science—from in vitro fertilization to scheduled c-sections, there are so many options, alternatives, and scientific tests to take that being pregnant can be downright confusing!
And much more! For a reassuring voice or just a few good belly laughs, turn to this straight-talking guide on what to really expect when you’re expecting.
Your doctor gives you medical advice. Your mother buys you baby clothes. But who can give you the real skinny when you’re pregnant?
Your girlfriends, of course—at least, the ones who’ve been through the exhilaration and exhaustion, the agony and ecstasy of pregnancy. Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine talks to you the way only a best friend can—in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. In this revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant.
What really happens to your body—from morning sickness and gas to eating everything in sight—and what it’s like to go from being a babe to having one.
The Many Moods of Pregnancy—why you’re so irritable/distracted/tired/lightheaded (or at least more than usual).
Staying Stylish—You may be pregnant, but you can still be the fashionista you’ve always been (or at least you don’t have to look like a walking beachball)—wearing the hippest designers and proudly showing off your bump.
Pregnancy is Down To a Science—from in vitro fertilization to scheduled c-sections, there are so many options, alternatives, and scientific tests to take that being pregnant can be downright confusing!
And much more! For a reassuring voice or just a few good belly laughs, turn to this straight-talking guide on what to really expect when you’re expecting.
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Reviews
"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.
Rating: 3Read sometime in May. I thought it was better than What to Expect.
Rating: 3Fun, having read so many similar pregnancy books this one was a pleasurable departure.
Rating: 5Super funny and honest about 9 months pregnancy journey. Loved it!
Rating: 5
This book was annoying at best. Too much opinion-based musings and wayyy too much focus on vanity fears, like worrying about getting fat. And very random quasi-concerns that for me were way off base... i.e. “what if I fall in love with my OB” ummm what?
Rating: 1This book has a few good tips, but pretty much just annoyed me. The part that irked me the most was her attitude toward exercise. Don't bother to exercise because if something happens, wouldn't you feel bad? Besides, you're just going to get fat anyway. Go ahead and drink wine and dye your hair, though, and don't let anyone make you feel guilty for doing so. Really? Well, I suppose that in this woman's world, where your girlfriends are models and such, I'm already considered fat. I also do not have a nanny and a personal trainer who will help me take off 60 pounds. It became more obvious with each page that I do not live in this woman's world, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to.
Rating: 1A 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.
Rating: 4informative, funny, a good read for pregnant ladies who might need a laugh.
Rating: 5Despite my childless status, I loved this book--it's laugh-out-loud funny. I've given it as a gift too.
Rating: 4If I could rate this book any lower, I probably would. The first chapter or two was humorous and made me laugh, but it was downhill from there. The tone of writing comes off very bossy and demanding, and at times I was insulted by the attitude of the writer. There was no space for any opinions other than the writer's and her word was law. (Example: The author states you should NOT cut your hair when you're pregnant, since you won't like it anyways and it will make you look fat.)I was more distressed over pregnancy after I was finished than when I started - and that's not something a book should be proud of.
Rating: 1A funny, irreverent look at pregnancy.
Rating: 2I'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!
Rating: 4I 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.
Rating: 5Love this! Made me laugh out loud!
Rating: 5I 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...
Rating: 2I 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!
Rating: 3This 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.
Rating: 3This 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!
Rating: 5I really should have waited until after I was pregnant to read this book. This book is brutally, terrifyingly honest. I had no idea about all these crazy things that happen when you are pregnant, give birth, and have a newborn. Anyway, a friend of mine is expecting, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. This book has a candid, humorous way of giving pregnancy tips and discrediting myth and superstition, and outside of my overwhelming fear of reproduction now, I enjoyed it. If you’re pregnant, definitely read it.
Rating: 3Vicki Iovine takes a really girlfriend-y tone here, and to my surprise I appreciated it. While in the early stages of pregnancy I thought her to be a bit extreme, but now farther along I find her to be really grounded and helpful.
Rating: 4