Pregnancy For Men: The whole nine months

by Mark Woods

She’s pregnant, which means you’re pregnant. Not literally of course, but you’ll be slap bang in the middle of nine months of flying hormones, back rubs, and too much talk of childbirth - you’re in for the ride of your life. And you're going to be a dad. Fatherhood is just around the corner – are you ready? Most pregnancy books are for the mother but this one is just for you, the new father. We guide you through nine months of joy, excitement, fear, lots of big words, and an expanding bump, so that you emerge from this emotional rollercoaster ready for anything your new born baby will throw at you (which will either be sick, poo or regurgitated milk). From how your baby grows month by month to how to support your partner (it’s the little things that count, we tell ourselves), international bestseller Pregnancy for Men is your survival guide to the whole nine months.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Vesselin Iliev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it has the needed basic information, I really struggled with the style of this book. The target group seems to be men with zero interest or knowledge of pregnancies and parenting, trying to draw parallels with football matches and drinks. I'd say a third of the book gives you something useful (info how pregnancies work in the UK, what support is offered and what to look out for) and the rest is just extra "fluff", trying to dress it up with mate-friendly language.

The summary after each chapter was quite nice. If this book is gifted to you, I'd just read these summaries and use the free time reading something else.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be mildly funny and slightly informative. Turns out I was wrong on both counts! Very helpful read.

[prozaczytana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciąża nie jest najłatwiejszym czasem dla kobiety, w której w ciele buzują hormony i następują przeogromne zmiany. Nieodzownym i bardzo potrzebnym elementem w tym czasie (i nie tylko wtedy) jest wsparcie bliskiej osoby, często partnera, który jednak często przepełniony jest obawami spowodowanymi niewiedzą. Mark Woods przyszedł z odsieczą - książką, którą rozwiewa wątpliwości i stanowi ogromną pomoc wszystkim panom.

Mark Woods przeprowadza czytelników przez ogrom tematów od starań o dziecko, poprzez każdy kolejny miesiąc ciąży, aż po narodziny. Nie dość, że "Ciąża dla facetów" przekazuje niesamowitą dawkę wiedzy w prosty sposób, to przepełniona jest jeszcze humorem, który potrafi rozładować napięcie związane z dość ciężkim czasem w życiu zarówno kobiety, jak i mężczyzny. Dodatkowym atutem są wypowiedzi ojców, wyszczególnione rady na każdy miesiąc ciąży, a także słowniczek z ważnymi wyrazami.

Bardzo żałuję, że tej książki nie było na rynku kilka lat temu - podczas mojej pierwszej ciąży (chociaż przy drugiej też by się przydała). Bez zastanowienia podrzuciłabym ją mężowi i przypilnowała, aby przeczytał ją od deski do deski. To niesamowite kompendium wiedzy dla wszystkich osób pragnących obdarzyć wsparciem ciężarną - nie tylko dla facetów, ale również kobiet!

To nic złego nie mieć wiedzy na jakiś temat - grunt to chcieć ją poszerzać. Choćbyśmy przeczytali wszystkie książki dotyczące rodzicielstwa - znajdzie się coś, co nas zaskoczy, ale... warto posiadać pewne zaplecze merytoryczne, bo wtedy jest zdecydowanie łatwiej.

[Jakub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zabawnie podana podstawowa wiedza na temat ciąży dla przyszłych ojców. Niektóre fragmenty skupione na realiach Wielkiej Brytanii, szkoda, że nie zostały zaadaptowane do naszych, polskich realiów przy tłumaczeniu. (choć gdzieniegdzie pojawią się pomocne przypisy)

[Kristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers the multiple steps a baby experiences during gestation. It also covers the experiences of the mother during the process with a focus on the father.

Impressions
To give this review context, at this present moment, my partner is eight months pregnant. I found the book engaging and informative. I would happily recommend it to expecting fathers.
The book contains lots of humour to make the content more palatable, but I found it weird and rarely laugh. My partner, on the other hand, found the author extremely funny. She would throw her head back and cackle as she would occasionally read over my shoulder.

Who should read this book
This book was recommended to me by a father of two as the only book I will need. I too, would argue you probably could get away with reading only this book as an expecting father, as it is incredibly comprehensive. But I read more books to get a more holistic view of what was happening and what is about to happen.

The book covers so much of what could go wrong, it made me very open to the concept I have little control over the process. The book managed to make a laidback person more laidback through the knowledge that was shared.

I loved the Personal Accounts from fathers at the end of each chapter; they humanised the preparation for childbirth. The accounts prepared me for the uncertainty that layer ahead.

I would recommend this book to any expecting father. Also I would recommend it to any woman who wants a no-nonsense approach to pregnancy.

Favourite quotes
"Not that long ago many believed that one testicle made boy sperm and the other made girl sperm. Despite the pleasingly symmetrical nature of the theory, it did in time turn out to be … well, bollocks."

"The fact that your partner’s boobs become incredibly sore at the very same time that they look absolutely out of this world is conclusive proof that God has a fully functioning sense of humour. And is probably a woman."

"We had agreed that I only had one job and that was to tell my wife if we’d had a boy or a girl. The moment was so shocking that I could only splutter in wonder, ‘It’s a baby' "

[Hubert RvR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Woods offers a very comprehensive and easy-to-digest compendium of what first pregnancy means to a father-to-be. The book is conveniently organized into monthly sections and split with easy-to-summarize pieces that shall be treated as takeaways. Importantly, the book presents the reality of the UK medical system, so some pieces of advice will not be immediately translatable to other counties. For readers that are along the way, it serves as a good recap of what hCG, PAPP-A, NIFT, NT, and dozens of other acronyms stand for. For everyone beyond the first trimester calms down by stating that 98% of miscarriages happen within the first 12 weeks. Gives plenty of good practical advice (babymoon, birthing plan, antenatal classes, packing the bag, shopping lists, raspberry leaf tea, etc.), but more than anything puts the importance of being a supportive partner to the mother-to-be in the spotlight.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, practical and made me laugh along the way.

[Sipho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty and informative, this is the dummy (or daddy’s) guide to navigating the 9 months of pregnancy.

Plenty of useful tips that pretty much summarise the key parts of what your midwife or OBGYN will tell you. There are also practical pointers on what gear to buy, paternity leave, how to support your partner among many other things.

Its pretty amazing how he accurately pinpoints the exact feelings many fathers feel: from the joy and satisfaction of finding out that you’re expecting, the fear of miscarriage, to the dread of the monumental change that is about to happen.

The reader will be reassured that they're normal and so many other people have experienced these things before.

[Shay Begun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for any father to be. Informative in the whole pregnancy process, and gives great advice on how to support your partner throughout the process all while keeping a real and humorous tone. Would definitely recommend!

[Sven Schöbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful information on what happens in this periode of life with your partner - and yourself.
It help immensly to feel prepared and ready for the next steps.
And all over all is Marks style of writting a fantastic way to make that big topic easy to digest. Not only once it was planting a smile on my face while ready, even sometimes a big laughter.
Great book that every upcoming father should enjoy reading.

[Mujtaba Moosavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, as the title suggests, the journey of pregnancy from the man's perspective and mapped out clearly for the target audience; that being a soon-to-be father who wants to know what’s happening during his spouse’s pregnancy and how he can help.

Mark Woods packs a considerable level of insight into the stages of pregnancy and sheds light into what physical, physiological, and mental changes in both the mother and the foetus are taking place as the months progress. He humorously delivers the terminology that men need to know in order to be involved and add value to discussions and the decision making process with their spouses without inundating the reader with heaps of medical jargon, making for a concise and enjoyable read.

A status report on the progress of both the baby and mother-to-be is given at the end of each month, and the odd bit of advice to the male reader on what they can be doing to contribute some efforts in the given stage of pregnancy, however small, gives the book a practical dimension; allowing the reader to put knowledge into action. To illustrate this, there are segments covering topics like what to keep in the hospital bag as well as what to potentially include in a birth plan which my wife and I used as an impetus to start planning and packing for our delivery.

Pregnancy for Men prepares men for their likely upcoming roles as Birth Partners and lays bare before them the options and tools at their disposal to ensure that the right choices are made for both their wives and their babies. Crucially, there is also some more serious discussions on the difficulties that one may encounter in pregnancy and how, if the worst were to occur, one could engage in the recovery process with their spouse in a healthy and supportive way.

The splitting of the chapters into the stages of pregnancy by months leverages the reader the option of blitzing through all the stages of pregnancy cover-to-cover and proceed to the satisfying “did you know that…” phase in the midst of friends, family, and spouses (not to be overdone), or like myself, the reader may choose to pace themselves, reading a chapter or two closer to the time of those stages in order to be on the lookout for signs of said stage of pregnancy.

I found some of the underlying cultural sensitivities and motifs that are expressed throughout the book by subtle or obvious means to be quite tired, particularly the feminist driven trope of the incompetent husband which has become the default image of manhood (or the lack thereof) in the west, but they were usually draped in light hearted satire and not so in-your-face as to feel obnoxiously dogmatic, making them actually quite amusing to read. After all, this was intended to be a funny book aimed at men, written by men, so poking a little fun seemed natural. Please also note that the book has a few expletives tossed here and there. Nothing I would deem excessive, but the Muslim in me does make note of these things.

If there was only enough time to read one book on pregnancy and really, the reader just wants to know what is happening and how they can be involved, this book is perhaps the best one-stop-shop I could recommend, although, I being one of those time-strapped men have not read other pregnancy books by which I could provide any substantial comparison. But for what I was expecting and what I got, I was impressed to say the least. I recommend this book for any father-to-be looking to know enough to take the rewarding supporting role during their wife’s pregnancy, and to any men just wanting to read on the topic to get excited and be grateful for this small miracle that Allah places in the lives of many of us – but not all of us. Allah bless us all with the opportunity to bring forth soldiers of truth and guardians of purity from each and every one of us.

[Ethan Loughrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its amazing the number of books that exist for parents to be. That number is substantially smaller when specific to fathers to be, and smaller again for one that really hits the mark.

Mark's tone is perfect. Informative and relaxed, whilst also being genuinely hilarious. I've lost track of the number of times my wife and I (who I was reading it aloud to throughout the pregnancy) burst out laughing. More importantly, it takes its job seriously as attempting to inform you.

He focuses on the reality that things in your life will change forever and not all for the better. He explains things that some people no doubt think obvious but I certainly hadn't a clue about. It gets you to examine how your partner might be feeling and what you could dl to help that with genuinely practical tips.

It was also so easy to read, in its (roughly) month by month progress. It was sometimes difficult not to plough on months ahead of where you are but we did manage to keep pace.

This was recommended to me by a friend and I've no problems recommending it to other dads to be!

[Petr Bela · Rating 2 out of 5]

While listening to the book, I've had the feeling that the author's primary goal was to sound witty, trying to turn almost any situation into a (bad) dad joke, to the point when it was getting in the way of the useful information that makes it worth reading (although much of the practical advice is based on the UK health system). The book certainly is "For Men", as my girlfriend (and I) felt disgusted by some of the author's associations, and she refused to listen to it.

Ultimately, I'm not sure who the book is for - certainly not for women, who'll feel frightened and discouraged to carry a baby at all. And as a man, even though I found some value in it, the derogatory tone certainly didn't make it a pleasant experience.

[Alex Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book - absolutely essential reading for any expectant father, especially first-timers like myself. I laughed (a lot), I welled up a bit a couple of times (good sign for my likely emotional resilience in the delivery room), but most importantly I learned an awful lot in much more partner/male-friendly, straightforward and honest terms than are available via hypnobirthing, NCT or - god help us - NHS resources. Before reading I didn’t realise just how little I knew about what to expect. After reading I feel ready, even if not confident! Surely feeling the latter would be a sign of sheer madness. Definitely getting the “Babies and Toddlers” follow-on.

[James Warwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and a barrel of laughs.

Not only was this an extremely informative book, it was also easy going. Never did it feel like a chore or another task to tick off the baby list. It was like sitting down with a mate (the one who has a whole wall dedicated to his extensive DVD collection), whose been through the pregnancy wars and done it, and are now having really useful chat. Plus by putting some of the stuff into practice I scored quite a few husband points along the way too.

I'll be recommending this book to any of my fellow soldiers who get called up to battle!

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pregnancy For Men - The whole 9 months by Mark Woods is essentially a self help book for men by a man during the 9months of pregnancy.
Written in stages to cover each month, it is a useful and insightful guide for men who may not have a clue what to expect.

I’m unsure what the target audience is. I assume it’s for the first time Father’s but there are a few odd jokes, mixed with a culture of cluelessness that indicates men have no idea? I don’t know. Either way, I found it useful and the breakdown by month was handy.

Four out of five.

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bare minimum read for anybody whose partner is expecting. It was a bit depressing to read the Amazon reviews where numerous women have said their husbands didn’t read it so they did, especially as it’s such an easy read.

It’s a bit basic in places and tries too hard to be funny, but there is some useful information dotted throughout (it’s neatly divided into month by month chapters) as we prepare for the big arrival. It’s all very exciting and terrifying, but as the author notes, advocate for your partner and it should all be fine. Roll on late December!

[Adam Bradbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst this book may come across as a bit sexist and jokey on the face of it, it offers plenty of practical advice. It’s full of information and reassuring anecdotes from other fathers whilst ensuring (and rightly so) that you remain sympathetic with your pregnant partner throughout. It also provides thoughtful ideas on how to care for your loved one and earn some brownie points before the big arrival! Would definitely recommend.

[Johanna Elsener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really not too sure why this is a book only read once pregnant. I believe this should be read as a warning message in advance of any pregnancy. It is definitely rather horrifying to read/listen to it as a woman though the lenses of men (aka their partner) and realising what major blindspots and gaps in knowledge they have.

[Amorette Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this for my partner after we found out we were having a little surprise 10 years after the last.
It's a good read with a refreshing take. Made the topic fun and as if having a very honest conversation with a friend.
Some of the information varies from hospital practice but otherwise it started interesting conversations at appointments.
Highly recommend

[Nuno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most books about pregnancy do not tell you what it's like for the male partner, so it's good to get that perspective and that's what this book does. I think most of the relevant information is here, delivered with (occasionally) funny jokes. Please note that some of the content is only applicable to the UK.

[Tom Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, full of firsthand insight for new Dads. Having flicked through a few books on the topic aimed specifically at men, this is one of the few that (thankfully) dispenses with a lot of the patronising, laddy garbage you encounter in other examples.

[Antonio · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is alright, some parts are funny and it has some interesting point. I didn't like the style of righting, very opinionated on some points. Overall is Okey, kind of basic, it's readable and is relatively short.

[Mark McKerracher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hit just the right note: jovial but not trivial, informative but not information-overload, and some welcome advice about "what your partner's going through". Whole-heartedly recommended for expectant dads!

[Quintin Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine. There’s good information for men about the biological processes that our pet era experience but the context was off considering the author is from the UK and the medical system is significantly different. But it was still a useful guide in many ways.

[Callum Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative with plenty of tidbits and a humorous approach. The humour of the book being quite “laddy” may deter some people but definitely worth a read if you want to understand more about the experience women go through.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a no-frills but practical guide to prepare for the 9-months of waiting and eventual arrival of a baby. Would recommend this to anyone who needs more information about pregnancy, birth and caring for the super mums.

[Kieron · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Enda Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good and fun guide for dads to be.

[Roz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humourous and factual. Easy read too. Would recommend