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The Best Friends' Guide to Pregnancy, Or, Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You
Vicki Iovine
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,227 reviews
June 11, 2008
I loathe, loathe, loathe this book. I have no idea why books about pregnancy fall into either of two categories: A) motherly reassurance which makes all kinds of conservative assumptions about your life and circumstances and B) chatty, conspiratorial crap that does the same but in an even meaner more degrading manner. To whit, Ms. Iovine sees it as her duty to warn your husband (assuming you have one) that diamonds are the very best way to reward you for pushing that baby out. Her tips about birth are entirely useless, mainstream crap that will essentially assure you of a medical-intervention-fest as you labor on your back with full epidural awaiting your diamond tennis bracelet. Just skip this dreadful, useless nonsense. There are far better books out there. The Thinking Woman's Guide To A Better Birth would be high on the list.
January 10, 2008
This book gets one star for humor. Other than that, this book is really degrading to women who strive to have a natural childbirth. The author tries to relate to all moms but it's kind of hard to relate to her when she starts whining about her nanny not showing up one day (she's a stay at home mom).
Overall this book just rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall this book just rubbed me the wrong way.
September 2, 2008
Or, as my husband aptly dubbed it, "The Girlfriends' Guide to Being a Self-Indulgent Twit."
Let me start by saying that there are a couple of good things about this one.
First, it is full of the kind of anecdotes about what pregnancy is like - swollen boobs, swollen feet, hemorrhoids, how to buy maternity clothes, when to expect morning sickness to end - that previous generations got from their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, sisters, and childhood friends. In a world where many of us live hundreds or thousands of miles from the most important women in our lives, it's nice to have a reassuring compendium of all the stuff that happens, and to learn that it is completely normal.
Second, the list of what to take with you to the hospital when you go into labor looks to me to be useful and includes items I wouldn't have thought of but plan to add to my suitcase.
So why do I rate the book so low?
Well, first of all, the constant theme of "x symptom is very common and normal in pregnancy, but we don't know why - ask your doctor" is irksome. With apologies to my doctor friends, who learns anything useful from a doctor in a fifteen-minute appointment? I have learned at least nine-tenths of everything I know about my health and my body from reading books and trolling the internet, and frankly I was hoping Iovine would add to my store of knowledge instead of brushing me off. Had I bought the book instead of borrowing it from the library, I'd feel cheated out of 20 clams.
But more important, I was alarmed, rather than reassured, by Iovine's insistence that interventions like caesarians, continuous fetal heart monitors, episiotomies, and the other, frequently unnecessary torture and mutilation that obstetricians inflict on women during labor and delivery are normal and somehow OK. She seems to have confused "frequent" with normal, largely because so many of her Girlfriends (the capital G is hers) suffered these procedures. This review is not the place to go into the alarmingly high 30% caesarian rate in the US, and how appallingly it exceeds the World Health Organization's recommendation of 10% or less. (Yes, folks, that is almost 1 in 3 pregnant American women who will go under the knife.) Suffice it to say that I couldn't help wondering if Iovine's insistence that it is no big deal for a pregnant woman to gain substantially more weight than the current recommendations, or her bizarre, completely unsubstantiated opinion that pregnancy is a great excuse to avoid exercise (she seriously says this), had anything to do with the fact that apparently none of her Girlfriends-with-a-Capital-G managed to have a perfectly normal, natural delivery.
Give this one a pass - go for an informative, truly reassuring book like the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Let me start by saying that there are a couple of good things about this one.
First, it is full of the kind of anecdotes about what pregnancy is like - swollen boobs, swollen feet, hemorrhoids, how to buy maternity clothes, when to expect morning sickness to end - that previous generations got from their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, sisters, and childhood friends. In a world where many of us live hundreds or thousands of miles from the most important women in our lives, it's nice to have a reassuring compendium of all the stuff that happens, and to learn that it is completely normal.
Second, the list of what to take with you to the hospital when you go into labor looks to me to be useful and includes items I wouldn't have thought of but plan to add to my suitcase.
So why do I rate the book so low?
Well, first of all, the constant theme of "x symptom is very common and normal in pregnancy, but we don't know why - ask your doctor" is irksome. With apologies to my doctor friends, who learns anything useful from a doctor in a fifteen-minute appointment? I have learned at least nine-tenths of everything I know about my health and my body from reading books and trolling the internet, and frankly I was hoping Iovine would add to my store of knowledge instead of brushing me off. Had I bought the book instead of borrowing it from the library, I'd feel cheated out of 20 clams.
But more important, I was alarmed, rather than reassured, by Iovine's insistence that interventions like caesarians, continuous fetal heart monitors, episiotomies, and the other, frequently unnecessary torture and mutilation that obstetricians inflict on women during labor and delivery are normal and somehow OK. She seems to have confused "frequent" with normal, largely because so many of her Girlfriends (the capital G is hers) suffered these procedures. This review is not the place to go into the alarmingly high 30% caesarian rate in the US, and how appallingly it exceeds the World Health Organization's recommendation of 10% or less. (Yes, folks, that is almost 1 in 3 pregnant American women who will go under the knife.) Suffice it to say that I couldn't help wondering if Iovine's insistence that it is no big deal for a pregnant woman to gain substantially more weight than the current recommendations, or her bizarre, completely unsubstantiated opinion that pregnancy is a great excuse to avoid exercise (she seriously says this), had anything to do with the fact that apparently none of her Girlfriends-with-a-Capital-G managed to have a perfectly normal, natural delivery.
Give this one a pass - go for an informative, truly reassuring book like the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting.
June 11, 2015
I consider this book to be extremely dangerous, and here's why.
Of course, it's always fun to read something lighthearted and entertaining, especially when you're suffering from morning sickness that extends to the afternoon, evening, night, and back again. Making light of your situation might ease the pressure for a bit. But this book's humor draws from its cynicism. And cynicism is dangerous when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth.
So many of my friends that I've spoken to have had what, after the fact, they described as 'traumatic' birth experiences. In retrospect, they all ascribe their trauma to a loss of control and a trusting in the medical professionals and their medical model of pregnancy and childbirth. Although I do have a slightly hippy side, and I do have granola on occasion, I'm not one of those off-the-deep-end flower children (with apologies to the flower children) who don't immunize their kids and who believe that sugar is the devil incarnate. (Ok, sugar isn't healthy, and I try to avoid processed sugars, but please. I'm not giving up my ice cream and chocolate. And don't tell me that frozen pureed bananas and carob taste the same. They don't.)
What I've learned is that childbirth is a challenging experience that has a HUGE impact on how people see themselves, how they feel about life, and how they feel about and relate to their children afterwards.
So many of these friends had such traumatic birthing experiences that they never even felt ok enough to speak about it until I asked them, point blank. So many women are walking around with this horrible emotional (and often also physical) baggage, when they could walk around, as I do, feeling empowered and proud. And I truly believe that being properly informed makes a huge difference.
This book, in it's cynicism, implies (and sometimes flat-out states) that labor and childbirth is going to be hard and miserable, and that it's best to sit back and let everything be handled by medical staff. To have an epidural as plan A (without mentioning that any medical intervention, very much including pain medication) raises the risk of needing other medical intervention and significantly increases the likelihood of putting the baby in distress and needing a C-section.
This book promotes ignorance and lack of responsible self-education, and pushes a victim mentality.
If this was the first, or only pregnancy book I'd read, I'd have ended up with a very different childbirth experience. I'd probably be moaning over stomach stitches rather than chirpily writing a book review while my son naps next to me.
Empowered women should reject books like this and be informed enough to grab their lives by the reins and steer. I hate this book.
Of course, it's always fun to read something lighthearted and entertaining, especially when you're suffering from morning sickness that extends to the afternoon, evening, night, and back again. Making light of your situation might ease the pressure for a bit. But this book's humor draws from its cynicism. And cynicism is dangerous when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth.
So many of my friends that I've spoken to have had what, after the fact, they described as 'traumatic' birth experiences. In retrospect, they all ascribe their trauma to a loss of control and a trusting in the medical professionals and their medical model of pregnancy and childbirth. Although I do have a slightly hippy side, and I do have granola on occasion, I'm not one of those off-the-deep-end flower children (with apologies to the flower children) who don't immunize their kids and who believe that sugar is the devil incarnate. (Ok, sugar isn't healthy, and I try to avoid processed sugars, but please. I'm not giving up my ice cream and chocolate. And don't tell me that frozen pureed bananas and carob taste the same. They don't.)
What I've learned is that childbirth is a challenging experience that has a HUGE impact on how people see themselves, how they feel about life, and how they feel about and relate to their children afterwards.
So many of these friends had such traumatic birthing experiences that they never even felt ok enough to speak about it until I asked them, point blank. So many women are walking around with this horrible emotional (and often also physical) baggage, when they could walk around, as I do, feeling empowered and proud. And I truly believe that being properly informed makes a huge difference.
This book, in it's cynicism, implies (and sometimes flat-out states) that labor and childbirth is going to be hard and miserable, and that it's best to sit back and let everything be handled by medical staff. To have an epidural as plan A (without mentioning that any medical intervention, very much including pain medication) raises the risk of needing other medical intervention and significantly increases the likelihood of putting the baby in distress and needing a C-section.
This book promotes ignorance and lack of responsible self-education, and pushes a victim mentality.
If this was the first, or only pregnancy book I'd read, I'd have ended up with a very different childbirth experience. I'd probably be moaning over stomach stitches rather than chirpily writing a book review while my son naps next to me.
Empowered women should reject books like this and be informed enough to grab their lives by the reins and steer. I hate this book.
March 14, 2011
Hilarious! When you feel like crap and you're fed up with reading the "serious" books that have you out of your mind with worry because you feel like you have every pregnancy ailment/nightmare under the sun this book helps put things in perspective and gives you a few laughs during what could be a very hellish time in your life.
March 3, 2008
I'd heard nothing but wonderful things about this book, and since I'd been disappointed with several other "traditional," medically-focused pregnancy books out there, I thought I'd give this one a try.
One thing is for sure -- the book is hilarious. Laugh-out-loud funny! That's its biggest advantage.
It's not a medical book, and doesn't pretend to be. Vicki Iovine pulls no punches, which is part of the book's humor, but also what I found very off-putting about the book.
Iovine is just as opinionated as every other mother who wants to dispense advice to wide-eyed mothers-to-be like me, and I found her tone increasingly flippant and abrasive.
Many of her philosophies didn't mesh with mine, either. She devotes several pages to flippant "reasons" (more like excuses) why a pregnant woman shouldn't exercise during pregnancy -- at least, nothing more than brisk walks around the block. She ridicules women who continue with aerobics and weight training through pregnancy, assuming that they all must be impossibly perfect Superwomen, and that if any one of them ever lost a pregnancy, they'd drive themselves crazy wondering if their exercising had anything to do with it. Nice attitude.
She also advocates the occasional alcoholic drink during pregnancy. Granted, I don't think one glass of wine is going to result in fetal alcohol syndrome, but I'd be more worried about that occasional drink doing some harm to my fetus, than I would about 15 reps of bicep curls with a 10-pound dumbbell.
Her musings about how pregnancy ruins your body forever were funny, but suddenly I found myself crying amid my laughter. This book scared the hell out of me. I detect some bitterness in Iovine, despite that great sense of humor. If you're particularly sensitive, or planning a super-healthy, remotely natural/organic pregnancy, this book is not for you.
I understand this book has gone through a new edition since I read it -- I hope Iovine has reformed her views a bit!
One thing is for sure -- the book is hilarious. Laugh-out-loud funny! That's its biggest advantage.
It's not a medical book, and doesn't pretend to be. Vicki Iovine pulls no punches, which is part of the book's humor, but also what I found very off-putting about the book.
Iovine is just as opinionated as every other mother who wants to dispense advice to wide-eyed mothers-to-be like me, and I found her tone increasingly flippant and abrasive.
Many of her philosophies didn't mesh with mine, either. She devotes several pages to flippant "reasons" (more like excuses) why a pregnant woman shouldn't exercise during pregnancy -- at least, nothing more than brisk walks around the block. She ridicules women who continue with aerobics and weight training through pregnancy, assuming that they all must be impossibly perfect Superwomen, and that if any one of them ever lost a pregnancy, they'd drive themselves crazy wondering if their exercising had anything to do with it. Nice attitude.
She also advocates the occasional alcoholic drink during pregnancy. Granted, I don't think one glass of wine is going to result in fetal alcohol syndrome, but I'd be more worried about that occasional drink doing some harm to my fetus, than I would about 15 reps of bicep curls with a 10-pound dumbbell.
Her musings about how pregnancy ruins your body forever were funny, but suddenly I found myself crying amid my laughter. This book scared the hell out of me. I detect some bitterness in Iovine, despite that great sense of humor. If you're particularly sensitive, or planning a super-healthy, remotely natural/organic pregnancy, this book is not for you.
I understand this book has gone through a new edition since I read it -- I hope Iovine has reformed her views a bit!
April 21, 2008
I didn't like this book at all. Well, to be fair, I am sure there were a few little sections that were readable....but for the most part, the author was totally unrelatable to me (not that I have to be BFF’s with all of the author’s that I read – but with a book about motherhood and pregnancy, you want to feel some connection with the author). I was hoping GF’s Guide was going to be a hipper and more personal version of What to Expect When You Are Expecting. Vicki Iovine came across as very shallow and self absorbed (former playboy life aside) and a little kooky (she found out she was pregnant after hurling large objects across the room at her husband). Plus she had no real information to share. It was always, “well, I am not a doctor, but my friend Sally..blah blah blah”. Seriously? Ok, you are writing a guide about pregnancy, can’t you consult with a doctor in addition to asking your LA friends – just to make sure the information you are sharing isn’t total crap? Her friends don’t come across any better than Iovine – there is even a story about one of her friends giving her hubby a BJ in the hospital room after she delivered her baby. I am an open person, but how does that information help pregnant women? And even though the book was called a guide, it was way too wordy…it was structured more like a novel – when you are pregnant, you are looking more for text reference.
April 13, 2022
Entertaining and hilarious.
August 8, 2007
Vicki Iovine rather revels in her status as a princess type, with the money, the manicures, the jewelry, etc., but even if you can't quite relate, this book is a refreshing change from the bulk of pregnancy advice books that tend to the natural-granola-woo-woo-power of womanhood vibe (and don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of getting all woo-woo with your pregnancy and baby). It's funny, and it speaks to you if you're the kind of person who, while cooing over your new baby in the hospital, might still want to put on a little lipstick before anyone starts taking pictures.
September 12, 2013
"Many things in live exact a toll, but they are such great experiences that we are willing to pay the price."
Ah, the moral of the story.
Well, baby, you better be @$&*%ing awesome after all the mess this book and many others tell me I'll endure. xoxoxo
Ah, the moral of the story.
Well, baby, you better be @$&*%ing awesome after all the mess this book and many others tell me I'll endure. xoxoxo
May 5, 2009
Best pregnancy book EVER! I started reading "What to Expect When You are Expecting", and that book scared the crap out of me! Ever time I turned around I had some new symptom of something potentially dangerous. So, I did what any other crazy prgnant lady would do...I threw it in the trash. Hormones...what can I say. Anyway, someone gave me "The Girlfriends Guide...". I laughed so hard I peed my pants! Ok. I probably would have peed my pants anyway...but still. It was the best thing that could have happend to me at the time. I needed to laugh. Any first-time mother knows how freaky and scary things get when you have a "foreign body" growning inside you! This book lets you know that you are not alone. Other women have burped, farted, and peed their way to motherhood for millions of years. I highly recommend this one as a baby shower gift!
January 18, 2022
Why anybody, much less a doctor, would recommended a pregnancy book that was written in 1995 by someone whose only qualification to giving pregnancy advice is just having squeezed out a few kids for a record excec, is odd. Somehow, this book was pushed on me 12 years ago, and I still remember some of its very bad advice.
Particularly, the judgement for any woman who is pregnant and struggles with an ED (or anyone who is “professionally thin”). Like I get it, she almost got Vanna White’s job on Wheel—this lady is very knowledgeable about the birth process ... or at least can spell “birth process.”
Oh, and make sure your man gives you diamonds for your push present, otherwise why have a baby at all?
Particularly, the judgement for any woman who is pregnant and struggles with an ED (or anyone who is “professionally thin”). Like I get it, she almost got Vanna White’s job on Wheel—this lady is very knowledgeable about the birth process ... or at least can spell “birth process.”
Oh, and make sure your man gives you diamonds for your push present, otherwise why have a baby at all?
December 4, 2013
This book was recommended to me by so many women, but I can't for the life of me understand why. I found it to be much too snarky and whiny and it spent much too much time drumming into you how crazy you are to ruin your body with pregnancy and how uncomfortable and horrible it is. It gets one star because parts of it were funny.
Also, if you are planning on having a natural childbirth, definitely skip it. She talks constantly about how great epidurals are and if you don't want one, you are nuts.
It may be a break from the more medical pregnancy books, but I didn't take anything away from it that I really needed to know.
Also, if you are planning on having a natural childbirth, definitely skip it. She talks constantly about how great epidurals are and if you don't want one, you are nuts.
It may be a break from the more medical pregnancy books, but I didn't take anything away from it that I really needed to know.
April 20, 2009
Yes, I am pregnant. Due date: July 23rd. Little girl. I feel fine. Sure, I'm excited, whatever. Please don’t touch my belly. That pretty much answers pretty much every question that I have to answer 35 times a day.
So I have two main concerns about giving birth. Both involve my butt. You’d think that the actual birth canal would be a scarier thing to me, but I figure it was built for that stuff, so it’ll probably work ok.
Fear #1 Hemorrhoids. I love that the author just lays it all out. Other books mention hemorrhoids and how you will likely get some and just talk to your doctor, but gives no actual details of what to expect. This lady tells what they feel like and how you know that you have them and other handy explicit details. Had she not explained it to me I swear I would have screamed and died in the bathroom first time I discovered them. For now I am enjoying my mostly hemorrhoid-free nether regions.
Fear #2. I will be trying to poop and accidentally poop out a baby while I am at work. Apparently pushing during labor feels like pushing out a bowel movement. I catch myself every once in a while doing a good push and then panicking mid-push. What if I poop my uterus right out?! I am not really worried about doing this at home, even if I am home alone. But the thought of it happening at work terrifies me. There are only 2 other women and 298 men where I work. So chances of someone finding me in the women’s bathroom are slim. I’d have to stuff my uterus and cantaloupe-sized (as of this writing) child back into my pants and hop back to my desk. Then, because everyone stops by my office to “see what I am doing” (usually ‘working’) I would have to explain it over and over. Hmmm…maybe that would get people to quick popping in to chat all the time. Oh! This has major potential!
So, I like the author of this book. She is way cooler than the other pregnancy book authors who are doctors or something official like that. She is an actual human who has carried babies and understands that sometimes you want to puke on people’s shoes or put your head right down on the keyboardddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd and take a little nap.
So I have two main concerns about giving birth. Both involve my butt. You’d think that the actual birth canal would be a scarier thing to me, but I figure it was built for that stuff, so it’ll probably work ok.
Fear #1 Hemorrhoids. I love that the author just lays it all out. Other books mention hemorrhoids and how you will likely get some and just talk to your doctor, but gives no actual details of what to expect. This lady tells what they feel like and how you know that you have them and other handy explicit details. Had she not explained it to me I swear I would have screamed and died in the bathroom first time I discovered them. For now I am enjoying my mostly hemorrhoid-free nether regions.
Fear #2. I will be trying to poop and accidentally poop out a baby while I am at work. Apparently pushing during labor feels like pushing out a bowel movement. I catch myself every once in a while doing a good push and then panicking mid-push. What if I poop my uterus right out?! I am not really worried about doing this at home, even if I am home alone. But the thought of it happening at work terrifies me. There are only 2 other women and 298 men where I work. So chances of someone finding me in the women’s bathroom are slim. I’d have to stuff my uterus and cantaloupe-sized (as of this writing) child back into my pants and hop back to my desk. Then, because everyone stops by my office to “see what I am doing” (usually ‘working’) I would have to explain it over and over. Hmmm…maybe that would get people to quick popping in to chat all the time. Oh! This has major potential!
So, I like the author of this book. She is way cooler than the other pregnancy book authors who are doctors or something official like that. She is an actual human who has carried babies and understands that sometimes you want to puke on people’s shoes or put your head right down on the keyboardddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd and take a little nap.
October 14, 2009
this woman was so NOT my girlfriend
spoiler alert: do not read ahead if you don't want to know what happens.
a baby comes out.
this book offered such helpful hints as: bring several pairs of throwaway socks because you'll probably bleed all over the ones you wear during labor and you'll want clean pairs. so i diligently procured several pairs of those white athletic socks, fully prepared to do my maternal duty of hemorrhaging all over my footsies. didn't happen. in fact, i couldn't tell you if i had socks on when i was pushing or not. i can only remember singing snippets of "if i were a rich man" with my doctor. true story.
iovine also warned me that i'd probably get the lucky pre-labor cleansing rituals of free pubic area shaving and a nifty enema. i was so afraid of this possibility that i contemplated holding out going to the hospital until around the point where i felt the urge to push because i thought i could avoid the whole shebang that way. again, didn't happen. they didn't even offer it, which is a pity because in my giddy state i would have probably let them do shapes or initials.
finally, the most unforgivable is iovine's description of giving birth and labor which basically was the johnnycashian warning that my vajayjay would turn into the ring of fire. again, didn't happen. back labor, however, was a total bitch.
like me.
spoiler alert: do not read ahead if you don't want to know what happens.
a baby comes out.
this book offered such helpful hints as: bring several pairs of throwaway socks because you'll probably bleed all over the ones you wear during labor and you'll want clean pairs. so i diligently procured several pairs of those white athletic socks, fully prepared to do my maternal duty of hemorrhaging all over my footsies. didn't happen. in fact, i couldn't tell you if i had socks on when i was pushing or not. i can only remember singing snippets of "if i were a rich man" with my doctor. true story.
iovine also warned me that i'd probably get the lucky pre-labor cleansing rituals of free pubic area shaving and a nifty enema. i was so afraid of this possibility that i contemplated holding out going to the hospital until around the point where i felt the urge to push because i thought i could avoid the whole shebang that way. again, didn't happen. they didn't even offer it, which is a pity because in my giddy state i would have probably let them do shapes or initials.
finally, the most unforgivable is iovine's description of giving birth and labor which basically was the johnnycashian warning that my vajayjay would turn into the ring of fire. again, didn't happen. back labor, however, was a total bitch.
like me.
June 3, 2008
This book is hilarious. It's different from the rest of the pregnancy books I've read because it isn't just a lot of facts but speaks in a way women think, especially pregnant women. I sat in my room reading it, laughing out loud, by myself, and then also groaning out loud when I read some of the things the author is very frank about but that I don't want to be true. At least I'll know what's actually going to happen to my body! I would highly recommend it to anyone pregnant. There's even a section for the husband to read which when you're reading it you're laughing about because it states all the things they're afraid of and gives them council on each thing, but it's hilarious because they hit every worry the man has right on the nose...it's genius.
December 7, 2007
This was probably one of the best books to read right away. What to Expect scared me and bored me, at the same time. While this book uses the term "girlfriend" excessively, and though I hate the term, it's worth reading. There are quite a few things in here that aren't mentioned in other pregnancy books, and some of them are gross enough that I'm secretly hoping they just won't happen to me. If (when) they do, at least I'll know that it's normal. I'm not sure I like that the author encourages pregnant women to not exercise, but I think she was trying to say that if you're too tired all the time, not to feel guilty about it, not to purposely lay in bed all the time.
October 1, 2007
This was honestly the BEST pregnancy book I've read. I've done the "what to expect when you're expecting" week by week review - and that's great, but I can get that information on the internet. This one was an honest to goodness conversation with a girlfriend on what it is *really* like. I loved it, I'll buy it so I have it when I do get pregnant.
July 1, 2008
I loved the idea of a book written from the experienced point of view of "girlfriends." For those of us not surrounded by friends who are also mothers, someone has to fill us in on all the little details of pregnancy. Vicki Iovine writes well and sprinkles in a good dose of humor, which is always appreciated when you're pregnant. However, I disagreed with so many of her opinions that I had a difficult time really liking the book.
1. Exercise: while she doesn't outright say you shouldn't exercise, she goes into such detail about why you shouldn't worry about exercising that she could easily convince you that exercising is not a good idea during pregnancy.
2. Outdated: her section on maternity clothes really cracked me up because she couldn't stop talking about stirrup pants and raiding your husband's closet for vests. She also mentions buying as much of your baby's layette used as possible, but most modern books agree that you should not buy a crib used if you can help it.
3. Losing your Body: in an attempt to really tell it like it is, I think that Vicki goes overboard when detailing the bad changes that will occur to your body. This is the first pregnancy book that actually scared me that I would forever lose my body. She basically tells you to get over the fact that you're going to lose your waist, your abs, your thighs, your bladder control, and your breasts- forever. She throws in one token sentence that says your post-pregnancy body MIGHT be better, but never the same. Instead of finding this helpful or insightful, I find it discouraging.
4. Breast Feeding: again, she didn't outright say don't breast feed, but her sarcasm regarding the subject was very negative. She even details stories of her girlfriends not breast feeding in an attempt to save their breasts, which she just goes on to say won't help since you're doomed to smaller, saggier breasts anyway.
5. Natural Birth: while I fully support every woman's right to choose which birthing plan is right for her, Vicki is clearly against woman trying the natural route. She doesn't see the merit in making it through delivery medication free and states that an epideral can't come early enough. Her attitude is, if you can do it with less pain why wouldn't you? She even supports the planned C-section for no other reason than convenience. I can't get on board with that.
6. Husbands/Partners: I feel sorry for Vicki because she portrays her husband as unhelpful, unsupportive, and unsympathetic throughout her pregnancies and deliveries. But she's quick to add not to worry if your husband/partner is unsupportive because he can still make a great father. Great. She goes on to talk about how her husband was down the hall talking with friends while she was alone in her hospital room contracting. Or my personal favorite, how he may need to be taking pictures instead of helping you through the pushing stage of delivery. I understand that there are plenty of husbands/partners out there that have trouble knowing how to support their pregnant women, but honestly, we should expect a little more out of them than Vicki does! I feel insulted on behalf of women with understanding partners and I think a lot of husbands/partners would be insulted, too.
Overall, if you really want another pregnancy book to read (and believe me, I know what it's like to want to devour every piece of writing out there on the subject) go ahead and read this one, too. But, be forewarned that you may not agree with many of her opinions and might be frightened by some of her comments. I highly recommend Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy instead!
1. Exercise: while she doesn't outright say you shouldn't exercise, she goes into such detail about why you shouldn't worry about exercising that she could easily convince you that exercising is not a good idea during pregnancy.
2. Outdated: her section on maternity clothes really cracked me up because she couldn't stop talking about stirrup pants and raiding your husband's closet for vests. She also mentions buying as much of your baby's layette used as possible, but most modern books agree that you should not buy a crib used if you can help it.
3. Losing your Body: in an attempt to really tell it like it is, I think that Vicki goes overboard when detailing the bad changes that will occur to your body. This is the first pregnancy book that actually scared me that I would forever lose my body. She basically tells you to get over the fact that you're going to lose your waist, your abs, your thighs, your bladder control, and your breasts- forever. She throws in one token sentence that says your post-pregnancy body MIGHT be better, but never the same. Instead of finding this helpful or insightful, I find it discouraging.
4. Breast Feeding: again, she didn't outright say don't breast feed, but her sarcasm regarding the subject was very negative. She even details stories of her girlfriends not breast feeding in an attempt to save their breasts, which she just goes on to say won't help since you're doomed to smaller, saggier breasts anyway.
5. Natural Birth: while I fully support every woman's right to choose which birthing plan is right for her, Vicki is clearly against woman trying the natural route. She doesn't see the merit in making it through delivery medication free and states that an epideral can't come early enough. Her attitude is, if you can do it with less pain why wouldn't you? She even supports the planned C-section for no other reason than convenience. I can't get on board with that.
6. Husbands/Partners: I feel sorry for Vicki because she portrays her husband as unhelpful, unsupportive, and unsympathetic throughout her pregnancies and deliveries. But she's quick to add not to worry if your husband/partner is unsupportive because he can still make a great father. Great. She goes on to talk about how her husband was down the hall talking with friends while she was alone in her hospital room contracting. Or my personal favorite, how he may need to be taking pictures instead of helping you through the pushing stage of delivery. I understand that there are plenty of husbands/partners out there that have trouble knowing how to support their pregnant women, but honestly, we should expect a little more out of them than Vicki does! I feel insulted on behalf of women with understanding partners and I think a lot of husbands/partners would be insulted, too.
Overall, if you really want another pregnancy book to read (and believe me, I know what it's like to want to devour every piece of writing out there on the subject) go ahead and read this one, too. But, be forewarned that you may not agree with many of her opinions and might be frightened by some of her comments. I highly recommend Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy instead!
January 5, 2018
This is by far the most annoying pregnancy book I have read this far. It does provide the normal information about conception, pregnancy and delivery, but it's very one sided. I live a very natural, organic life and should just stick to the natural pregnancy books. But because I excessively buy books, I find them for $0.50 and think why not. In one chapter, the author is talking about breast stimulation as a natural way to help start labor and refers to natural pregnancy books as "crunchy". So that was annoying. She also uses the word Girlfriend, in capitals, about 15 times per page, which is also extremely annoying.
I don't like one sided books. This book doesn't speak at all about natural birth or anything related to it. The author's writing style is obnoxious at best and overall the book is just really annoying. It does provide basic information, but this is basic information you can find in most pregnancy books and I guarantee they won't be as annoying at this one.
I don't like one sided books. This book doesn't speak at all about natural birth or anything related to it. The author's writing style is obnoxious at best and overall the book is just really annoying. It does provide basic information, but this is basic information you can find in most pregnancy books and I guarantee they won't be as annoying at this one.
September 12, 2007
this is one of the books i merely screened. i only read a few pages of the intro before knowing it wasn't for me. i am guessing i may turn out to be one of those fringe people who are willing to face delivery without a neonatal unit next door and a full-time anesthesiologist in residence she so easily dismisses, and though it is helpful to read various viewpoints, such an attitude is so out of line with my interests, that i think it would prove fairly useless to me.
however, it may be great for others.
however, it may be great for others.
February 23, 2008
I wasn't so crazy about this book. While she provided good info & reassurance in some cases, I rolled my eyes more than a few times. I think I had a bad attitude towards Miss Vicki at chapter 8. I realize these books are based on opinion, but it was a little much to be force fed don't exercise...get an epidural & call your girlfriends...eat anything you want, you'll get fat anyway...I won't be passing it on to anyone I like :)
April 21, 2008
Yep, I'm pregnant, that's why I read it. But I kind of got the feeling that she hated her husband the whole time I was reading it, always blaming him for everything (hey, it takes two, you know!), and I happen to love my husband...
It kind of ruined the whole experience for me. Plus, my pregnancy was nothing like the stuff she described, so it wasn't that helpful. But everyone is different, so it might be a great book for other people. Who hate their husband.
It kind of ruined the whole experience for me. Plus, my pregnancy was nothing like the stuff she described, so it wasn't that helpful. But everyone is different, so it might be a great book for other people. Who hate their husband.
May 26, 2019
When I was first pregnant, Iovine's sassy and non clinical approach to pregnancy was exactly what I needed. She normalized everything that is weird about pregnancy and made me laugh in the midst of a miserable first trimester. As the book went on the advice felt more out of date and more heteronormative in a way I found off-putting. Not a bad book to borrow from a friend and flip through during your first trimester, but not a great pregnancy resource overall.
February 10, 2023
Maybe the author thinks she is doing you a favor telling you everything negative about pregnancy your doctor won't tell you. But it is inaccurate. I got worried about things she claimed about pregnancy which turned out to be completely false. Don't waste your time reading this, especially if you tend to worry or overthink easily, like me.
February 16, 2022
This book is hilarious and different from the other pregnancy books I’m reading. It gives information in a way women really think and can relate to!
January 20, 2026
Another book from buy nothing; reading this made me a stupider and worse person. Definitely pick this up if you want insight into some of the most annoying parts of early 2000s culture
May 28, 2011
When I first found out that I was pregnant, I ran right out and bought myself a copy of What to Expect When You Are Expecting ("WTE"). By the end of my third month, I had pitched it into the corner of my bedroom in terror (come to think of it, I never did find that book when we moved...) and ran out and got The Girlfriends' Guide based on the recommendations of the women I had met at BabyCenter.com. I'm so glad I did.
Unlike most pregnancy books that you will find, Vicki Iovine comes to you with the style that is exactly what the title describes: it's just like a Girlfriend talking to you on the phone. In all my 29 years as a woman, only one friend ever told me what pregnancy was really like, and I had forgotten most of what she said! Vicki and her cast of Girlfriends are upfront and honest about everything from hemorrhoids to incontinence. Who knew that there was so much no one shared?
Narrated in a light-hearted tone, Vicki (and I call her that because I'm a Girlfriend now) seems to be whispering over a table at lunch in a conspiratorial, gossipy tone. From encouraging you to lie to your husband about when the ban on sexual relations is over to encouraging you to take advantage of your husband's amazement at the ordeal of childbirth, you really feel like you have your best friend with you while you are pregnant.
There were many a day when I was scared of some new pregnancy development. Rather than consult the gloom and doom of WTE, which had me convinced from the get-go that I was doing it all wrong, I checked in with Vicki, who reassured me that what was happening happened to a LOT of pregnant women. I wouldn't recommend not calling your doctor if you have a real concern, but on subjects like what a hemorrhoid feels like, it's a lot less embarrassing having Vicki share than calling your doctor to ask.
Needless to say, I was so thrilled to have my new Girlfriend that I went out and got Vicki's book about baby's first year. And I'm hoping someone gets me the toddler book for Christmas. Now if she will just write one about pre-teens and teenagers, I'll be able to face the rest of this job as a parent. I'm looking forward to a Girlfriends Guide to Your Daughter Dating. Maybe my husband will even read it.
This review originally published on Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Gi...
Unlike most pregnancy books that you will find, Vicki Iovine comes to you with the style that is exactly what the title describes: it's just like a Girlfriend talking to you on the phone. In all my 29 years as a woman, only one friend ever told me what pregnancy was really like, and I had forgotten most of what she said! Vicki and her cast of Girlfriends are upfront and honest about everything from hemorrhoids to incontinence. Who knew that there was so much no one shared?
Narrated in a light-hearted tone, Vicki (and I call her that because I'm a Girlfriend now) seems to be whispering over a table at lunch in a conspiratorial, gossipy tone. From encouraging you to lie to your husband about when the ban on sexual relations is over to encouraging you to take advantage of your husband's amazement at the ordeal of childbirth, you really feel like you have your best friend with you while you are pregnant.
There were many a day when I was scared of some new pregnancy development. Rather than consult the gloom and doom of WTE, which had me convinced from the get-go that I was doing it all wrong, I checked in with Vicki, who reassured me that what was happening happened to a LOT of pregnant women. I wouldn't recommend not calling your doctor if you have a real concern, but on subjects like what a hemorrhoid feels like, it's a lot less embarrassing having Vicki share than calling your doctor to ask.
Needless to say, I was so thrilled to have my new Girlfriend that I went out and got Vicki's book about baby's first year. And I'm hoping someone gets me the toddler book for Christmas. Now if she will just write one about pre-teens and teenagers, I'll be able to face the rest of this job as a parent. I'm looking forward to a Girlfriends Guide to Your Daughter Dating. Maybe my husband will even read it.
This review originally published on Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Gi...
September 28, 2012
This is exactly the kind of pregnancy advice I hate -all negative. Full of horror stories about every pregnancy symptom without any actual advice on how to not hate yourself during pregnancy.
But that isn't surprising when you realize the author is a raging narcissistic. "Don't cut your hair" she tells you, "because you aren't looking for 'new look' you're looking for a 'not-pregnant look' and it won't work." Was she really so vain that being pregnant made her search for ways to look not pregnant? There is SO much in the book that is just like this.
This book is only for you if you've never been around anyone pregnant and have no idea at all what pregnancy is like, and also want some bitchy person to tell you how miserable you'll be the entire time and that anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
Well guess what, they aren't lying. Yes, there are some crumby side-effects, but in general you'll feel fine and will be excited and curious about what is happening in your body. Yes, your wardrobe will be a mess, but you'll still look fine and put together.
There's no need to hate your body or hate your life or hate yourself, which is what this author seems to want you to do.
But that isn't surprising when you realize the author is a raging narcissistic. "Don't cut your hair" she tells you, "because you aren't looking for 'new look' you're looking for a 'not-pregnant look' and it won't work." Was she really so vain that being pregnant made her search for ways to look not pregnant? There is SO much in the book that is just like this.
This book is only for you if you've never been around anyone pregnant and have no idea at all what pregnancy is like, and also want some bitchy person to tell you how miserable you'll be the entire time and that anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
Well guess what, they aren't lying. Yes, there are some crumby side-effects, but in general you'll feel fine and will be excited and curious about what is happening in your body. Yes, your wardrobe will be a mess, but you'll still look fine and put together.
There's no need to hate your body or hate your life or hate yourself, which is what this author seems to want you to do.
March 9, 2010
This book surely does tell you things nobody else does: the good, the bad, and the things I wish I didn't know. I know I'll re-read the last few chapters later when I need to know what to bring to the hospital with me and what are real signs vs. false signs that I should go to the hospital in the first place.
However, I also hated the author's male-bashing, her assumption that every woman turns into a pregasaurus, her denouncement of exercise, and her chapter on fashion. I wanted to kick her in the teeth when she started talking about how horrible it was that all her size 2, 4, and 6 friends went up a size after they had a baby. *rolls eyes* I also did not care to be called her "girlfriend". Sorry, I'd never be your girlfriend, Vicki. We come from very different worlds.
Despite the parts I hated, I have to say that they're small in comparison to the good information I gleaned from the pages. Sometimes, if nothing else, it made me feel like these strange things happening to me aren't so strange after all. I'd certainly recommend it as a must-read for any mother-to-be. I'd give it 5 stars if the author's personality didn't sometimes rub me the wrong way.
However, I also hated the author's male-bashing, her assumption that every woman turns into a pregasaurus, her denouncement of exercise, and her chapter on fashion. I wanted to kick her in the teeth when she started talking about how horrible it was that all her size 2, 4, and 6 friends went up a size after they had a baby. *rolls eyes* I also did not care to be called her "girlfriend". Sorry, I'd never be your girlfriend, Vicki. We come from very different worlds.
Despite the parts I hated, I have to say that they're small in comparison to the good information I gleaned from the pages. Sometimes, if nothing else, it made me feel like these strange things happening to me aren't so strange after all. I'd certainly recommend it as a must-read for any mother-to-be. I'd give it 5 stars if the author's personality didn't sometimes rub me the wrong way.
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