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The Shit No One Tells You About Pregnancy: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond
The fourth book in Dawn Dais' popular Sh!t No One Tells You series covers all the indignities a woman must endure once sperm meets egg.The Sh!t No One Tells You about Pregnancy is quite possibly the funniest yet of Dawn Dais' series. Covering all the undignified realities of pregnancy, Dawn shepherds the reader through the entire nine months, beginning with the various curse words a woman may utter when she sees the positive symbol on the pregnancy test to the evolution of her body as the host of an embryonic parasite.Dawn combines wisdom and whip-smart humor to assure mothers-to-be that the gestation period may be wrought with nausea, nosy advice-givers, and nonsense like no booze for nine months, but in the end, it's all worth it. After all, miracles are never easy, and making a baby is definitely a miracle-or a cruel joke on womanhood.
256 pages, Spiral-bound
142 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Dais
21 books52 followersDawn Dais is a freelance writer, designer, and filmmaker from Sacramento, CA. Her two previous books, The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women and The Noncyclist's Guide to the Century and Other Road Races, were published by Seal Press, have topped Amazon.com best-seller lists, and have been featured by countless TV and print media sources. Her uniquely sarcastic yet inspiring tone has entertained and guided an enthusiastic core of readers towards their various ridiculous athletic goals. Dais has a popular website, dreaminmotion.net, which has 5,000 members and features downloadable training plans, blogging, and run tracking. Her first film recently received national distribution. Dais lives in Sacramento, CA, with her partner and one-year-old daughter, Vivian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 1, 2018
I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
2 Stars
Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this book. The author tried too hard to be funny and sarcastic (as called out by herself multiple times throughout the book) and did not contain any information that "no one tells you about pregnancy". It is mostly full of stories from the author's friends and family, and contains very little actual useful information about pregnancy. It was one of those books that I kept hoping would get better, but that never really did. There were huge chunks were it actually felt like the book was missing information. It was a bit disappointing, but at least it was a really quick read.
2 Stars
Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this book. The author tried too hard to be funny and sarcastic (as called out by herself multiple times throughout the book) and did not contain any information that "no one tells you about pregnancy". It is mostly full of stories from the author's friends and family, and contains very little actual useful information about pregnancy. It was one of those books that I kept hoping would get better, but that never really did. There were huge chunks were it actually felt like the book was missing information. It was a bit disappointing, but at least it was a really quick read.
December 15, 2017
Read this AFTER you have your first child.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While it is entertaining & easy to read without getting bored, it is also a bit alarming for first time Mom's, even with all the humor. What the author does make sure to point out (which is pretty darn important) is that each pregnancy is unique & that it's probably best not to Google everything about pregnancy because why oh why would you want to find out about all the things that can go wrong & stress yourself out anymore than you probably are?
The sad (but also funny in it's own way) thing is how she jokingly trains the Mom-to-be in order to prepare for her new bundle of joy. Things like tying your hand behind your back while holding an open bag of flour & not spilling the flour while going to the bathroom & calling your friend on the phone (or something very similar to this). While these things are meant to be funny they can also most certainly cause an already hormonal woman undue stress.
Telling the reader to enjoy sleep, reading, going out to eat, going anywhere really because once the baby comes, forget about it you'll never enjoy these things again for the next 18 - 20 years isn't exactly accurate. Have a baby, your life is over. This is not what a woman needs to hear. Granted your life will change drastically, but everyone's life is different, so constantly reminding the reader that they will not be able to do anything they now currently enjoy is just plain cruel. Plenty of new moms are still able to enjoy all of these things. It depends on Mom's network of friends &/or family &/or spousal support &/or lifestyle in general.
The author also has a very conventional & unhealthy way of looking at food & exercise & seems to assume that the reader is the same. Think: typical unhealthy SAD American/Western diet. Not everyone is this way. There are plenty of people who are healthy, who enjoy exercise & will gladly do gentle workouts like yoga or walks for the duration of the pregnancy. Not everyone is a twinkie chomping, TV binge watching almost alcoholic. At least, I am optimistic enough to believe this.
Part of me kind of wants to say, "Here read this, maybe you'll get some laughs." but the other part of me is concerned that this will cause additional stress to my first time Mom-to-be little sister. While she is a very conventional twinkie & liquor loving gal, she is also very stressed out & emotional right now & I have a feeling that this book might be exactly what she doesn't need which is ironic because initially I thought this book would be great for her. She has a sarcastic yet goofball personality so I thought this would be the "right" pregnancy book for her, but I'm thinking a copy of the book I read for myself instead, 'The Field Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating New Territory with Research, Recipes, and Remedies' will be more beneficial to her, I know I found it extremely helpful.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While it is entertaining & easy to read without getting bored, it is also a bit alarming for first time Mom's, even with all the humor. What the author does make sure to point out (which is pretty darn important) is that each pregnancy is unique & that it's probably best not to Google everything about pregnancy because why oh why would you want to find out about all the things that can go wrong & stress yourself out anymore than you probably are?
The sad (but also funny in it's own way) thing is how she jokingly trains the Mom-to-be in order to prepare for her new bundle of joy. Things like tying your hand behind your back while holding an open bag of flour & not spilling the flour while going to the bathroom & calling your friend on the phone (or something very similar to this). While these things are meant to be funny they can also most certainly cause an already hormonal woman undue stress.
Telling the reader to enjoy sleep, reading, going out to eat, going anywhere really because once the baby comes, forget about it you'll never enjoy these things again for the next 18 - 20 years isn't exactly accurate. Have a baby, your life is over. This is not what a woman needs to hear. Granted your life will change drastically, but everyone's life is different, so constantly reminding the reader that they will not be able to do anything they now currently enjoy is just plain cruel. Plenty of new moms are still able to enjoy all of these things. It depends on Mom's network of friends &/or family &/or spousal support &/or lifestyle in general.
The author also has a very conventional & unhealthy way of looking at food & exercise & seems to assume that the reader is the same. Think: typical unhealthy SAD American/Western diet. Not everyone is this way. There are plenty of people who are healthy, who enjoy exercise & will gladly do gentle workouts like yoga or walks for the duration of the pregnancy. Not everyone is a twinkie chomping, TV binge watching almost alcoholic. At least, I am optimistic enough to believe this.
Part of me kind of wants to say, "Here read this, maybe you'll get some laughs." but the other part of me is concerned that this will cause additional stress to my first time Mom-to-be little sister. While she is a very conventional twinkie & liquor loving gal, she is also very stressed out & emotional right now & I have a feeling that this book might be exactly what she doesn't need which is ironic because initially I thought this book would be great for her. She has a sarcastic yet goofball personality so I thought this would be the "right" pregnancy book for her, but I'm thinking a copy of the book I read for myself instead, 'The Field Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating New Territory with Research, Recipes, and Remedies' will be more beneficial to her, I know I found it extremely helpful.
July 25, 2018
Funny and was a lot less stressful than a lot of other pregnancy books.
March 13, 2024
Fair warning, this is not what I’d call an “informational” pregnancy book. It’s more of an emotional support book. And if you read it trimester by trimester like I did, you will certainly need the support. I felt like the author was my sarcastic, more experienced mom friend talking me off a ledge and making me laugh. By the end, she (and my 36 week pregnant bag of hormones) had me crying and ready to hug my baby.
August 10, 2020
Loved this book! Super easy read and really helpful ☺️
June 21, 2021
Hard pass on this one for me; it was super snarky and not at all helpful (tongue in cheek “advice” like “take a sack of flour with you into the bathroom, haha you’ll never be alone again!” and… ew.) I was looking for evidence/science-based books, and Dais explicitly disclaimed that - this is a memoir-y read focused solely around her and her mom friends’ experiences. However, the main reason I didn’t find it helpful was because it felt repetitive of everything I’ve heard as my friends and family have had kids before me-- just a bunch of personal stories, from people I trusted less than the folks who had already told me the same things. But if you’re the first of your crew to procreate, I could see it being more helpful and less annoying.
June 5, 2020
I really do appreciate the way in which this book is written. It is an easy read, and feels much like I'm hearing stories about pregnancy from friends. I appreciate the sarcasm and jokes, and the topics covered in a real way. However, I dont really feel like I learned much from the book at all. The title is misleading. All of what was written were things I've heard from my own friends. Even though the notorious "what to expect" book was harder to read and had too much information, I do felt that it gave me more of what I needed in order to feel informed.
February 8, 2022
TW: miscarriage.
I’m the type of gal who buys travel books and reads them cover to cover. Really, I do. I may skim through some pages about hotels or skip the bits I know I won’t be travelling to, but I love a travel book. It gives me ideas, it inspires me, I learn the background and history of the place where I’m going, the cultural sensitivities, the highs and lows. I even read the restaurant suggestions. I come up with a list of things I’d like to do and places I’d like to eat, even though I know I’m not going to use it all - or even more accurately, I know I’ll probably abandon plans on one day, or all days, we’ll get hungry when we’re across town and nowhere near this bookmarked suggested restaurants and we’ll just wing it. That’s the joy of travelling.
When I found out I was pregnant last year, that’s what I wanted out of a book about pregnancy. If it can be funny and sarcastic whilst being informative, all the better. Like my book about Disney World.
But that’s not what I got from it.
I’ll start with the one chapter that I did think was really helpful: the one on miscarriage. It’s because people don’t really speak openly about miscarriage. You hear about it, and you know it’s sad, but you don’t really dive into it. A friend of mine who had several miscarriages was tough as nails about it, and in hindsight, I don’t think I was ever really sensitive enough for her, because I just didn't know how to react to the honesty.
And serendipitiously, that was the chapter I needed the most, because I had a missed miscarriage.
I had to have it surgically ended at about 10 weeks. And then about 6 months later, I had another miscarriage, about 10 weeks again - though that happened naturally, before we could book in the surgery, and the sprog did have a heartbeat at some point.
The chapter on miscarriage was the one that I remembered the most, even before I needed it. Upon reflection, I wonder if that was just down to the fact that it wasn’t trying to be anything else - funny or sarcastic. It was just real.
Anyway, I waited on writing this review, because I thought surely once I hit the 13 weeks and we could tell everyone, I could write it then. And after the first miscarriage, I thought I'd write it when I'm pregnant again. But I realised after miscarriage #2, it may take a while, or not happen at all, so I better just stop being so quiet about it. Talking uteruses is one of my hobbies, and this shouldn't be a taboo.
So without further adieu, here’s the rest of my review:
The naming section was great. I’m a member of Facebook groups like “That name is a tragedeigh” and it scares and saddens me how many ridiculous names are conjured up for these poor children.
Like I say, the sarcasm was fun at first but got old.
I was surprised about the gender stereotyping! That is, mums buying stuff they don't need and a partner story confirming scenario. It didn’t feel like a very progressive generalisation, and in fact it’s the total opposite in our household. (God, the retail therapy after that last miscarriage - I bought a set of pyjamas and a face mask that doesn’t fit, and I’ve lost count of how many t-shirts and jumpers he’s got.)
I’ve seen this in other reviews, but frankly, there really isn’t much helpful information here. It’s quite a pessimistic outlook (we know you’re tired) and I almost felt like it was scaremongering with how exhausting children and pregnancy are. Do women really not know this? Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I've been saying to one of my best friends since I was 24 years old that life as you know it is over with children. Not in a bad way, just changes. Exhaustion etc goes with that. And I was pretty naive back then!
Some very unhelpful things I also made notes on:
She said don’t bother with NCT classes or a birth plan, but then tells the partner to worry about that. I know a woman having birth won’t think of the details with water breaking and contractions and a baby coming out, but it's good to feel like you’ve got a grip on things (see aforementioned travel books). That's called self-advocacy. So we want to know - or at least the partner? - how to write up a plan. Her advice is that she really doesn’t have any advice on writing a plan, and that you’ve probably bought three other books to help you out. I nearly threw the book at this point.
She doesn’t describe her birth. I understand the logic that every birth is different and if you Google births you’re just going to get horror stories. Surely though, if you had a positive experience, describing how it all went will be really helpful and avoid those late night Googles in the insomnia. She also adds that she actually shared her birthing story in her first book. So, I have to buy that one, too? No thanks.
My husband bought “Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies” and it was astoundingly more helpful. I had the miscarriage before I could finish it, but it kind of reconfirmed for me that guides for women on their own health and bodies are kind of a joke, and even with pregnancy men get the real information.
I’m the type of gal who buys travel books and reads them cover to cover. Really, I do. I may skim through some pages about hotels or skip the bits I know I won’t be travelling to, but I love a travel book. It gives me ideas, it inspires me, I learn the background and history of the place where I’m going, the cultural sensitivities, the highs and lows. I even read the restaurant suggestions. I come up with a list of things I’d like to do and places I’d like to eat, even though I know I’m not going to use it all - or even more accurately, I know I’ll probably abandon plans on one day, or all days, we’ll get hungry when we’re across town and nowhere near this bookmarked suggested restaurants and we’ll just wing it. That’s the joy of travelling.
When I found out I was pregnant last year, that’s what I wanted out of a book about pregnancy. If it can be funny and sarcastic whilst being informative, all the better. Like my book about Disney World.
But that’s not what I got from it.
I’ll start with the one chapter that I did think was really helpful: the one on miscarriage. It’s because people don’t really speak openly about miscarriage. You hear about it, and you know it’s sad, but you don’t really dive into it. A friend of mine who had several miscarriages was tough as nails about it, and in hindsight, I don’t think I was ever really sensitive enough for her, because I just didn't know how to react to the honesty.
And serendipitiously, that was the chapter I needed the most, because I had a missed miscarriage.
I had to have it surgically ended at about 10 weeks. And then about 6 months later, I had another miscarriage, about 10 weeks again - though that happened naturally, before we could book in the surgery, and the sprog did have a heartbeat at some point.
The chapter on miscarriage was the one that I remembered the most, even before I needed it. Upon reflection, I wonder if that was just down to the fact that it wasn’t trying to be anything else - funny or sarcastic. It was just real.
Anyway, I waited on writing this review, because I thought surely once I hit the 13 weeks and we could tell everyone, I could write it then. And after the first miscarriage, I thought I'd write it when I'm pregnant again. But I realised after miscarriage #2, it may take a while, or not happen at all, so I better just stop being so quiet about it. Talking uteruses is one of my hobbies, and this shouldn't be a taboo.
So without further adieu, here’s the rest of my review:
The naming section was great. I’m a member of Facebook groups like “That name is a tragedeigh” and it scares and saddens me how many ridiculous names are conjured up for these poor children.
Like I say, the sarcasm was fun at first but got old.
I was surprised about the gender stereotyping! That is, mums buying stuff they don't need and a partner story confirming scenario. It didn’t feel like a very progressive generalisation, and in fact it’s the total opposite in our household. (God, the retail therapy after that last miscarriage - I bought a set of pyjamas and a face mask that doesn’t fit, and I’ve lost count of how many t-shirts and jumpers he’s got.)
I’ve seen this in other reviews, but frankly, there really isn’t much helpful information here. It’s quite a pessimistic outlook (we know you’re tired) and I almost felt like it was scaremongering with how exhausting children and pregnancy are. Do women really not know this? Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I've been saying to one of my best friends since I was 24 years old that life as you know it is over with children. Not in a bad way, just changes. Exhaustion etc goes with that. And I was pretty naive back then!
Some very unhelpful things I also made notes on:
She said don’t bother with NCT classes or a birth plan, but then tells the partner to worry about that. I know a woman having birth won’t think of the details with water breaking and contractions and a baby coming out, but it's good to feel like you’ve got a grip on things (see aforementioned travel books). That's called self-advocacy. So we want to know - or at least the partner? - how to write up a plan. Her advice is that she really doesn’t have any advice on writing a plan, and that you’ve probably bought three other books to help you out. I nearly threw the book at this point.
She doesn’t describe her birth. I understand the logic that every birth is different and if you Google births you’re just going to get horror stories. Surely though, if you had a positive experience, describing how it all went will be really helpful and avoid those late night Googles in the insomnia. She also adds that she actually shared her birthing story in her first book. So, I have to buy that one, too? No thanks.
My husband bought “Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies” and it was astoundingly more helpful. I had the miscarriage before I could finish it, but it kind of reconfirmed for me that guides for women on their own health and bodies are kind of a joke, and even with pregnancy men get the real information.
September 11, 2017
I’ve been through pregnancy three times and I’m done. My last 2 were birth control babies as in my OB/GYN put me on a different pill because I kept getting sick on my previous one and I got pregnant with my first daughter. She switched me to a different pill since that other obviously didn’t work and I got pregnant again only a few months after so I now have an IUD that has kept me pregnancy and illness free for 7 years.
I was having babies at a time all my close friends were living up their child free, care free days and now they’re all having babies while I’m living up the potty-trained, independent, in school all day, don’t need strollers and diaper bag days. Since it seems I am now on the receiving end of countless baby shower invitations instead of all night drinking sessions I’m always on the lookout for gifts and recommendations.
Everybody goes with the “What to expect when you’re expecting” series so I like to find something different, maybe something that speaks more to reality and not making it seem like 9 (give or take) months of wonder. Yes for some pregnancy/childbirth from the moment you get the positive test to the moment that little mini-you starts gracing your social media like you’re a celebrity is fit for a Hollywood Rom-Com but for others it’s feeling like your body and life has become a never ending horror movie.
This book reads like a group of women have sat you down and are going to tell you everything that Hollywood doesn’t want you to know about being pregnant. The writing style, ‘dialogue’, set up, all of it makes you feel like you’re sitting with a group of friends knocking back glasses of wine and being absolutely honest and real. It is so much easier to read than 99.9% of the books out there about the same subject.
I liked that it’s written by a woman in a same sex relationship so she covers what pregnancy and childbirth are like for both straight and gay couples. Yes obviously the ‘biology’ of a pregnant woman is the same regardless of who she is attracted to but there are social constructs that are not particularly for the partner who is in the ‘dad’ role as the author’s partner describes it. She offers up very honest emotions, issues and advice that you don’t normally find in books like these.
The author has convinced a bunch of her friends to help out which makes this even better because you get TONS of real opinions and stories that cover the spectrum from “my pregnancy was a Rom-Com” to “my pregnancy inspired the Alien franchise”. She even includes stories and opinions from partners who were there to help their pregnant half so they can give advice on how to be the supportive person and not the one that sends your partner crying to her friends about how you’re an idiot who doesn’t get it.
Miscarriage is talked about in a very real and open way that takes the stigma and taboo off the subject so if you know someone who has gone through this you will get WONDERFUL advice on how to be the friend that helps instead of hurts the process.
The Mommy Wars get a mention and if you’re a first time mom then this is a Must Education because yes they are very real which I found out and continue to live through. I am not a Pinterest mom which I get reminded about regularly – if you don’t have a Pinterest account get one because that is half the battle. Stay at Home versus Working – that’s a minefield. Get your social media skills ready. Oh and the gender reveal? I am so grateful my kids were born before the age where this had become a Hunger Games type of competition to see who could beat out the others.
Gender. This feels as big as an issue as the Mommy Wars particularly if you live in American society. She doesn’t touch on the newest idea of raising a genderless child so her advice is more for those who are still doing the binary thing. Do you find out, do you not, what are the pros/cons of each. When we find out our oldest was a girl my husband was VISIBLY disappointed to the point I cried and was upset with him for a while. With our youngest he didn’t have an opinion one way or the other, or maybe he just learned not showing negative emotions during pregnancy was the safer bet. Ironically our daughter who he was disappointed was a daughter is so much like him it’s crazy. Not just in looks but they are so incredibly close and have the same interests; he told me a while ago he wished he could go back and change that day because she is exactly what he wanted. I don’t know, maybe sometimes knowing doesn’t really matter.
She’s onto the name to hopefully convince you that choosing Apple, Kumquat, Inspector Gadget or whatever else fancy, ‘unique’ name you can think of is not the way to go. No one is saying you can’t put some real emotion and heart into it but don’t be that person that puts your kid into therapy cause they spent their childhood getting beat up over your need to call them Dumpling legally.
Along with great advice and a friendship that seems to leap off the pages she provides some activities to test your parenting skills, get you prepared so you don’t go into shock mode the first time you need to go out in public and have to make a mad dash through the grocery store while wearing yesterday’s clothes, that mornings spit up and 2 different shoes because yes you can get that tired.
Recently a friend became pregnant and she put out on Facebook requests for things she really needed because she’s going to be a single mom, very limited income and didn’t want to waste precious dollars on a gadget that looked great in the package but was never going to be practical. Of course her post gets flooded with everything imaginable that Babies ‘R’ Us sells. Once it calmed down I gave her the list of what SHE was going to need for her because I’m the mom who has been through this 3 times and knew no one every thinks about the mom just the baby. I was really glad to see this book took the same approach and when she got to the part about the Registry she made sure to talk about what the Mom to be was going to need that no one thinks about until you’re dealing with leakage from a part of your body people forgot to mention would happen.
My only big complaint was at the end when she talked about the actual giving birth part she didn’t even touch on c-sections. She only describes pregnancies that end up in natural labor and as someone who had to have 3 c-sections because I have a heart condition and didn’t want to die just to prove I was ‘tough’ enough for natural labor it never stops getting irritating that there is a “different way” to give birth. She included so many people who had different experiences than her it would’ve been nice if she could’ve found some that didn’t go into labor and have the birthing experience that women claim you should have in order to prove that you’re a ‘real’ mom – another faction of the Mommy Wars.
I was having babies at a time all my close friends were living up their child free, care free days and now they’re all having babies while I’m living up the potty-trained, independent, in school all day, don’t need strollers and diaper bag days. Since it seems I am now on the receiving end of countless baby shower invitations instead of all night drinking sessions I’m always on the lookout for gifts and recommendations.
Everybody goes with the “What to expect when you’re expecting” series so I like to find something different, maybe something that speaks more to reality and not making it seem like 9 (give or take) months of wonder. Yes for some pregnancy/childbirth from the moment you get the positive test to the moment that little mini-you starts gracing your social media like you’re a celebrity is fit for a Hollywood Rom-Com but for others it’s feeling like your body and life has become a never ending horror movie.
This book reads like a group of women have sat you down and are going to tell you everything that Hollywood doesn’t want you to know about being pregnant. The writing style, ‘dialogue’, set up, all of it makes you feel like you’re sitting with a group of friends knocking back glasses of wine and being absolutely honest and real. It is so much easier to read than 99.9% of the books out there about the same subject.
I liked that it’s written by a woman in a same sex relationship so she covers what pregnancy and childbirth are like for both straight and gay couples. Yes obviously the ‘biology’ of a pregnant woman is the same regardless of who she is attracted to but there are social constructs that are not particularly for the partner who is in the ‘dad’ role as the author’s partner describes it. She offers up very honest emotions, issues and advice that you don’t normally find in books like these.
The author has convinced a bunch of her friends to help out which makes this even better because you get TONS of real opinions and stories that cover the spectrum from “my pregnancy was a Rom-Com” to “my pregnancy inspired the Alien franchise”. She even includes stories and opinions from partners who were there to help their pregnant half so they can give advice on how to be the supportive person and not the one that sends your partner crying to her friends about how you’re an idiot who doesn’t get it.
Miscarriage is talked about in a very real and open way that takes the stigma and taboo off the subject so if you know someone who has gone through this you will get WONDERFUL advice on how to be the friend that helps instead of hurts the process.
The Mommy Wars get a mention and if you’re a first time mom then this is a Must Education because yes they are very real which I found out and continue to live through. I am not a Pinterest mom which I get reminded about regularly – if you don’t have a Pinterest account get one because that is half the battle. Stay at Home versus Working – that’s a minefield. Get your social media skills ready. Oh and the gender reveal? I am so grateful my kids were born before the age where this had become a Hunger Games type of competition to see who could beat out the others.
Gender. This feels as big as an issue as the Mommy Wars particularly if you live in American society. She doesn’t touch on the newest idea of raising a genderless child so her advice is more for those who are still doing the binary thing. Do you find out, do you not, what are the pros/cons of each. When we find out our oldest was a girl my husband was VISIBLY disappointed to the point I cried and was upset with him for a while. With our youngest he didn’t have an opinion one way or the other, or maybe he just learned not showing negative emotions during pregnancy was the safer bet. Ironically our daughter who he was disappointed was a daughter is so much like him it’s crazy. Not just in looks but they are so incredibly close and have the same interests; he told me a while ago he wished he could go back and change that day because she is exactly what he wanted. I don’t know, maybe sometimes knowing doesn’t really matter.
She’s onto the name to hopefully convince you that choosing Apple, Kumquat, Inspector Gadget or whatever else fancy, ‘unique’ name you can think of is not the way to go. No one is saying you can’t put some real emotion and heart into it but don’t be that person that puts your kid into therapy cause they spent their childhood getting beat up over your need to call them Dumpling legally.
Along with great advice and a friendship that seems to leap off the pages she provides some activities to test your parenting skills, get you prepared so you don’t go into shock mode the first time you need to go out in public and have to make a mad dash through the grocery store while wearing yesterday’s clothes, that mornings spit up and 2 different shoes because yes you can get that tired.
Recently a friend became pregnant and she put out on Facebook requests for things she really needed because she’s going to be a single mom, very limited income and didn’t want to waste precious dollars on a gadget that looked great in the package but was never going to be practical. Of course her post gets flooded with everything imaginable that Babies ‘R’ Us sells. Once it calmed down I gave her the list of what SHE was going to need for her because I’m the mom who has been through this 3 times and knew no one every thinks about the mom just the baby. I was really glad to see this book took the same approach and when she got to the part about the Registry she made sure to talk about what the Mom to be was going to need that no one thinks about until you’re dealing with leakage from a part of your body people forgot to mention would happen.
My only big complaint was at the end when she talked about the actual giving birth part she didn’t even touch on c-sections. She only describes pregnancies that end up in natural labor and as someone who had to have 3 c-sections because I have a heart condition and didn’t want to die just to prove I was ‘tough’ enough for natural labor it never stops getting irritating that there is a “different way” to give birth. She included so many people who had different experiences than her it would’ve been nice if she could’ve found some that didn’t go into labor and have the birthing experience that women claim you should have in order to prove that you’re a ‘real’ mom – another faction of the Mommy Wars.
August 29, 2022
This was... ok, definitely glad this was a library read rather than a purchase. A lot of pregnancy books (or at least out of the ~4 I've read so far, so not a substantial sample size!) seem to want to take the tone of a friend dishing about their experiences/encouraging you in your journey, and that can really vary depending on the friend on if they're affirming or snarky or what! Dawn takes the self-described overly sarcastic type here, and the book is largely anecdotal. Unlike others that I've read, this is less about what various researchers/doctors/etc. say and more about what her friends (MOTFL or Moms on the Front Line) and their partners remember/experienced/etc.
While I appreciated the equity in including femme partners (as both the author and one of her mom friends are lesbians), I was a little surprised about how pro-gender reveal she was though admittedly it was while also poking fun at how over the top they are (seriously, I'm pretty sure some cost more than my backyard wedding...)
The Letters to Bean and the Pregnancy Workouts of the Day were both funny and sincere (though I'm not actually going to subject myself to a Chuck E. Cheese or carry a flour sack around).
While I appreciated the equity in including femme partners (as both the author and one of her mom friends are lesbians), I was a little surprised about how pro-gender reveal she was though admittedly it was while also poking fun at how over the top they are (seriously, I'm pretty sure some cost more than my backyard wedding...)
The Letters to Bean and the Pregnancy Workouts of the Day were both funny and sincere (though I'm not actually going to subject myself to a Chuck E. Cheese or carry a flour sack around).
February 23, 2018
I need to read all of her books!
May 24, 2018
Fabulous! Funny and a quick read!
July 30, 2021
Disclaimer: I listened to this book on Audible and ended up about 60% of the way through before not finishing it.
I wanted to love this book and in the beginning, I was excited by the different tone. But the "humor" was overdone and I didn't learn too much. Rather, I was constantly reminded that I wasn't going to sleep ever again. I appreciate that the author wanted to offer a wide range of experiences but they were so varied as to make it seem pointless to hear experiences. I realized I prefer books where I don't have to sift through the snark and sarcasm to get to what I need to know. It felt judgy, over-reaching for humor, and wasn't too informative.
I think the author does have potential and hope she keeps writing. She might need a better editor/feedback crew.
I wanted to love this book and in the beginning, I was excited by the different tone. But the "humor" was overdone and I didn't learn too much. Rather, I was constantly reminded that I wasn't going to sleep ever again. I appreciate that the author wanted to offer a wide range of experiences but they were so varied as to make it seem pointless to hear experiences. I realized I prefer books where I don't have to sift through the snark and sarcasm to get to what I need to know. It felt judgy, over-reaching for humor, and wasn't too informative.
I think the author does have potential and hope she keeps writing. She might need a better editor/feedback crew.
September 28, 2021
This book was not for me. It was full of the negative things people say about how your life is "over" as a parent. With 2 children I found you can still accomplish many things with planning, discipline and flexibilty. There were some relatable parts but this book, for the most part was not for me.
January 7, 2019
About 90% of this book I have heard before and scared me before. Though the ending was helpful. Overall not a pregnancy book I would recommend.
January 1, 2022
I got this as an audiobook through my Libby App and started listening to it during my showers around week 30 of my pregnancy, aka the time that I started thinking I needed to know more about labor and the birthing process and post-pregnancy life. This book, which is mostly about pregnancy (hence the title), reassured me that my relaxed approach (aka not watching all the birthing videos, writing a birthing plan, etc) is a good one. It also made me laugh about the way things will change, instead of be afraid of it. I liked the Moms on the Front Line tidbits as well as thoughts from partners (even though I didn’t make Mikey listen to it- he’s already pretty great). I also appreciated the fun size comparisons (fluffy cotton candy DOES sound much better than celery/asparagus). But most of all, I laughed at the challenges to prepare for baby, like strapping a cat into a car seat and driving on a highway. Overall, this was a great book for expecting moms who want some advice but don’t want to overly stress or focus on the science/details of it all. I have a feeling I’ll be checking out her next book (Sh!t no one tells you about the first year) sometime soon, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2020
Overall the book was good, I personally felt like the author was trying too hard to make the book feel like a party with friends. Now, she does have some interesting viewpoints on pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. I did enjoy her sarcasm some of the time, could totally relate to the morning sickness section having just moved out of it. But in some ways, it felt like she was picking on you if you were going against her advice - thinking specifically of the chapter on naming your baby or not using an epidural. I would have loved more options on navigating those hurdles instead of her telling you what you needed to do. She doesn't mention c-sections at all or talk about complications that could lead up to them, which surprised me with the amount of fear she seemed to give some of the pregnancy complications at the front of the book. Overall, the book felt uneven and missing information. And, most of what she said wasn't new just stated in a different way. I did like how she addressed the partners, haven't seen that done.
May 22, 2023
Perfect. There’s so many long factual statistical and informative pregnancy books out there. The sarcasm and humor in this one was a nice change of pace and I definitely related to. Reading a book from a perspective of someone who also went through fertility treatments and tests to try for pregnancy was so refreshing and real.
I will insert a TW here for miscarriage as it could be difficult for those who have experienced a miscarriage before. If you are still grieving a MC I would skip that chapter. It has been almost 10 years since mine, so while it reopened some old wounds, it was tolerable. However this chapter is still extremely important and should be discussed/normalized more.
Overall a fun quick read. I finished it in about 4 hours total cover to cover.
I will insert a TW here for miscarriage as it could be difficult for those who have experienced a miscarriage before. If you are still grieving a MC I would skip that chapter. It has been almost 10 years since mine, so while it reopened some old wounds, it was tolerable. However this chapter is still extremely important and should be discussed/normalized more.
Overall a fun quick read. I finished it in about 4 hours total cover to cover.
August 27, 2023
This book titled “Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy” is literally just all the annoying shit that people tell you about pregnancy.
I thought the structure of it was good, but I didn’t learn a damn thing from it besides hearing the same things over again that everyone tells you “get your sleep now, travel now, get a hobby now.”
I knew it wasn’t going to be written by a PHD but I was expecting some more useful tips of “this is what I wish I would have bought/not bought, this is what my birth process was like, this is something people tell you but is outdated and doesn’t really matter” sort of things.
I did however appreciate the tip about the extra “to go” bag for the hospital and the miscarriage awareness section were good sections to read though.
I thought the structure of it was good, but I didn’t learn a damn thing from it besides hearing the same things over again that everyone tells you “get your sleep now, travel now, get a hobby now.”
I knew it wasn’t going to be written by a PHD but I was expecting some more useful tips of “this is what I wish I would have bought/not bought, this is what my birth process was like, this is something people tell you but is outdated and doesn’t really matter” sort of things.
I did however appreciate the tip about the extra “to go” bag for the hospital and the miscarriage awareness section were good sections to read though.
November 22, 2023
I obtained a copy of this book for free. The beginning was engaging and enjoyable, but then the book became too SARCASTIC. I found the author's humor off-putting as she was trying too hard to make everything funny, and her advice impractical. For example, she suggested that before pregnancy parents should visit a Chuck E. Cheese to get used to the noise and chaos. That is not only absurd but also inappropriate (Non-parents have no business being in a place like that without a child).
However, I found it very cute that when she experienced pregnancy nausea for months, instead of resenting it, she embraced it as a sign of life growing inside her. She understood that her body had to undergo changes to nurture the new being, and she tried to appreciate it.
However, I found it very cute that when she experienced pregnancy nausea for months, instead of resenting it, she embraced it as a sign of life growing inside her. She understood that her body had to undergo changes to nurture the new being, and she tried to appreciate it.
May 20, 2025
I am not pregnant, and not planning to be soon, but I am at the point in my life where everyone I know is or has been. This did not help sway me to have children… while I did find parts funny, the sarcasm really wore on me. It honestly was not that helpful in learning anything new about pregnancy. And the author really has a negative outlook on life after a baby… can we lose this narrative that a woman’s life is over after having a baby?? I wish I had spent time reading a book that would’ve told me things I actually should know about having a baby, and not someone’s negative experience with anecdotes of her friends negative experiences. I would hope that my husband would help me find time to shower after giving birth…..
September 30, 2019
This was a quick and witty look into pregnancy, which I appreciated for its lightheartedness. It certainly doesn't read like a medical book (and as such, you might not actually learn anything new from it), but the author uses several real-life examples of women's (and their partners') experiences through the various stages of pregnancy. She offers tips, tricks, and a lot of humor to make pregnancy feel more like a fun challenge/adventure, rather than a hardship (which I've already found other books to do!). So I appreciated this book, and enjoyed the tone of it. I'd recommend it to anyone who's planning to get pregnant in the near future, or who currently is, just because it's fun.
December 31, 2024
I wouldn’t say that I learned many new things, especially about the experience or decisions that need to be made, that aren’t already covered in more conventional books, but I think what this book offers is just a specific attitude / mindset / tone that is ok to take, knowing that you are going into one of the most amazing but most difficult experiences of your life. It offers perspectives from some of the author’s friends who also come from different backgrounds, so if you don’t have other mother friends’ experiences you can ask about, or even if you do, it’s nice to be able to have a few more here too.
August 21, 2018
This book had some really funny moments in it. Which was a really nice relief for what can be a stressful time. Most of the information in the book, though, I already knew because someone HAD told me. The title should alert super conservative people to stay away. Besides the language, she's very PC with her inclusion of same-sex couples. Not an issue for me, but I know I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. Overall this was a funny and lighthearted read with a different perspective on pregnancy.
July 19, 2023
She randomly decides to just dog on moms who decide they want to wait to find out the gender of their kids. It’s really bizarre to spend 3 paragraphs asking rhetorical questions that the reader can’t answer because you personally don’t have the desire to wait 9 months to find out the gender.
I personally DON’T care what other moms decide to do. Find out, don’t find out, gender reveal party or not. I find the way the author talked about it to be really disrespectful and odd.
I won’t be finishing the book.
I personally DON’T care what other moms decide to do. Find out, don’t find out, gender reveal party or not. I find the way the author talked about it to be really disrespectful and odd.
I won’t be finishing the book.
January 7, 2024
Every once in a while, I add books to my list that either challenge me out of my comfort zone or were written for a different reader audience. This book was both for me. Although a bit sarcastic at times, I appreciated Dais' ability to guide her readers through a challenging time in a fun, yet realistic way. I especially appreciated that she made the book inclusive of many different lifestyles by interviewing single mothers, straight/gay partners, religious parents, etc. Although mainly geared toward mothers, I found it to be an interesting read.
July 29, 2018
I feel better about delivering the little guy and going through all the horrifying events that come with labor, delivery, and post partum activities. I laughed throughout the book and really feel more relaxed about the process. Ms Dais also gave me ideas on what to plan for as I go through my pregnancy to prepare for the arrival. I found his book to be more helpful than the Mayo Book of Pregnancy.
December 13, 2018
If you really want to read it, get it from the library. Save your money. I bought his book and regret it. I was really disappointed with this book. I mean, it has funny bits about pregnancy and children but it wasn't as informative as I had hoped. My other pregnancy book had everything that this book did apart from her little stories and letters to her baby. I stopped reading after like month 4 because I honestly really don't care lady.
February 20, 2023
The dedication was so cute :) This was a fun read! Nothing too serious/overly educational. It was cute and so funny. It was so relatable as I am a new mom and just had my first baby. This also would be a good book for someone trying to get pregnant or plans to on the future. It is also broken up well, so if miscarriage is a trigger you can skip the chapter. The nesting description and comparison to throwing all the twigs in the nursery made me laugh!!
January 22, 2024
This is a book of stories from various women regarding different pregnancy, birth, and baby experiences. It should be called “the shit all moms complain about.” While I appreciate honesty and the “darker” sense of humor in this book, I think telling a pregnant woman their life is over is a bit extreme. There were a few chapters with interesting points of views but overall I’d pass on this book. Talk to your mom friends and you can get the same if not better information.
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