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Reviews tagging 'Blood'
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong - And What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster
2 reviews
eslsilver's review
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Blood, and Medical trauma
pagesfromhome's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
All in all, an insightful look at some of the standard "rules" around pregnancy and the facts and studies behind them. It was pretty overwhelmingly catered to people who will be more likely to have a standard pregnancy (rather than anybody disabled, chronically ill, etc.), and there were only minor nods to anything that pregnant people of color may experience. Still, I think that the information could be utilized to help you make your own decisions, even if it doesn't apply to you directly. It provided clear and concise information and backed you up to make your own decisions for your body and your pregnancy. It also gave me a no-nonsense look at what goes down in labor in a way that I haven't seen in many other books.
The only thing that made me knock off half a star was the discussion of weight that was based almost entirely on BMI. For a book that debunks many medical myths, it was a bummer to see BMI used as a benchmark when it has been debunked as inaccurate in most cases (Maintenance Phase has a podcast episode about that, which is incredibly informative).
But I will absolutely be recommending this to any friend who is looking to get pregnant or is pregnant. It sparked plenty of questions about what I want in my future pregnancy and provided me with the framework to ask questions and research in a way that feels comfortable to me. Certainly worth picking up and giving a read!
The only thing that made me knock off half a star was the discussion of weight that was based almost entirely on BMI. For a book that debunks many medical myths, it was a bummer to see BMI used as a benchmark when it has been debunked as inaccurate in most cases (Maintenance Phase has a podcast episode about that, which is incredibly informative).
But I will absolutely be recommending this to any friend who is looking to get pregnant or is pregnant. It sparked plenty of questions about what I want in my future pregnancy and provided me with the framework to ask questions and research in a way that feels comfortable to me. Certainly worth picking up and giving a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, and Medical trauma