The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy

I read this book when I was pregnant with my first child at the age of 18, ten years ago. I read it multiple times and did as well with my other three kids. I recommend it to every pregnant woman I meet. It was meant to be a humorous look at pregnancy, entertainment, NOT a medical guide! Vicki used to write a column for one of the baby magazines, and that was always funny as well. I'm not sure what point of view others were coming from when they read it, but it was HILARIOUS! I literally cried I was laughing so hard through most of it. I highly recommend this book!

I have never felt the urge to write a negative review for a book until this book was passed along to me yesterday. My girlfriend and I sat around for an entire hour laughing at the contents of this book. This is the most condescending book on pregnancy that I've seen. I feel sorry for any woman who reads this book and takes it seriously.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think the sections on embarrassing things that will happen to you was very good. Since it was written in 1995, the whole "how to dress" stuff was horribly out-dated. (I haven't seen leggings or a tiger print swim suit in a long time.) The part that really upset me was her whole philosophy on Doctors/midwives and the use of epidurals. They left the reader thinking that the RIGHT choice is to use a doctor, not a midwife. She says to get the epidural as soon as you enter the hospital, and not to even bother trying to go natural. She doesn't disclose that you are way more likely to have to have a cecarian if you have an epidural, nor does she acknowledge that all drugs DO go to your baby, which is why many hospital born babies end up in the ICU. She makes the reader think that you should be scared of birth unless you get the drugs. However, since she has never done birth w/o drugs, how would she know what its like? I would highly recommend the very funny, readable and informative books "lady's hands, lion's heart" by Carol Leonard or "Baby Catcher" by Peggy Vincent instead of this book. Then make your own INFORMED decision on your birth experience.

I loved this book. I read the whole thing in a couple of hours. Humorous and informational. I would definitely recommend this book!

One of the best books I read in my pregnancy. Its fun and contains many tips and things people dont tell you!