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The Best Friends' Guide to Pregnancy: Or Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You | 
 enlarge | Author: Vicki Iovine
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £9.98 (100%)
New (21) Used (59) from £0.01
Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 1260
Media: Paperback
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0747533253
Dewey Decimal Number: 618
EAN: 9780747533252
ASIN: 0747533253
Publication Date: May 29, 1997
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Light wear and creasing to covers, which are a bit scuffed. Good reading copy. No inscriptions. Sent by first class mail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 67 more reviews...
 A humorously written rant January 4, 2008
J. Nicholas (United Kingdom)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my wife but we both ended up reading it, and as it happens I read it first. Both of us contribute to this review:
(note: this is our first pregnancy)
An expecting mother's perspective:
I read the reviews before I read the book itself, and was surprised at the number of negative reviews it had received. Yet here I am, after having turn over the last page of the book, and not found a single justification for my giving Mrs. Iovine the benefit of the doubt. 'The Best Friend's Guide to Pregnancy' is patronising, cynical and pessimistic, insiting that not only will pregnancy ruin the mother's figure, social and sex life, but not mentioning WHY we women go through all of this- the end result seems to have no value to Iovine. On top of this the author assumes that all men are of the non-supportive, squeamish and un-involved sort. She, essentially, exhibits plain sexism throughout her book insisting that men are worthless in any way during pregnancy, which is blatant rubbish for plenty of men. Cut them some slack Vicki, we stopped burning our bra's long ago, and some of us LIKE having men in our lives.
Essentially a waste of money, I would NOT recommend this book to anyone.
An expecting father's perspective:
My first impression was that the whole tone of the text was one of general complaining about everything. I felt as if the author was lied to about what she should expect before, during and after her pregnancies and she was so upset about it, she decided to write a book in order to inform other women and prevent them from believing lies, like she did.
I discussed this with my wife (who hadn't read the book yet) and she told me that this is sometimes a form of humor that women use and that men don't get (eg. The Vagina Monologues). So I kept on reading.
The 'ranting' does ease off about half way through the book (I suppose she had began to calm down by then) and I found some parts informative and interesting since they're written from a woman's perspective.
However, various spelling mistakes (with the most common being 'thing' instead of 'think') and the author's self contradictions made me feel that my original assessment of the motives behind the book were correct.
The author cautions women that they will get fat, they will become ugly, they will get cellulite, they will get stretch marks, they will never be the same again and then she bangs on about how she got her figure back after each pregnancy. But she only says so towards the end of the book.
One thing that made me angry, was that she claims 'there is no award for enduring the pains of a natural birth, nobody will judge you if you opt for pain relief (eg epidural)' and a bit later she goes on to say that if you've had an epidural you'll be drinking champagne and be the life of the party when the family comes to visit you at the hospital, instead of a wreck that can barely stay awake if you opt for a natural birth. Furthermore, the author insists for some reason that because a pregnancy is 40 weeks, its not 9 months, but 10, because as we all know, every month is 4 weeks (and therefore 28 days) long.
Before this part of the review turns into a rant of my own, I will say that it is an interesting book to read, you do observe one woman's perspective and experiences with childbirth but it is very opinionated and self contradicting.
My advice is, if you want something different to read, and if the humour of complaining appeals to you, then by all means get it. You will probably enjoy it. But it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
 Horror Stories !! November 30, 2007
shadylady (uk)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
With friends like that, who needs enemies. Before reading this book, I was blissfully unaware of my impending changes from human to monster as Vicki describes. Now I find myself not wanting to go through the whole nine(ten) months of hell (although it's too late for that!).
The book provides some interesting reading and does prepare you but in the worst possible way. I've got to go a buy another book, to make me and my "little ricicle" feel better about the HAPPY TIMES AHEAD.
 very entertaining September 11, 2007
lizzi1714 (Durham)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this book was great. It made me feel more relaxed than most books i've read on the subject and it made me laugh. Occasionally i wanted a bit more practical info but mostly it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
 all things to all women...? July 2, 2007
Marie (UK)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I heard a rumour that it's possible to give birth without reading any books. Maybe so, but I found that the books helped me cope with my lack of knowledge and lack of courage. You only need to read 3 or 4 of them. I know because I read 10 of them.
The Best Friends' Guide was my favourite. It made the whole thing seem more human, more bearable, more possible. It deals with aspects of pregnancy that the textbooks don't.
You still need a textbook. I'd recommend Anne Dean's 'Pregnancy Bible'. And an exercise book. I bought 'Pregnancy Fitness'. Good luck with that. And, even though it was written by a mere man, I enjoyed my partner's favourite book, Andrew Cullen's 'From Here To Paternity', which does for men what The Best Friends' Guide does for women - tells the truth in an intelligent, reassuring, entertaining way.
No single book is all things to all women. The BFG may not be infallible, but it's invaluable, like any best friend.
This book is brilliant May 1, 2007
V. L. Walker (UK)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book is really well written and tells you stuff that you want to know (and some stuff you don't). It is the only book that has actually put my mind at rest about some of the things I am feeling both physically and emotionally during my first pregnancy.
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