Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know (The Parentdata) Paperback – 24 Jun. 2014

Highly recommend! Super informative discussion of the research available on many typical pregnancy restrictions and recommendations. I worried a lot before I was even pregnant about doing something wrong and found all the advice out there hard to interpret and follow. This book gives you the data and assesses the quality of that data to make more informed decisions. Very calming! My one problem with the book is that it mentions in a pretty offhand way that more nausea is associated with healthy pregnancies, which had me worrying that I wasn't naseaus enough. Most statements like this in the book are back up, dissected and clarified in a really helpful way, but this one wasn't.

The author of this book, Emily Oster, is an economics professor from the University of Chicago. I first heard about her on the Radio 4 programme 'More or Less', when someone was describing this book. She starts with the idea that in order to make sensible decisions about what to do and not to do when pregnant, you need information on the risks, combined with your personal information about what the pros and cons are.I think this is an excellent book. It doesn't set out the dos and don'ts, so if you're just looking for a list of rules to follow, or something that deals with every possible question, you're better off with 'What to Expect'. But if you want to know *why* you are being told to conform to so many rules, and the evidence behind them, this is a book for you.It's well written, and with a sense of humour as well as an analytical mind. It probably helps that I have a bit of an analytical background myself, and work with economists, but I think the language is easily understandable. It also includes plenty of anecdotes from her personal experience and that of her friends, which makes it very approachable, without compromising the information about evidence.She seems to have received most attention for her chapter on caffeine and alcohol, where she tries to separate out the risks of heavy consumption (bad in both cases) from the risks of low but not zero consumption. For instance, I had no idea that although caffeine consumption is linked to miscarriage, women who are nauseous are less likely to be drinking coffee, and nausea is a symptom that means you are less likely to miscarry. So it's possible (at least at low levels) that the women drinking coffee are just less likely to be the ones feeling sick.She seems to have received some criticism for saying it's OK to drink. She is emphatically not instructing anyone to behave one way or another, but instead presenting the evidence and the risks in a way that allows someone to decide for themselves. Personally, I really appreciate someone explaining what is going on, and what the evidence is for why you should do something - it makes much more sense to me than a simple rule that applies to everyone, when everyone is different.

Firstly, I was nervous about the other reviews that seemed to suggest the writer was insensitive to miscarriage, especially the photo another reviewer posted showing the statistics that you are more likely to miscarry if you've miscarried before. I didn't find the book insensitive though. It actually made me feel better about miscarriage. I've attached a picture of the very next page after the one that tells you 'you are more likely to miscarry if you've had a miscarriage before.' Because I think context is important and actually the author is reassuring you that while the information can be scary, you're still more likely to have a baby than not if you've had a miscarriage before because if you can get pregnant in the first place you are fertile.I liked this book a lot. However, I think you have to be the right type of person to find this book helpful.If you're hoping that the information in this will reassure you on its own, it probably won't. What its good at doing is providing information. I'm not saying that information is reassuring. but if you are the type of person that feels reassured by knowing as much information as possible then it can be helpful. I think you need the same personality type as the writer though. The sense that information is power.She writes at one point that knowing statistics, knowing she couldn't do anything to change the outcomes, was empowering for her. There are also points when knowing the statistics meant she could make changes to her behaviour that made her feel more in control. That's what this is about.

Explains the scientific studies in easy language, and compares them to current life. So then you can make the best decision that fits your life and circumstances. I feel informed now I’ve read this whereas before I was completely in the dark.This answered questions that the doctors and midwives asked me that I didn’t know how to answer. For example: how do I know whether I’m going to exercise/how much exercise I’m planning to do/type of exercise I might do, now I’m pregnant for the first time? How do I know whether I’m going to give up deli meat/coffee/gardening? How do I know whether I’m going to try a warm bath for my aching back? These are things I expected my midwife to advise me on: not ask me what I was going to do with no guidance. It’s like they’re waiting for you to give a wrong answer! But I read this book and I felt I could decide confidently, and answer all the midwives questions confidently. As a first time mum there are so many unknowns and this book offered so much reassurance.

Reassured me when I wasn’t sure what was right and wrong throughout my pregnancy. Love all the data! Thank you Emily!

Fantastic book!

I read all of the usual recommendations: Mayo Clinic, What to Expect, ect. This book did a great job of providing evidence and sharing studies without over complicating things. It is approachable and helps provide the "why" behind guidance.

Información clara y útil. No hay mucha información de situaciones comunes como, niveles hormonales bajos, presión alta, y pros y cons en tomar aspirina para evitar restricciones de crecimiento y preclampsia.

If you like to know the statistics and reason behind all the different do’s and don’t of pregnancy, this is the book for you. I love how facts and the quality of studies is the basis and you’re encouraged to make your own decisions on your own pregnancy with an informed mind.

Puts things into perspective and helps with ease your mind into your first pregnancy. A good data driven approach that I really appreciated !