Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong - and What You Really Need to Know
- Downloads：3130
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-16 06:54:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily Oster
- ISBN：0143125702
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Pregnancy—unquestionably one of the most profound， meaningful experiences of adulthood—can reduce otherwise intelligent women to， well， babies。 Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts， sushi， alcohol， and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden。 Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained。 Moms-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices。
When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself， she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy， and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong。 Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening， Expecting Bettering is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy—and the occasional glass of wine。
Reviews
Stephanie
，
Great read， well edited for UK publication except some discussion of epidurals and midwifes in the final chapter which give a somewhat misleading American perspective for UK parents。
Adam
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I really appreciated the summary of medical literature around conception， pregnancy and birth。 Having a good idea of the average baselines for various phenomena and outcomes has helped me get some rough expectations for what is usual and unusual。 Definitely makes me feel more comfortable as my wife and I start planning children。I appreciate the book's structure （a chapter for conception， for each trimester， and for birth）。 I really liked how each chapter ends with a bullet point summary。 It make I really appreciated the summary of medical literature around conception， pregnancy and birth。 Having a good idea of the average baselines for various phenomena and outcomes has helped me get some rough expectations for what is usual and unusual。 Definitely makes me feel more comfortable as my wife and I start planning children。I appreciate the book's structure （a chapter for conception， for each trimester， and for birth）。 I really liked how each chapter ends with a bullet point summary。 It makes it easy to recap and easily refer back to what I've learned。The author goes quite deep into the literature， evaluating each paper and explaining why she thinks a paper is strong or weak evidence for something。 It's rare to read a book aimed at a layperson which actually explains statistical problems。 It built trust in what the author was saying。 Overall the book rarely offers strict guidance。 Instead it presents a number of trade-offs and tells you what factors would push you one way or the other。 。。。more
Britt
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This book is a nice breath of fresh air as it debunks or nuances some of the overly cautious rules and ideas pregnant women have to adhere to。 However， as a recovering control-freak （who’s actually feeling much more confident， trusting and relaxed during this pregnancy） I found the author’s constant insistence on knowing all the facts and figures way too neurotic at times。 Couldn’t relate。 Also， as is common in these kinds of books， I found the perspective of this book still too American-centric This book is a nice breath of fresh air as it debunks or nuances some of the overly cautious rules and ideas pregnant women have to adhere to。 However， as a recovering control-freak （who’s actually feeling much more confident， trusting and relaxed during this pregnancy） I found the author’s constant insistence on knowing all the facts and figures way too neurotic at times。 Couldn’t relate。 Also， as is common in these kinds of books， I found the perspective of this book still too American-centric and not entirely relatable to the context of pregnancies in other parts of the globe - such as Europe， where home births under the supervision of midwives are the rule instead of the exception。 。。。more
Le Basia
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"However， this does not directly imply that light or occasional drinking is a problem。 When I looked at the data， I found no credible evidence that low levels of drinking （a glass of wine or so a day） have any impact on your baby’s cognitive development。" and later "The Bottom Line•There is no good evidence that light drinking during pregnancy negatively impacts your baby。 This means:•Up to 1 drink a day in the second and third trimesters。•1 to 2 drinks a week in the first trimester。•Speed matte "However， this does not directly imply that light or occasional drinking is a problem。 When I looked at the data， I found no credible evidence that low levels of drinking （a glass of wine or so a day） have any impact on your baby’s cognitive development。" and later "The Bottom Line•There is no good evidence that light drinking during pregnancy negatively impacts your baby。 This means:•Up to 1 drink a day in the second and third trimesters。•1 to 2 drinks a week in the first trimester。•Speed matters: no vodka shots！•Heavier drinking has negative impacts， especially in the range of four or five drinks at a time。 This should be avoided。"Bottom line: if you really need that 1 drink a day， maybe you should seek help for your alcoholism， not get pregnant and write books about it。I think that the fact that this book is so popular says a lot about american society。 People who needs reassurence from some random lady that you actually can - while pregnant - drink alcohol， snort cocaine， stab yourself ina stomach or so （because dOCtors doN't HaVe EnOugH DAta） are definitely not in a good place to be parents。 。。。more
Kelly
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A really informative and understandable read to debunk myths and provide information based on research。 I did skim some parts with heavy research-talk - but would recommend for all pregnant people！
Laila
，
I found this book quite useful， both as a healthcare provider and a mom-to-be。 If the author truly accessed high-quality studies and analyzed the data accordingly， then this book is a great resource on shedding light on current medical recommendations and whether they hold merit。 I hope to find time to fact check the findings and review the studies discussed， but overall I'm impressed with the book。 I would definitely recommend for expectant parents and others interested in this area of medicine I found this book quite useful， both as a healthcare provider and a mom-to-be。 If the author truly accessed high-quality studies and analyzed the data accordingly， then this book is a great resource on shedding light on current medical recommendations and whether they hold merit。 I hope to find time to fact check the findings and review the studies discussed， but overall I'm impressed with the book。 I would definitely recommend for expectant parents and others interested in this area of medicine。 。。。more
Anna-Marie
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A friend recommended this alongside Taking Charge of your Fertility as I started thinking about pregnancy。 For my personality， more information puts me at ease， but also upps the anxiety a bit。 It is useful to put risk into context， she does that well。 However， some issues with the medicalisation of birth are glossed over and I expect some groups will feel that this book does not speak to their higher risks due to systemic racism， bias etc。
Bridget Whittingham
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Gave some food for thought， but I still walked away having 100% trust in my midwife's advice and recommendations。 Gave some food for thought， but I still walked away having 100% trust in my midwife's advice and recommendations。 。。。more
Bianca
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Another thoughtful and well-researched book by Emily Oster on what the evidence says about pregnancy。 I was a little surprised Oster didn’t go into more detail about the long term pros and cons of a c-section， but she covers everything else to a great degree。 If you have recently become pregnant or planning to become pregnant soon this book is a really good guide of what to expect。
Amy
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Very informative with evidence backing！ Super helpful and different than other pregnancy books I’ve read。
Rachel
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Helpful advice about decision making on all the many decisions of pregnancy from pre to post natal。 Very informative and potentially helpful to back up discussions with medical practitioners
Lindsay
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An economist reviews the quality of research evidence for big issues around pregnancy and shares her hot take， knowing others will come to different conclusions。
Shawn
，
A very interesting read if you like hard numbers and lots of detail。I really loved this book。
Abbie
，
it was a pretty good book that goes over certain key questions a new expecting mother may have in terms of their pregnancy。 For example， if you can take certain medications and how to start thinking about a birth plan。 Probably geared for more first time mamas than for moms on their 2nd or more child。 Easy read and her writing style is conversational。 I would say that I am somewhat irked that she is not a trained medical professional （I think an economist） so certain things she wrote I took with it was a pretty good book that goes over certain key questions a new expecting mother may have in terms of their pregnancy。 For example， if you can take certain medications and how to start thinking about a birth plan。 Probably geared for more first time mamas than for moms on their 2nd or more child。 Easy read and her writing style is conversational。 I would say that I am somewhat irked that she is not a trained medical professional （I think an economist） so certain things she wrote I took with a grain of salt but it's nice that she has an 'outsider's perspective。 Most people reading this book are like her - just trying to navigate pregnancy。 Only she has a bit more skills than most people due to her research skills。 。。。more
Shawna P。
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Is it weird to read a book on pregnancy before even getting pregnant？ Maybe。 Kinda。 But I don't care。 I started reading this after the start of IUI process and I have read my fair share of pregnancy books during this long infertility journey。 This was by far the most comprehensive one ever that didn't scare the shit out of me and make me feel like if I sneeze wrong something bad can happen。 Whether or not this procedure works， I highly recommend this for anyone thinking about becoming pregnant o Is it weird to read a book on pregnancy before even getting pregnant？ Maybe。 Kinda。 But I don't care。 I started reading this after the start of IUI process and I have read my fair share of pregnancy books during this long infertility journey。 This was by far the most comprehensive one ever that didn't scare the shit out of me and make me feel like if I sneeze wrong something bad can happen。 Whether or not this procedure works， I highly recommend this for anyone thinking about becoming pregnant or is already pregnant because it is full of facts built on the basis of science and data。。。。not just what people have been regurgitating in every other book。 。。。more
Anna
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This is a great book for anyone who is pregnant or hoping to become pregnant。 Highly highly recommended。
Alex Stroud
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Hated this book。 The "science" is not well interpreted and definitely misleading。 If there's a chance （however small） you'll fuck up your kid by doing these things， why would you do them？ Is eating sushi that important？You do you， but her interpretation of research is shady as fuck。 Think critically and carefully before following this advice。 Hated this book。 The "science" is not well interpreted and definitely misleading。 If there's a chance （however small） you'll fuck up your kid by doing these things， why would you do them？ Is eating sushi that important？You do you， but her interpretation of research is shady as fuck。 Think critically and carefully before following this advice。 。。。more
Waterxpolo
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This book provides a balanced perspective on everything related to pregnancy - from thinking about how having a baby （and when） through delivery。 Should this be the only resource you use？ No， but this is a good， comprehensive and relatively short book。 I appreciate the evidence。 My main complaint is the author is a neurotic， Type A person and her palpable anxiety in some sections can make the book hard to approach。 At the same time， she’s expressing her personality and she’s clear about this， so This book provides a balanced perspective on everything related to pregnancy - from thinking about how having a baby （and when） through delivery。 Should this be the only resource you use？ No， but this is a good， comprehensive and relatively short book。 I appreciate the evidence。 My main complaint is the author is a neurotic， Type A person and her palpable anxiety in some sections can make the book hard to approach。 At the same time， she’s expressing her personality and she’s clear about this， so you as the reader can decide what’s best for you and your family。 I hope the author continues to publish new editions as new evidence emerges。 。。。more
Jaime
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This book took conventional pregnancy wisdom （e。g。 no alcohol， avoid sushi， etc。） and provided a good summary of the data backing （or not backing） that advice， with the goal of giving women the information needed to make their own nuanced decisions based on their own values， preferences， and risk tolerance。 I wish I had found this book earlier in my pregnancy， since in some cases my husband and I spent a considerable amount of time trying to do this type of research on our own （e。g。 finding stud This book took conventional pregnancy wisdom （e。g。 no alcohol， avoid sushi， etc。） and provided a good summary of the data backing （or not backing） that advice， with the goal of giving women the information needed to make their own nuanced decisions based on their own values， preferences， and risk tolerance。 I wish I had found this book earlier in my pregnancy， since in some cases my husband and I spent a considerable amount of time trying to do this type of research on our own （e。g。 finding studies that rated the likelihood of miscarriage at each week of pregnancy）。The caveat is that the author is an economist， not a medical doctor or scientist。 She claims that this gives her the skill of rigorously examining the types of non-randomized studies that tend to be prevalent in pregnancy research （since randomized trials would often be unethical）。Some takeaways:Getting pregnant - Fertility declines with age， but no sharp cutoff at 35。 - Timing: sperm has to meet egg on day of ovulation。 Sperm can survive for up to 5 days。 Sex on day of or day before ovulation is best， or up to 5 days before。 - Detecting ovulation: pee sticks are best （predicts ovulation）， cervical mucus is okay （changes on day of ovulation）， basal body temperature not great （changes day *after* ovulation）Foods & drinks - Caffeine: 200mg/day okay， 400mg probably okay - Alcohol: 1 drink/wk probably okay in 1st trimester， 1 drink/day probably okay in 2nd & 3rd - Tobacco: not okay - Food-borne illness: sushi & raw eggs okay （not worse than regular person getting food poisoning）。 toxoplasmosis is bad， risk is small， cut risk in half by washing veggies & avoiding raw meat。 listeria is very bad， hard to avoid （unpredictable）， maybe avoid raw queso fresco & deli turkey - Fish: mercury is bad， omega-3s are very good。 Ear fish high in omega-3， low in mercury （salmon， herring， sardines）， and avoid the opposite （e。g。 canned tuna） - Cat litter: fear is toxoplasmosis， seems to be unfounded。 Avoid gardening instead （risk of toxoplasmosis from gardening is much higher！） 。。。more
Carlyn Blount
，
I would give 4 stars， except that I'm shocked and disappointed that she didn't mention how BMI is a totally bullshit psuedo-science way to judge a person's weight。 She analyzes all kinds of scientific studies， and yet fails to see that epic failing in the way doctors analyze things。 Large breasted women will always seem more overweight and flat-chested women will always seem more underweight and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the health of either。Otherwise the book was good， but losing my I would give 4 stars， except that I'm shocked and disappointed that she didn't mention how BMI is a totally bullshit psuedo-science way to judge a person's weight。 She analyzes all kinds of scientific studies， and yet fails to see that epic failing in the way doctors analyze things。 Large breasted women will always seem more overweight and flat-chested women will always seem more underweight and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the health of either。Otherwise the book was good， but losing my trust in that section made it harder for me to trust her other assertions。 。。。more
Zoe
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Wish I had read this when I was pregnant with my first because it could have eased some anxiety。 Reading it now， I feel like a lot of what is covered is now common knowledge and I still feel like a lot of topics were left out。
Ondřej
，
As an economist I loved the approach of the book and it speaks in a language I can understand。 Although I did not take the time to verify the author's claims， the book is sourced reasonably well to be credible。 You are free to skip chapters and only read short summaries。 I worked well with calming me down a bit 'cause the main message seems to be KEEP CALM， things are not that hot。The book repeats itself （like the author's motives for the research etc。） quite a lot which is the biggest downside As an economist I loved the approach of the book and it speaks in a language I can understand。 Although I did not take the time to verify the author's claims， the book is sourced reasonably well to be credible。 You are free to skip chapters and only read short summaries。 I worked well with calming me down a bit 'cause the main message seems to be KEEP CALM， things are not that hot。The book repeats itself （like the author's motives for the research etc。） quite a lot which is the biggest downside - lots of its content is waste。 。。。more
Sarina M
，
This was fantastic and really refreshing。 I appreciated that Oster did so much research and laid out her findings， while also stressing that since some risks may be tolerable for one person and not another， it isn't reasonable to have blanket systems for everyone。 I loved seeing the data and getting background on the differing levels of legitimacy in the studies available， rather than just being told "there is a high/low risk， do this" without any supporting information。 Medicine seems to be con This was fantastic and really refreshing。 I appreciated that Oster did so much research and laid out her findings， while also stressing that since some risks may be tolerable for one person and not another， it isn't reasonable to have blanket systems for everyone。 I loved seeing the data and getting background on the differing levels of legitimacy in the studies available， rather than just being told "there is a high/low risk， do this" without any supporting information。 Medicine seems to be constantly evolving and new discoveries are continually being made， so it is a bit disconcerting how closed minded some medical professionals seem to be。 I have heard so many varying opinions and dramatic warnings about pregnancy dos and don'ts， not infrequently from righteous people who seem to base their judgements on feelings rather than data。 I can understand that people in the medical field might feel like they need to be extra firm and shout over all that noise to get through to their patients。 I can also understand that physicians want to lean on the side of safety when faced with the unknown to protect their patients （and also themselves from liability）。 Still， I think there should be an emphasis placed on fully informing patients （especially when requested） on the exact risks and rationale for procedures and refraining from giving recommendations when there isn't data to support it （unless there is disclosure that the recommendations are theoretical）。 There are a lot of unknowns in medicine， and it might be hard for professionals to admit when they just don't know。 I have had experiences of doctors providing frustratingly vague information， giving instructions with no context or rationale， refusing to provide statistics， and giving the equivalent of a shrug when I asked for status information。 It doesn't feel good to be treated as if you're incapable of understanding or making decisions or weighing the pros and cons。Even with all that said， Oster could have been a bit more objective。 She seemed to have a plenty of bias toward how she interpreted the studies based on how much she wanted to do / avoid the item being studied。 For example she really likes coffee， so she made a few （small） analytical leaps when going over the coffee data。 She seemed to really want to do invasive genetic testing for potential illnesses， so she basically tried to get as much data as possible to support that idea （even though the chance seemed astronomically small that the non invasive test wouldn't catch it， and there were risks involved to further testing）。 Those decisions seem fine and Oster's underlying point wasn't "do everything I did" but rather "get the information and evaluate how you feel about it， and make a choice for yourself"。 Still this made the balance of information disparate based on Oster's interests。 I am really interested in exercise's impact on pregnancy and if there are any risks involved， but Oster didn't seem as interested， so there was less information on that， but a ton on that genetic testing stuff I don't really care about。 But anyway， in the spirit of this book， I am inspired to do some research on the things I care about myself， instead of just taking her word as scripture。 。。。more
Irma Alam
，
Fun and informative
Rachael Callahan
，
Expecting Better provides mothers with the research behind common pregnancy "do's and don'ts"， then empowers women to make their own choices with this information。 The book spans from conception to delivery， has graphs and charts throughout， and includes bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter。 I expect to reference it often during my pregnancy。 I'd already recommended it to other women before finishing it！ Minus one star because a few （but only a few） subjects were covered thinly and with Expecting Better provides mothers with the research behind common pregnancy "do's and don'ts"， then empowers women to make their own choices with this information。 The book spans from conception to delivery， has graphs and charts throughout， and includes bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter。 I expect to reference it often during my pregnancy。 I'd already recommended it to other women before finishing it！ Minus one star because a few （but only a few） subjects were covered thinly and without any concrete data。 For example - how risky is it really to pull the weeds in my garden？！ Does this risk drop significantly if I wear gloves and a mask？ It also omitted a couple topics I have personally worried about （i。e。 How risky is makeup to the baby？ Which skincare products do I absolutely have to replace during pregnancy？）。I read the updated 2019 version。 。。。more
Angela Crampton
，
Good researched book on evaluating decisions during pregnancy。
Megan （Sheffield）
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As a person who likes information and the Why， this was extremely helpful。 She outlines the data and encourages you to make your own decisions。
Shana
，
I loved this book。 Highly researched based without too much confusing lingo。 I felt like I could make good， evidence-based choices during pregnancy。 I didn't rush reading it - read it one trimester at a time so I was ready to hear what I needed as I progressed。 Even my skeptic， scientist partner thought it was a well-written and he usually thinks no one is evidence-based enough。 I loved this book。 Highly researched based without too much confusing lingo。 I felt like I could make good， evidence-based choices during pregnancy。 I didn't rush reading it - read it one trimester at a time so I was ready to hear what I needed as I progressed。 Even my skeptic， scientist partner thought it was a well-written and he usually thinks no one is evidence-based enough。 。。。more
Ciaran Mealer
，
Freakonomics for pregnancy。 The only pregnancy/childbirth book I would recommend to every expecting parent。
Carissa
，