Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know
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- Create Date：2021-08-19 06:54:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Emily Oster
- ISBN：1409177920
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Summary
An award-winning social scientist uses the tools of economics to debunk myths about pregnancy and to empower women to make better decisions while they’re expecting
Pregnancy is full of rules。 Pregnant women are often treated as if they were children， given long lists of items to avoid—alcohol， caffeine， sushi— without any real explanation from their doctors about why。 They hear frightening and contradictory myths about everything from weight gain to sleeping on your back to bed rest from friends and
pregnancy books。 Award-winning economist Emily Oster believes there is a better way。 In Expecting Better， Oster shows that the information given to pregnant women is sometimes wrong and almost always oversimplified， and she debunks a host of standard recommendations on everything from drinking to fetal testing。
When Oster was expecting her first child， she felt powerless to make the right decisions for her pregnancy。 How doctors think and what patients need are two very different things。 So Oster drew on her own experience and went in search of the real facts about pregnancy using an economist’s tools。 Economics is not just a study of finance。 It’s the science of determining value and making informed decisions。 To make a good decision， you need to understand the information available to you and to know what it means to you as an individual。
Take alcohol。 We all know that Americans are cautious about drinking during pregnancy。 Official recommendations call for abstinence。 But Oster argues that the medical research doesn’t support this; the vast majority of studies show no impact from an occasional drink。 The few studies that do condemn light drinking are deeply flawed， including one in which the light drinkers were also heavy cocaine users。
Expecting Better overturns standard recommendations for alcohol， caffeine， sushi， bed rest， and induction while putting in context the blanket guidelines for fetal testing， weight gain， risks of pregnancy over the age of thirty-five， and nausea， among others。
Oster offers the real-world advice one would never get at the doctor’s office。 Knowing that the health of your baby is paramount， readers can know more and worry less。 Having the numbers is a tremendous relief—and so is the occasional glass of wine。
This groundbreaking guidebook is as fascinating as it is practical。
Pregnancy is full of rules。 Pregnant women are often treated as if they were children， given long lists of items to avoid—alcohol， caffeine， sushi— without any real explanation from their doctors about why。 They hear frightening and contradictory myths about everything from weight gain to sleeping on your back to bed rest from friends and
pregnancy books。 Award-winning economist Emily Oster believes there is a better way。 In Expecting Better， Oster shows that the information given to pregnant women is sometimes wrong and almost always oversimplified， and she debunks a host of standard recommendations on everything from drinking to fetal testing。
When Oster was expecting her first child， she felt powerless to make the right decisions for her pregnancy。 How doctors think and what patients need are two very different things。 So Oster drew on her own experience and went in search of the real facts about pregnancy using an economist’s tools。 Economics is not just a study of finance。 It’s the science of determining value and making informed decisions。 To make a good decision， you need to understand the information available to you and to know what it means to you as an individual。
Take alcohol。 We all know that Americans are cautious about drinking during pregnancy。 Official recommendations call for abstinence。 But Oster argues that the medical research doesn’t support this; the vast majority of studies show no impact from an occasional drink。 The few studies that do condemn light drinking are deeply flawed， including one in which the light drinkers were also heavy cocaine users。
Expecting Better overturns standard recommendations for alcohol， caffeine， sushi， bed rest， and induction while putting in context the blanket guidelines for fetal testing， weight gain， risks of pregnancy over the age of thirty-five， and nausea， among others。
Oster offers the real-world advice one would never get at the doctor’s office。 Knowing that the health of your baby is paramount， readers can know more and worry less。 Having the numbers is a tremendous relief—and so is the occasional glass of wine。
This groundbreaking guidebook is as fascinating as it is practical。
Reviews
Courtney
，
Great place to start， but definitely not the be-all end-all answers to everything。 I expect this will be helpful for people to start having conversations with their primary care teams that they didn’t know they needed to have。
Robyn
，
omg terrifyinggggg but good
Tulin
，
I did like this book， but it was something I wish I’d found earlier in pregnancy， or even before I was pregnant。 I generally knew the food rules， but my doctor was vague about it， so I felt like I had to do my own research。 The gardening point， that was new to me， and one I’d read nowhere else。 Gardens are common; why wouldn’t this be high up on the list of ‘no’s’ from a doctor？ Read this here too late so I guess I’m just glad I didn’t get sick？ Overall， I liked the book。 I liked that she pushes I did like this book， but it was something I wish I’d found earlier in pregnancy， or even before I was pregnant。 I generally knew the food rules， but my doctor was vague about it， so I felt like I had to do my own research。 The gardening point， that was new to me， and one I’d read nowhere else。 Gardens are common; why wouldn’t this be high up on the list of ‘no’s’ from a doctor？ Read this here too late so I guess I’m just glad I didn’t get sick？ Overall， I liked the book。 I liked that she pushes to question these “knowns” of pregnancy， but it’s a little light on explanations。 Also， sometimes the statistics she’s referring yo could have used more explanation: when is it a significant difference？ Why in one scenario is a difference of a tenth of a percent important but not in another？ I don’t know that it needs to be considered a Bible of pregnancy， but it’s definitely worth reading alongside many other recommended books。 。。。more
Marie
，
I'm so disappointed that such a dangerous book has become so popular。 Of course pregnancy isn't fun and it'd be great if the guidelines around drinking were wrong， but they aren't。 You definitely should not drink while pregnant。 Not even "a glass of wine or so a day"。Why listen to a professor of economics when every medical professional out there says otherwise？1 in 14 children with FAS are born to mothers drinking the amount of alcohol this book says is perfectly safe。 The book references very I'm so disappointed that such a dangerous book has become so popular。 Of course pregnancy isn't fun and it'd be great if the guidelines around drinking were wrong， but they aren't。 You definitely should not drink while pregnant。 Not even "a glass of wine or so a day"。Why listen to a professor of economics when every medical professional out there says otherwise？1 in 14 children with FAS are born to mothers drinking the amount of alcohol this book says is perfectly safe。 The book references very flawed studies which only study pre-school level of development， which will only account for the most severe cases。 。。。more
Sarah Guldenbrein
，
As a sociologist， I'm pretty skeptical of the sexism （among other -isms） baked into the medical profession。 So I get real irked by paternalistic pregnancy advice。 This book feels like a good antidote to that， and I feel pretty equipped to make some decisions now， and also to be done reading books about pregnancy。That said， the author is obviously not a sociologist。 Some of the other reviewers on here are wound up about her not being a medical doctor， but the thing I noticed was a general accepta As a sociologist， I'm pretty skeptical of the sexism （among other -isms） baked into the medical profession。 So I get real irked by paternalistic pregnancy advice。 This book feels like a good antidote to that， and I feel pretty equipped to make some decisions now， and also to be done reading books about pregnancy。That said， the author is obviously not a sociologist。 Some of the other reviewers on here are wound up about her not being a medical doctor， but the thing I noticed was a general acceptance of normativity。 The pages on down syndrome were painfully ableist， and the section on weight gain was distressingly fatphobic。 I don't think she mentioned race once， which made me wonder what exactly was being left out。 She also seems to hold a if-science-can't-measure-it-it's-not-real worldview， which only bothered me when she dismissed out of hand the emerging science on the microbiome just because there's not enough research yet。 So yeah， as many people have noted， this book was written by an economist， who very much brings a certain worldview to the table。 But I still found it helpful and would totally recommend it。 。。。more
Karla Bedggood
，
Accessible but lacking in the detail required to make properly informed decisions during pregnancy。
Athena
，
This book was recommended to me by a friend who is a bit further along in her pregnancy than I am， and is a personable， easy read that deals entirely in statistics。 You read that right。 Even though I am a physician and have memorized a lot of the guideline recommendations， I still found this book helpful in terms of trying to gain some perspective and temper the YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING SAFELY WHEN YOU'RE PREGNANT mindset that has definitely predominated this time for me。 While I will definitely st This book was recommended to me by a friend who is a bit further along in her pregnancy than I am， and is a personable， easy read that deals entirely in statistics。 You read that right。 Even though I am a physician and have memorized a lot of the guideline recommendations， I still found this book helpful in terms of trying to gain some perspective and temper the YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING SAFELY WHEN YOU'RE PREGNANT mindset that has definitely predominated this time for me。 While I will definitely still be following most of the most conservative guidelines， it is definitely an interesting and reassuring perspective to have。 Will likely recommend to others when they are expecting。 。。。more
Daneeka Cathey
，
Highly recommend to anyone expecting or considering expecting。 A great scientific based review of all the facts - and they allay most of mama's guilt。 Oster's references are easy to look up for yourself， and she presents the evidence in a non-biased way。If I wrote a book， I would love to write something like this。 Highly recommend to anyone expecting or considering expecting。 A great scientific based review of all the facts - and they allay most of mama's guilt。 Oster's references are easy to look up for yourself， and she presents the evidence in a non-biased way。If I wrote a book， I would love to write something like this。 。。。more
Christine Merrill
，
I'm not pregnant， but hey， I like to be overprepared！ I found this immensely readable， informative and interesting。 I really appreciate an economist's approach to making decisions and found the author very reasonable and relatable。 Certainly one I'd recommend to like-minded friends who are or who are planning to become pregnant。 I'm not pregnant， but hey， I like to be overprepared！ I found this immensely readable， informative and interesting。 I really appreciate an economist's approach to making decisions and found the author very reasonable and relatable。 Certainly one I'd recommend to like-minded friends who are or who are planning to become pregnant。 。。。more
Hieke Van Der Voort
，
Prettig en nuchter boek， met goede handvatten om weg te gaan bij zwangerschapshysterie en je eigen afwegingen te kunnen maken。 Zou zich goed kunnen lenen voor een nieuwe versie， die net wat gedetailleerder is en nog meer cijfers， grafieken en uitleg biedt。 Dat miste ik nu soms nog een beetje， nu neemt de persoonlijke zoektocht van de auteur soms de overhand in het boek。
Alex I。
，
Love that it breaks down the research and you decide what is best for you。 I found What To Expect too preachy。 This was perfect。
HeatRush
，
Every pregnant person should read this book to cut through some of the terror and fear that comes with pregnancy。
Sarah
，
I would recommend this read to anyone who is pregnant and even their spouse。 Oster does a great job of combing through relevant research studies so you don’t have to。 She presents facts and give you information to make an educated decision on many different aspects of pregnancy。 She doesn’t condemn or force your hand but openly discusses different options and really eases the anxiety associated with pregnancy。
Emily Bush
，
Excellent read！ The author’s whole purpose is to present the reader with real data about pregnancy and birth。 She challenges many of the common pregnancy “rules” and uses real studies to teach about pregnancy。I just loved the concept of this book。 Give me the data， explain the studies to me， but don’t tell me what to do。 It’s a great principle for all aspects of life; get all the information you can， then make a decision that works for you。 The author was constantly encouraging the reader to get Excellent read！ The author’s whole purpose is to present the reader with real data about pregnancy and birth。 She challenges many of the common pregnancy “rules” and uses real studies to teach about pregnancy。I just loved the concept of this book。 Give me the data， explain the studies to me， but don’t tell me what to do。 It’s a great principle for all aspects of life; get all the information you can， then make a decision that works for you。 The author was constantly encouraging the reader to get informed and then make personalized decisions。Maybe this book won’t be your cup of tea （she walks through many studies， statistics， and analysis in great detail）， but I think this deserves five stars for the information I learned and the approach she took。 。。。more
Shivani Kailesh Patel
，
I really liked this book because it resonated with me from a data perspective but it had tons of holes。 It did motivate me to continue to my research into evidence based care for birth and post partum which is why I really appreciated it。 I hated what to expect when you’re expecting which made all kinds of wrong/unproven claims so this book was really refreshing compared to that。
Kristen Herlosky
，
The author writes like the typical academic who thinks they know everything because they have a PhD。 She selectively chooses which information to use to influence readers， yet acts like she’s an unbiased source。 I did give her two stars because there is *some* valuable information in here， but she is not an unbiased source。 Take everything with a grain of salt and use other sources of information for making an informed decision。
Rose Kormanyos
，
This is an absolute must read for any pregnant person and their partner。 Emily Oster provides what we all need but are not always given by the medical community- real actual DATA from solid research studies， and the respect and empowerment to use that data to make informed decisions for ourselves。
Lisa Miller
，
This book is amazing。 I've found it extremely helpful in navigating pregnancy uncertainties and I recommend it to anyone who's unsatisfied with the unexplained commandments of pregnancy。 This book is amazing。 I've found it extremely helpful in navigating pregnancy uncertainties and I recommend it to anyone who's unsatisfied with the unexplained commandments of pregnancy。 。。。more
Drew Walker
，
Absolutely must-read for anyone who is pregnant today and likes sushi， wine， or data
Alena
，
As far as pregnancy books go， and I mean this to say that most of them are relatively the same information presented in a slightly different format， I really enjoyed Emily Oster’s unique approach to dissecting and presenting statistics on common pregnancy themes with little to no personal bias。I’m a big fan of the “here is the research that exists， feel free to interpret the pros and cons as they apply to you as an individual” data sharing method — each pregnancy is different because each person As far as pregnancy books go， and I mean this to say that most of them are relatively the same information presented in a slightly different format， I really enjoyed Emily Oster’s unique approach to dissecting and presenting statistics on common pregnancy themes with little to no personal bias。I’m a big fan of the “here is the research that exists， feel free to interpret the pros and cons as they apply to you as an individual” data sharing method — each pregnancy is different because each person is different。For example， some pregnant women choose to avoid coffee all together， some women follow the 200mg/day rule， some drink more amounts of coffee; what Oster does is present the actual research and numbers showcasing what the risks （if any） there are and how it can apply to the individual reader。 It’s so much better to learn about pregnancy “rules” this way rather than hearing and reading a variety of contradicting opinions and advice about things like deli meats and epidurals。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Extremely helpful and well researched。 It gave me insights into what questions I should be asking and some of the answers that are （and are not） out there。 I listened to it on audio book， which helped as it might be a lot to digest at once。 I found the sections on the first and third trimesters to be the most useful。 My only complaint is that she did not address very many of the myths / mixed advice out there for types of exercises a pregnant woman should or should not do after 20+ weeks pregnan Extremely helpful and well researched。 It gave me insights into what questions I should be asking and some of the answers that are （and are not） out there。 I listened to it on audio book， which helped as it might be a lot to digest at once。 I found the sections on the first and third trimesters to be the most useful。 My only complaint is that she did not address very many of the myths / mixed advice out there for types of exercises a pregnant woman should or should not do after 20+ weeks pregnant。 Otherwise very thorough。 Highly recommend to any expecting parents！ 。。。more
Kotryna
，
I liked this book because it shows you how to interpret and question the “facts” presented to you by your health care providers / midwifes by looking at the data。 “The key to good decision‑making，" she writes， "is taking information， the data， and combining it with your own estimates of pluses and minuses。" I liked this book because it shows you how to interpret and question the “facts” presented to you by your health care providers / midwifes by looking at the data。 “The key to good decision‑making，" she writes， "is taking information， the data， and combining it with your own estimates of pluses and minuses。" 。。。more
JF Combe
，
Great book for a future parent。
Sarah Schoen
，
Her engaging writing style and clear structure made it easy to zoom in on what was most useful/interesting and skim through the other bits。 Lots not applicable outside the US healthcare system but still useful for an overall picture of key topics。
Eleanor Yorobe
，
Super interesting and nice POV from an economist。 I like that all the options and data were laid out but nothing was pushed or seemed biased。 I learned a lot！ I think I’ll definitely read Crib Sheets by her next！
Michaela
，
Thank you for very pragmatic approach to pregnancy。 I also like to see data and sources of these data before believing in something， and this book is a practical guide how not to get lost in various （scary） statements about pregnancy， filter what is relevant and basically just calm down。
Niki
，
This was extremely helpful to relieve the stress of pregnancy rules and regulations。 Well researched and though out -- and lets you make your own decisions。 For example， coffee， the occasional glass of wine， a turkey sandwich。。 it gives you the tools you need to inform yourself before taking a bite/quitting caffeine。。 etc。
Joy Gonzalez
，
If you like facts this book is definitely for you。 The author has done her research and has the facts lined up for you。
Becky Gayle
，
Really appreciated a deeper， data-driven explanation behind the “rules” for pregnancy and delivery。 I felt like this was a great supplement and explained a lot of things and rationale behind current medical practices in pregnancy and labor that I would have not gotten in my OB appointments。 I thought it was a great supplement to the doula-led birth class I am taking and provided valuable insight and information to help me make an informed decision about what I choose to do during pregnancy and l Really appreciated a deeper， data-driven explanation behind the “rules” for pregnancy and delivery。 I felt like this was a great supplement and explained a lot of things and rationale behind current medical practices in pregnancy and labor that I would have not gotten in my OB appointments。 I thought it was a great supplement to the doula-led birth class I am taking and provided valuable insight and information to help me make an informed decision about what I choose to do during pregnancy and labor vs just being told some rules that seem arbitrary without knowing the rationale and data behind them。 。。。more
bookish and wilde
，