What To Expect When You’re Expecting : AVOID AT ALL COSTS I bought this series when I was a young teen, curious about the birth process and I was left feeling paranoid about it all because the authors have what I like to call a ‘fear-based’ approach. Virtually all of the modern hysteria associated with pregnancy can be traced back to this nightmarish excuse of a book. I found it insulting to my intelligence to be honest.
The book is comprehensive but the information is dated; lacking in current research, and inattentive to the psychological aspect of pregnancy. It has a bossy and condescending tone, using guilt as its main weapon to turn the most natural experience into a serious medical condition. It is full of idiotic statements and scare tactics and the majority of the "information," it seems, is about all the discomforts of pregnancy and none of the joys.
The book only offers the hospital model of care and even downplays the idea of birthing naturally as if it would be foolish to attempt. It mentions some birthing alternatives at the beginning of the book but offers no tangible information, pretty much dismissing them as a possible course of action. They don’t even mention homebirth at all. The book also constantly harps on the Pregnancy Diet as the cure to all ills and makes women feel guilty for eating even one spoonful of icecream. Seriously, there are many more studies out there linking maternal stress to pregnancy complications and later development problems than there are studies linking the consumption of icecream to catastrophic pregnancy failure. Again, important psychological issues are not even addressed.
I was especially shocked at the cavalier attitude towards interventions and c-sections. It applauds the use of pain medication without outlining the risks to mother and baby claiming it to be in the best interest of both parties such as when labor is long and complicated claiming: “..pain stress can lead to chemical imbalances that can interfere with contractions, compromise blood flow to the fetus, and exhaust the mother, reducing her ability to push effectively.” This is complete bullocks, because they’re insinuating that it is the birth ‘trauma’ that is causing the stress and not all the other interventions they did previously that lead to the dreaded ‘failure to progress’. It is a false statement and should make you question the validity of the other so called ‘information’ they are giving throughout the book.
Even more insulting is the emphasis on watching your figure in the section dealing with the father’s concerns. They even offer a list of suggestions for the father-to-be who wants to keep his wife trim and slim post-pregrancy. It makes it seem like gaining weight during pregnancy is a sin when it is in fact what you’re aiming for since you’re growing a child! If my husband pestered me on my weight I would deck him, I don’t know about you guys.
All in all, I would suggest picking up a book that will treat you like an intelligent, thinking woman by arming you with the facts you need to make the best possible choices for your baby. This book does not. It doesn’t even go in depth in any of the issues they do choose to mention such as cesarean sections which they barely touch upon and don’t even look at the physiological or psychological ramifications of it. There are WAY better books out there for moms-to-be.
Some great reads:
Some great reads:
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