kelseyruby's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

When you’re pregnant, virtually everyone is an expert in what you should or shouldn’t do. And most will share their opinions—frivolous and unsolicited. There’s a wild amount of stigma and misinformation with pregnancy (even reiterated by doctors), and Emily Oster’s book gave me what I was looking for: the data. If you’re looking for some autonomy in your pregnancy, I recommend this read. No persuasion; no judgment. Just the research told through a smattering of Emily’s experience with pregnancy. If the research and data is a bit much for you, I recommend picking and choosing the chapters that interest you the most. Plus, each section has a summary breakdown with the highlights. This is my go-to gift for new parents!

margymatson's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this book. I started off turned off in the starting chapters - it seemed her recommendations of it being ok to drink alcohol, coffee, etc. were justifications for her not wanting to give it up. Her reasoning (throughout the whole book) felt based on hand selected random studies (ex: a study of 90 women in Thailand in 2011 - just too random for me) and too data-based. I wanted to bring in more medical reasoning as to why those recommendations were/were not made. I did enjoy the book more when it came to the birthing section to learn about the data of epidural, c-section, etc. It helped to provide background to me about frequency, what situations, & common risks. In the end, I take everything with a grain of salt because she is an economist with no medical history- I would rather take advice from a medical professional. 

mishiebhat's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

4.0

my_adventure_awaits's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

ll104duke's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

madrona's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

acmerz's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.5

sarahmchale's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

4.75

Data-driven pregnancy advice. Reveals why recommendations are the way they are - and which ones aren’t worth following.

mary00's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked the approach that the author took with this book (I am naturally a questioner so I could relate to this about her) and found many of her conclusions interesting and a few helpful for my pregnancy and lifestyle. However, I have done so much research on my own about pregnancy that much of the information did not feel new to me. Also, the information that I would personally most be interested in getting to the bottom of, being a high-risk pregnancy and on "experimental" medications, was not included in this book. But I would recommend this book for the typical pregnant woman.

katherinerathgeber's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0