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1.46k reviews for:
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--And What You Really Need to Know
Emily Oster
4.24 AVERAGE
1.46k reviews for:
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--And What You Really Need to Know
Emily Oster
4.24 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Summary: An incredibly well written, data driven look at the pregnancy journey, and some of the most common questions and concerns about the process.
(My wife and I are expecting a baby soon so y’all better be ready for some baby themed books LoL.)
I got recommended this and several of Emily’s other books to read early on in our pregnancy journey and let me tell you, this book was amazing. I can’t wait to read more from Emily because she nails the kind of non-fiction book I want. The entire book is constructed using data driven research but presented in a way that is very easy to read.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am all about the data (I’m literally a data analyst) so reading about the research she did to come to her conclusions is fantastic. But one of the things that stuck out to me the most was the she isn’t trying to tell anyone what to do, she’s just trying to present information. One of my favorite quotes from the book actually talks to this, “This book is very specifically not about making recommendations; it’s about acknowledging that if you have the right information you can make the right decision for yourself.”
The layout of the book is also amazing because she walks through the process of trying to have a baby, being pregnant, and giving birth in order, and spends time on the major topics in each stage of the pregnancy journey. And then, to top it all off, if you’re not a reader or don’t enjoy reading about this stuff she does a summary at the end of every section or chapter that is like the four main bullet points that you should take away. Because my wife does not have time to read I legitimately highlighted all the sections and then boiled the entire book down to a six page sheet that I just handed her and said, if you trust the research Emily has done, that’s the book.
It’s weird to say this but I can’t wait to read her next book, Crib Sheet. It’s a continuation of the child rearing journey past birth written with the same approach. Data driven and well written.
I cannot thank Alexa enough for recommending this book. While it obviously isn’t for everyone, if you’re trying to have a baby or are pregnant I cannot recommend this book enough. It was absolutely amazing and is a must read for anyone going through that journey.
Time to Read: 5 hours
(My wife and I are expecting a baby soon so y’all better be ready for some baby themed books LoL.)
I got recommended this and several of Emily’s other books to read early on in our pregnancy journey and let me tell you, this book was amazing. I can’t wait to read more from Emily because she nails the kind of non-fiction book I want. The entire book is constructed using data driven research but presented in a way that is very easy to read.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am all about the data (I’m literally a data analyst) so reading about the research she did to come to her conclusions is fantastic. But one of the things that stuck out to me the most was the she isn’t trying to tell anyone what to do, she’s just trying to present information. One of my favorite quotes from the book actually talks to this, “This book is very specifically not about making recommendations; it’s about acknowledging that if you have the right information you can make the right decision for yourself.”
The layout of the book is also amazing because she walks through the process of trying to have a baby, being pregnant, and giving birth in order, and spends time on the major topics in each stage of the pregnancy journey. And then, to top it all off, if you’re not a reader or don’t enjoy reading about this stuff she does a summary at the end of every section or chapter that is like the four main bullet points that you should take away. Because my wife does not have time to read I legitimately highlighted all the sections and then boiled the entire book down to a six page sheet that I just handed her and said, if you trust the research Emily has done, that’s the book.
It’s weird to say this but I can’t wait to read her next book, Crib Sheet. It’s a continuation of the child rearing journey past birth written with the same approach. Data driven and well written.
I cannot thank Alexa enough for recommending this book. While it obviously isn’t for everyone, if you’re trying to have a baby or are pregnant I cannot recommend this book enough. It was absolutely amazing and is a must read for anyone going through that journey.
Time to Read: 5 hours
informative
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
I thought this book was okay. I think there are times where she makes a statement about there not being studies that support something but if you go onto google scholar you can find a ton of papers on the subject that are recent and have been cited multiple times.
This is just a person reading academic papers for you and while that’s not inherently bad, I think it doesn’t really remove the need to chase down the papers for yourself if you’re really concerned about something.
I think this book is also sometimes a little obtuse about behaviors that are low risk. Often she’s talking about a low risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or some sort of bad fetal outcome, but it’s like she’s not considering how devastating some of those risks are and just says something like ‘the risks are low so go ahead’
This is just a person reading academic papers for you and while that’s not inherently bad, I think it doesn’t really remove the need to chase down the papers for yourself if you’re really concerned about something.
I think this book is also sometimes a little obtuse about behaviors that are low risk. Often she’s talking about a low risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or some sort of bad fetal outcome, but it’s like she’s not considering how devastating some of those risks are and just says something like ‘the risks are low so go ahead’
Interesting book. Would be great for pregnant women to skim. Some times it was a little too much about her.
informative
informative
medium-paced