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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
I really enjoyed her step by step analysis of getting pregnant and being pregnant, as backed by evidence. As someone who is a planner and obsessed with data this was exactly what I needed to help prepare me for what lays ahead. Can’t wait to read Cribsheet next!
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
informative
What a wonderful thing that this book exists. It’s chock full of data and interspersed with enough anecdotal experience from the author that it’s both incredibly informative and quite entertaining. Three cheers for data-based decision making!
funny
informative
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
Very educational but easy to read and approachable.
3.5 stars for me
Emily Oster is most certainly a good economist and academic researcher and she delves into to the pregnancy world which is fraught with hearsay, myths, tradition, generalized recommendations etc...
I liked a lot of what she had to say, but mostly i wish she had said more because considering her expertise she could have expanded the conversation on these topics A LOT but she didn't.
She especially leaves us hanging on the topic of maternal mortality and the topic of midwives...seems like she ran out of steam towards the end of her book.
A big problem i have with this is that most people should not be this neurotic about maternity... while it does potentially lead to informed decision making, doesn't it also make you crazy? I love this quote "birth is not an intellectual activity, it is a sensory activity" (different book) although decision making certainly is intellectual. Oster seems to buy into the "as long as baby is healthy" reasoning for many of her research points and doesn't discuss maternal satisfaction or trauma from birth. I hope her book clears the muddied way for some moms, but for those already pretty familiar with birth 'politics' this seems like a drop in the bucket.
Emily Oster is most certainly a good economist and academic researcher and she delves into to the pregnancy world which is fraught with hearsay, myths, tradition, generalized recommendations etc...
I liked a lot of what she had to say, but mostly i wish she had said more because considering her expertise she could have expanded the conversation on these topics A LOT but she didn't.
She especially leaves us hanging on the topic of maternal mortality and the topic of midwives...seems like she ran out of steam towards the end of her book.
A big problem i have with this is that most people should not be this neurotic about maternity... while it does potentially lead to informed decision making, doesn't it also make you crazy? I love this quote "birth is not an intellectual activity, it is a sensory activity" (different book) although decision making certainly is intellectual. Oster seems to buy into the "as long as baby is healthy" reasoning for many of her research points and doesn't discuss maternal satisfaction or trauma from birth. I hope her book clears the muddied way for some moms, but for those already pretty familiar with birth 'politics' this seems like a drop in the bucket.
informative
medium-paced