The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond

Read This AFTER You Have Your First Child

We have mixed feelings about this book. While it is entertaining & easy to read without getting bored, it is also a bit alarming for first time Mom's, even with all the humor. What the author does make sure to point out (which is pretty darn important) is that each pregnancy is unique & that it's probably best not to Google everything about pregnancy because why oh why would you want to find out about all the things that can go wrong & stress yourself out anymore than you probably are?

The sad (but also funny in it's own way) thing is how she jokingly trains the Mom-to-be in order to prepare for her new bundle of joy. Things like tying your hand behind your back while holding an open bag of flour & not spilling the flour while going to the bathroom & calling your friend on the phone (or something very similar to this). While these things are meant to be funny they can also most certainly cause an already hormonal woman undue stress.

Telling the reader to enjoy sleep, reading, going out to eat, going anywhere really because once the baby comes, forget about it you'll never enjoy these things again for the next 18 - 20 years isn't exactly accurate. Have a baby, your life is over. This is not what a woman needs to hear. Granted your life will change drastically, but everyone's life is different, so constantly reminding the reader that they will not be able to do anything they now currently enjoy is just plain cruel. Plenty of new moms are still able to enjoy all of these things. It depends on Mom's network of friends &/or family &/or spousal support &/or lifestyle in general.

The author also has a very conventional & unhealthy way of looking at food & exercise & seems to assume that the reader is the same. Think: typical unhealthy SAD American/Western diet. Not everyone is this way. There are plenty of people who are healthy, who enjoy exercise & will gladly do gentle workouts like yoga or walks for the duration of the pregnancy. Not everyone is a twinkie chomping, TV binge watching almost alcoholic. At least, we are optimistic enough to believe this.

Part of us kind of wants to say, "Here read this, maybe you'll get some laughs." but another part of us is concerned that this will cause additional stress to our first time Mom-to-be little sister. While she is a very conventional twinkie & liquor loving gal, she is also very stressed out & emotional right now & we have a feeling that this book might be exactly what she doesn't need which is ironic because initially we thought this book would be great for her. She has a sarcastic yet goofball personality so we thought this would be the "right" pregnancy book for her, but we're thinking a copy of the book we read for ourselves instead, The Field Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating New Territory with Research, Recipes, and Remedies will be more beneficial to her, we know we found it extremely helpful.

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Book Corner Quick Links
Links to the books we've read & reviewed for your convenience!

• Complete Wellness Enjoy Long-Lasting Health and Well-Being
  
• The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Beyond
• The Complete Guide To Adaptogens From Ashwagandaha to Rhodiola, Medicinal Herbs That Transform and Heal

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• Before The Evolution and Future of Processed Food
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• The Flower Book
• The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide: Over 250 Recipes for Natural Wholesome Aromatherapy
• The Gut Makeover: 4 Weeks to Nourish Your Gut, Revolutionize Your Health, and Lose Weight
• The Field Guide To Pregnancy
• 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home: A Nerdy Farm Wife's All-Natural DIY Projects Using Commonly Found Herbs, Flowers & Other Plants
• The Chicken Health Handbook
• Chickens In Your Backyard:  A Beginners Guide
• The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health: More Than 200 New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Delicious and Nutrient-Rich Dishes
• The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits
• The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle over Food Rights
• The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden or Market
• Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty
• The Gort Cloud: The Invisible Force Powering Today's Most Visible Green Brands
• Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles
• Sleeping Naked Is Green
• Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting
• Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything
• Beef: The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World
• Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and More
• Healing Herbs:  A Beginner's Guide To Identifying, Foraging, and Using Medicinal Plants
• The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook
• The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast
• Flip Dolls & Other Toys That Zip, Stack, Hide, Grab & Go
• Healthy at Home: Get Well and Stay Well Without Prescriptions
• Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth
• Integrative Wellness Rules: A Simple Guide to Healthy Living
• Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
• How Stella Saved the Farm: A Tale About Making Innovation Happen
• The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days
• The Easy Organizer: 365 Tips for Conquering Clutter
• The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food
• Probiotics For Dummies
• Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter
• Small Business For Dummies
• Starting An Etsy Business For Dummies
• Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred: Seriously Geeky Stuff to Make with Your Kids
• The Beauty Detox Solution: Eat Your Way to Radiant Skin, Renewed Energy and the Body You've Always Wanted
• A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach: Taking Control of Your Digestive Health
• Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind
• Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It
• Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities
• The Hundred Year Diet: America's Voracious Appetite For Losing Weight
• Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream
• Felties: How to Make 18 Cute and Fuzzy Friends from Felt
• Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own
• Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences