A gift edition, with a new letter to the reader from Emily—perfect for baby showers and special moments
“Emily Oster is the non-judgmental girlfriend holding our hand and guiding us through pregnancy and motherhood. She has done the work to get us the hard facts in a soft, understandable way.” —Amy Schumer
What to Expect When You're Expecting meets Freakonomics: an award-winning economist and author of Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting.
Pregnancy—unquestionably one of the most profound, meaningful experiences of adulthood—can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden. Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained. Moms-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices.
When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself, she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy, and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening, Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy—and the occasional glass of wine.
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Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
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Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
"A revelation for curious mothers-to-be whose doctors fail to lay out the pros and cons of that morning latte, let alone discuss real science. And it makes for valuable homework before those harried ob-gyn appointments, even for lucky patients whose doctors are able to talk about the rationale behind their advice." —New York Times
“If you’re newly pregnant, you may have a long list of questions, concerns, and spiraling anxieties. The good news is that Emily Oster has probably already looked into all of them. Her book will help you understand the data behind recommendations on everything, from gardening to coffee consumption.” —The Skimm (Moms Who Get It award winner) "A book... that pregnant women won't want to miss." —Parents Magazine "Oster's advice cuts through the emotion, myth, fear of malpractice litigation and looks at the numbers. A mother herself, Oster's interest isn't just curiosity, it's the same thing that motivates every new mom... and Oster's ability to break down the data into informed analysis is a refreshing break from the hysterical hearsay that often dominates the conversation." —Babyzone "Gives moms-to-be a big helping of peace of mind!" —Harvey Karp M.D., bestselling author of The Happiest Baby on the Block "It took someone as smart as Emily Oster to make it all this simple. She cuts through the thicket of anxiety and received wisdom, and gives us the facts. Expecting Better is both enlightening and calming. It almost makes me want to get pregnant." —Pamela Druckerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bringing Up Bébé
Overall rating: 4.4 / 5 from 25 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
Expecting Better offers expectant parents an enjoyable and informative reading experience, providing valuable insights and debunking common pregnancy myths to empower women to make informed choices.
"Emily Oster’s book offered super helpful insights to my partner and I as we navigate our first pregnancy." — Abby
"Excellent book, fun and easy to read, very informative." — Marilyn
"I love studies and facts so this book has been very helpful for me!" — Tamaramtl
Reviews
Bottom lines
"No preaching . Just facts and her thinking process. Helped me. Make your own decisions."
— Dash (5/5)
Helpful Read
"A little controversial with the alcohol but I really enjoyed the pragmatic, practical way the author thinks about pregnancy."
— Tara (5/5)
The title says it all.
"I have just started this book and I am finding it very informative."
— Michelle (5/5)
An excellent read for expecting parents
"Emily Oster’s book offered super helpful insights to my partner and I as we navigate our first pregnancy. We really appreciated her data driven approach and accessible (and humourous) writing, and the fact that she has updated her research for 2025. Highly recommend!"
— Abby (5/5)
A must have for stressed parents!
"Excellent evidence based book to ease the fears of new parents. In a world full of bad news and scare tactics, I recommend this book to all my friends who are expecting. And Emily Oster’s instagram!"
— Alicia (5/5)
Disappointed
"I had high expectations for this book but was disappointed and occasionally shocked by what I read. While the author speaks of her love for data and numbers, I personally found the book more opinionated than actually factal. There is so much we do not know about fetal development that I wouldn't risk doing anything controversial (like drinking alcohol while pregnant) even if a few select studies that are referenced in the book show no issue. . . I was horrified to see people using this book as a ""reference"" on social media to back up drinking while pregnant, this book is not peer-reviewed scientific literature."
— Elizabeth (1/5)
Essential reading for expectant parents
"A breathe of fresh air for expectant parents. Just the facts, presented without bias. And written and organized so well to make it an easy, enjoyable reading experience."
— MeghanL (5/5)
Easy read
"Good explanations to make evidence-based decisions. Will definitely make pregnancy easier and less stressful"
— Amanda (5/5)
Factual without preachy
"This was recommended to me as THE best new pregnancy book and I cannot agree more. Although I am only done the first few chapters (trying not to skip ahead), I feel like Emily is in my mind and every chapter that comes addresses the questions I have. She provides non-biased information so I can make my own decisions. Other pregnancy books I have found very strict and almost commanding. This is a breath of fresh air."
— Amanda (5/5)
Interesting Read
"I was skeptical at first as the author is not an MD but she does look at credible studies and lays out all options to make your own informed opinion without inputting her own bias. Definitely has been helpful with some of the fearmongering that happens with pregnancy."
— Jordie (4/5)
Q&A
Published date: Nov 12, 2024
Language: English
No. of Pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780593833209
Dimensions:
6.34" W x
1.29" L x
9.29" H
Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of Expecting Better, Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected. She writes the newsletter ParentData and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg.com. She has two children.
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