I give The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy a solid "meh." It was full of anecdotal advice and stories, which can be reassuring and even entertaining, but it wasn't very full of actual factual advice. I read both this one and the classic What to Expect to When You're Expecting, and found the combo to be good. This book is definitely much lighter, and more concerned with what's happening to the mother-to-be's body; What to Expect... is much more dry and more concerned with the health of the mom and unborn child together.
There were a few pages in here that I totally laughed out loud at. There were a few pages that scared me a little. It did feel very much like talking to a girlfriend rather than talking to a doctor.
Erika Lenkert peppers the text with stories from her own pregnancies, as well as having done the legwork to collect extensive survey answers from hundreds of other moms. I did like that. I also liked how the book "gave permission" to me to feel a little lousy, or tired, or bleh. I'm working full time, and I do hold it all together at work (only one sick day, despite "morning" (all day) sickness the whole first trimester!) but sometimes I don't feel it on the inside. So I did appreciate Lenkert's tips for relieving aches, and suggestions on how to perk yourself up.
I wouldn't say this is "required reading" for pregnant women, but I would say that it's a pretty good lighthearted companion to the heavier reading.
*I checked out my copy of The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy from my local library.
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