A while back, before I was pregnant, I asked some people which books I ought to check out so I could get informed before the fact. Now that I’m only a few weeks away from my due date, I’d like to reflect upon and review the sources I used during my pregnancy.
The first book I read was Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke.
This colorful tome was recommended by nearly everyone, so when I saw it on sale in Brisbane last Christmas, I grabbed myself a copy and read it cover to cover. At the time, it seemed a bit snarky and negative, with lots of sarcastic comments about what other books had to say. While a very no nonsense guide, it also seemed to be overly glib about a lot of things, which I, having read no other books yet, found to be less than helpful. However, after reading other books, and when I was about halfway through my pregnancy, I revisited Cooke’s book and realised it was perfect. It is lighthearted and reassuring, it doesn’t tell you everything, but it tells you exactly which advice is worth ignoring and what’s going to be actually helpful in the real world.
The only thing that bugged me was that the “Hermione the modern girl’s diary” sections at the beginning of each chapter depicted a woman who relies mainly on herbal medicine. As a person sceptical of CAM, I didn’t like it being normalised this way. However, in other parts of the book, I found Cooke’s approach to be quite reasonable and mostly promoting mainstream medicine.
It’s definitely not the only book a pregnant girl needs, but every pregnant girl (at least in Australia) should read it.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
I so hated the cover of this book that I put glittery contact paper, the kind kids use for textbooks, all over it. Thankfully, the latest edition has removed the coloured pencil illustration of the catatonic-looking pregnant woman in a rocking chair and replaced her with a picture of a modern pregnant woman standing confidently in jeans. Inside, however, this book was the main source of information I turned to during my pregnancy. It covers everything. The only negative thing I can say is that sometimes, too much information can be a bad thing. At times I jokingly referred to this book as “What to Fear When You’re Expecting” and had to make myself stop looking at it. After my brush with a “threatened miscarriage” it made me more worried than I needed to be. Sometimes, it was also obvious that it was an American book adapted for Australia, as some of the advice didn’t apply or wasn’t helpful when dealing with the Australian healthcare system, or even availability of items at pharmacies or supermarkets. The recommendations for diet were a bit too restrictive and during winter, a bit hard to follow as fresh fruit and veggies weren’t in season. Overall, it’s still one of the best sources out there. A classic.
Dr. Miriam Stoppard’s New Pregnancy and Birth
I checked this book out from the library, so I didn’t spend as much time with it as the others, but I did get some impressions. First, this is a beautiful book. Plenty of photographs and I like that. This publisher always has lots of photos and great layouts. However, it had two problems: it was not very practical and it was very British. Several times in Up The Duff, the author makes fun of the advice in this book for its impracticality: “Install a dimmer switch in the baby’s room” “Install a sink in the nursery.” (In a recession? Is she kidding? We rent!) As for some of the advice, it seems to only apply to residents of the UK and much of the terminology is British. Also, given Great Britain’s love affair with CAM, there is a lot of wishy washy and downright pro-CAM information, which bugged both Mike and myself.
Pregnant, Fit and Healthy (DVD)
I also managed to check out from the library and buy a copy (for $2) of the same DVD without realising it. The cover was incredibly misleading as this is actually a videotape produced in Australia in what appears to be sometime between 1986 and 1994. The videotape was converted to a DVD and they slapped some slick photos on the front and made me think it would be of some use. The sound quality is terrible, the production is amateurish, the instructor’s shiny blue unitard is distracting and the pregnant “model” is a frumpy looking woman with bad hair and a baggy black polo shirt. Now, I’m sorry, but it’s 2009 and I could not take it seriously. I wish they had made a new version of this program and perhaps updated it just a bit. $2 down the drain. Don’t be fooled by a DVD’s cover. If it costs $2, beware!
