About a month and a half ago I received the book The Joy of Pregnancy to read and give my review. As a pregnant person, it would seem this book would be a perfect match for me.

First a tiny background: when I was pregnant with Fuller I had a copy of What to Expect when you are Expecting. Actually, I had two. It was the current “it” book of the pregnancy world and a friend handed me down her copy and the HR department of my employer gave it to pregnant employees who had been hounding them regarding short term disability. I gave away the new copy to another friend and kept the second hand copy around, but had to eventually hide. I felt the book was really full of scary scenarios and I couldn’t keep the bad thoughts at bay. I quit reading the book and suddenly my anxiety was lessened. I got my pregnancy knowledge from friends, the internet, and my doctor (in that order).

Now I am pregnant with baby number two and I get this book to read and review. I wondered if I would be able to read it without scaring up bogeymen of my anxious past, or would I find the book helpful? Would it be clinical (it was written by a nurse) or would the Tori Kroop, the author, pretend to be my BFF?

I’ll interrupt here and tell you I do recommend this book. However, I don’t recommend reading it all in one sitting. In my opinion, it is a reference book to be referred to as you get to each stage in your pregnancy.

The chapters are divided up by four week increments, giving an overview of development of baby and mom, interjecting the author’s personal experience (she’s a nurse and a mom), and letting the reader in on different choices to be made during the nine month journey. Each chapter has information geared toward the partners of the pregnant women, giving a male perspective on the miracle of life.

I didn’t think the book was too clinical, but then again I am reading the book during my second pregnancy. I felt like I had the answer key to the final exam as I read the study guide. I would still recommend the book, especially for first time moms.

My favorite part of the book were the sections where the Tori Kroop answers real life questions from her website Stork Site. It gave the personal touch I like, without the false sense of her trying to be my best friend. The questions were relevant and the answers candid and easy to understand.

Again, this is a book I would recommend to keep on hand as a reference during any pregnancy. And if it helps you even a little bit, then you can thank me by naming your child after me.

Technorati Tags: The Joy of Pregnancy, Tori Kroop, Stork Site

Trackback URI | Comments RSS