Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong-and What YouReally Need to Know
The largest take away theme is that many of the common recommendations to pregnant women are based on sparse or inconsistent data, often because it is difficult or unethical to do true randomized studies during pregnancy. Because Oster is exploring the data herself and because she does not take recommendations at face value, this book provides the reader with a framework for deciding which advice to take at face value and which to take with a grain of salt.
It’s worth noting that there are a lot of negative reviews of this book on Amazon from people who are outraged at the suggestion that a very moderate amount of alcohol during pregnancy may not be harmful. I’ll just note that Oster does not advocate for drinking during pregnancy. Rather, she points out some weaknesses of some of the studies that have shown harm and points out other studies that showed no observable harm. She personally concludes that a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy is OK, but she agrees that there is also no reason to drink if you are worried about the risks.
For women drowning in a sea of inconsistent advice — or who just want to understand why they are told to do or not do certain things, Oster’s book is an incredibly valuable resource. While, of course, this should be paired with a book that is more detailed about pregnancy itself, I highly highly recommend this book as one to look at if you are pregnant or interested in the topic.