The Book That Changed My Pregnancy

When you find out you’re pregnant your mind goes into overdrive.

The test says pregnant, there are two pink stripes, you take two more and squeal at the top of your lungs. You hug your partner, your dog, your cat, your pillow and grin from ear to ear. Then the excitement fizzles and a myriad of thoughts begin to run through your head.

You drank two weeks ago before you knew you were pregnant, what does that mean for the baby? You had sushi last night, that’s definitely bad for the baby, right? You try to google the rules and find yourself in a dark spiral of mommy chat groups giving advice that so often felt contradictory at best and downright frightening at worse. Finally, you go to your doctor and leave with a packet outlining every possible food you need to avoid.

The first couple months of pregnancy can be draining, both physically and mentally. I felt like every decision I made up until the point I found out I was pregnant was downright harmful to my baby, especially when it comes to what I was putting in and on my body. I would open the fridge and scroll on my phone for 10 minutes just to confirm I can, in fact, still eat grapes.

Then the best advice happened. A friend of a friend recommended a book called “Expecting Better” by Emily Oster and it completely shifted my pregnancy experience.

My anxiety, my mindset, and my inner monologue shifted.

Ladies, I’m not kidding you when I say, this book completely transformed my pregnancy. My anxiety, my mindset, and my inner monologue shifted. I read the entirety of the book in a matter of days and at the end felt like I could finally breath again.

Expecting Better is written by economist, Emily Oster, who like you and me felt completely overwhelmed by the restrictions laid in front of her when she got pregnant. She wanted to know why she couldn’t have soft cheese. Was coffee really that terrible for her? What happens if she has a tuna sandwich? Thus, began her journey to find the exact reasonings, studies, and research behind the conventional pregnancy wisdom set before us.

What I liked most about this book is that it does not make recommendations. The last thing you need in your pregnancy is more advice. I’ve got advice coming out of every hole in my body at this point. Instead, it gives you the facts. It provides the evidence-based research and studies so that you can make a more informed decision as to what feels right for you and your baby.

Nothing eases anxiety and worry like being equipped with all the facts, and as cheesy as it sounds knowledge truly is power. I felt like I was able to take a deep breath again and gain control over my pregnancy experience. If you’re not familiar with this best seller I hope you read it and too feel the transformative shift.