Expecting Better Book Summary

Expecting Better by Emily Oster is a groundbreaking exploration of pregnancy that challenges traditional wisdom. Drawing on data and research, Oster empowers expectant parents to make informed decisions tailored to their lives, debunking myths surrounding common pregnancy fears. She navigates topics like alcohol consumption, prenatal testing, and diet with refreshing candor and scientific rigor. With each chapter, Oster not only unveils surprising truths but also invites readers to rethink their assumptions about pregnancy. Dive into this eye-opening guide and discover the new narrative of motherhood that encourages autonomy and informed choice.

By Emily Oster

Published: 2014

"Pregnancy is not a disease."

Book Review of Expecting Better

“Emily Oster is the non-judgmental girlfriend holding our hand and guiding us through pregnancy and motherhood. She has done the work to get us the hard facts in a soft, understandable way.” —Amy Schumer What to Expect When You're Expecting meets Freakonomics: an award-winning economist and author of Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting. Pregnancy—unquestionably one of the most pro­found, meaningful experiences of adulthood—can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden. Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained. Moms-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices. When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself, she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy, and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening, Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy—and the occasional glass of wine.

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Pregnancy is not a disease.

Expecting Better

By Emily Oster