Funny Little Pregnant Things

April 1, 2016
When Doherty was pregnant with her first child, she found the usual selection of popular pregnancy books dull and prone to comparing the growing fetus to various sizes of produce. Where, she wondered, was the good stuff? Now a working mother of two, Doherty has written the book she was looking fora what to expect title that's both realistic and humorous. The volume is more comprehensive than the subtitle suggests, since she starts with conception (for those who may be reading ahead) and devotes the final third to post-baby phenomena like the Housework Multiplier and the dreaded Code Red diaper explosion. In between, Doherty tackles such topics as all-day morning sickness, Maternity Clothes Overindulgence, and the similarities between pregnancy and old age (hot flashes, memory loss). She also debunks some common movie myths about labor and delivery. Brutally honest and laugh-out-loud funny, with chapters short enough to read between trips to the bathroom, this is a welcome addition to the expectant parent's bookshelf.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)