Book Review: Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
Oh, the joys of pregnancy! There's the gassiness, constipation, queasiness, and exhaustion, the forgetfulness, crankiness, and the constant worry. Of course, no woman is spared the discomforts and humiliations of pregnancy, but most are too polite to complain or too embarrassed to talk about them. Not Jenny McCarthy! In the New York Times best-selling Belly Laughs, actress and new mother Jenny McCarthy reveals the naked truth about the tremendous joys, the excruciating pains, and the unseemly disfigurement that go along with pregnancy. Never shy, frequently crude, and always laugh-out-loud funny, McCarthy covers it all in the grittiest of girlfriend detail. From morning sickness and hormonal rage, to hemorrhoids, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, Belly Laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, who has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant, or, indeed, has ever been born!
My thoughts:
There was only one time that I LOL'd in this book. On a particularly hormonal day, she decided to go see Moulin Rouge in the movie theater by herself. She cried so hard during the movie, she had to get up and leave half-way through because people were staring at her. Then on her drive home, she had to pull over on the side of the road many times because she was crying so hard, she couldn't drive. Her description of that whole day is hilarious.
This book was ok. Sure...she gave me a little bit of insight into pregnancy. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a dream...(or was it nightmare?) after finishing this book that I pooped on the table during labor thanks to a whole segment on that topic alone. I also really, truly thought that she was married to Jim Carey and whenever she talks about her husband (at the time) in the book, I was picturing Jim Carey which made it way more hilarious than when I found out it wasn't him all along.
I know pregnancy isn't all sunshine and lollipops, and she certainly makes it clear that all of the bad things are totally worth it in the end, but sometimes I felt like it was just a little bit too "pregnancy-bashing" for the sake of getting a laugh or two. It only took me about an hour to read, so if you have an hour or two to spare, it's a somewhat enjoyable read, if you get it for free from the library or as a gift.
This book was ok. Sure...she gave me a little bit of insight into pregnancy. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a dream...(or was it nightmare?) after finishing this book that I pooped on the table during labor thanks to a whole segment on that topic alone. I also really, truly thought that she was married to Jim Carey and whenever she talks about her husband (at the time) in the book, I was picturing Jim Carey which made it way more hilarious than when I found out it wasn't him all along.
I know pregnancy isn't all sunshine and lollipops, and she certainly makes it clear that all of the bad things are totally worth it in the end, but sometimes I felt like it was just a little bit too "pregnancy-bashing" for the sake of getting a laugh or two. It only took me about an hour to read, so if you have an hour or two to spare, it's a somewhat enjoyable read, if you get it for free from the library or as a gift.
Wait...all those symptoms you describe in paragraph one are pregnancy based? That's every day life for me! Pregnancy is quite an experience and I'm glad for you that yours hasn't been too bad. Labor and delivery is work (labor) ending in sweet relief (delivery). Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI read this too - it was pretty funny but nothing crazy. She sure seemed to have every symptoms in the book pregnancy wise though!!
ReplyDeleteYea you're right, she really did! Thank goodness so far I've been pretty lucky to escape most of her symptoms!
DeleteI haven't read this one, so thanks for the review. I won't waste time with it unless, like you said, someone gives it to me or something. I know that pregnancy can be hard without needing to be reminded of it through a book! One I do recommend though is Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay. Lots of funny in that one.
ReplyDeleteLOL agreed! I'm going to my library account to add the sippy cups books right now, thanks for the recommendation!
DeleteMaybe I'll read this someday when I'm pregnant, but right now, I try not to read too much about the gross stuff, since hearing about all the negative things scares me away from the thought of having a baby! I guess it's better to know what to expect, though.
ReplyDeleteHaha probably a good idea Heather! Yea..it's good to be prepared for the worst...but so far, I haven't experience ANY of the things she talks about experiencing from the start of her pregnancy, so who knows!
Deletemy sil gave me this book to read. i read the whole book in a few hours i couldnt stop reading i think bc she was just like ahhhh pregnancy sux and i was like oh no what did i get myself into and i was scared and wanted to know everything. the book was ok
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