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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...more
Paperback, 165 pages
Published
December 13th 2005
by Da Capo Press
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This New York Times best seller is just that for very good reason. Belly Laughs, subtitled: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth - is to true to it's title.
Jenny McCarthy, former playboy playmate (which she now regrets doing after seeing her husband drool over playmates on television while sitting next to her now gargantuan frame) and co-star of the MTV show "Singled Out" from the mid-90's, truly does tell you the naked truth. Out of the many pregnancy books this...more
Jenny McCarthy, former playboy playmate (which she now regrets doing after seeing her husband drool over playmates on television while sitting next to her now gargantuan frame) and co-star of the MTV show "Singled Out" from the mid-90's, truly does tell you the naked truth. Out of the many pregnancy books this...more
I received this book as a present from a friend. Her words were, "If you can't trust advice from a playmate, who can you trust?"
"Belly Laughs" is probably selling copies around the country because Jenny McCarthy has turned her foul mouth and crude observations on her pregnancy symptoms. The descriptions are wince-able at times, but not all together unamusing. The sheer abundance of massive body changes in pregnancy is fodder for the author to compare private pa...more
"Belly Laughs" is probably selling copies around the country because Jenny McCarthy has turned her foul mouth and crude observations on her pregnancy symptoms. The descriptions are wince-able at times, but not all together unamusing. The sheer abundance of massive body changes in pregnancy is fodder for the author to compare private pa...more
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I read this book shortly after I found out I was pregnant and okay, so I admit, it may not be the best book ever written. However, it's a short, fun read and I recommend it to anyone who is currently pregnant, has been pregnant or is planning on becoming pregnant.
An awful, heinous book. Jenny McCarthy writes like a fourth grader. I thought at the very least it would have some comedic moments... no, no it doesn't. I feel that my IQ dropped 20 points after reading it.
Another book I wish I could give less than one star. McCarthy shows herself to be unintelligent and unenlightened as she spreads fear, panic, and gross misinformation to any pregnant woman who might be unlucky enough to read this book. I know she is trying to be funny, but to anyone capable of complex thought, she's just a dull hack. And her constant self derision, making herself out to be a "crazy pregnant woman" as she wrote about her husband's rude treatment of her, was just piti...more
This book was a very shallow book, I felt. Yes, it deals with some of the more embarrassing and less beautiful sides of pregnancy, but I also felt that it exaggerated them. I liked that Jenny was all about the comfort zone, it's important to embrace pregnancy and give in to the gear because it's COMFORTABLE though not the sexiest thing you've ever worn. I was unhappy with some of her choices and some of her attitudes about labor & delivery & breastfeeding. I do believe that if Jenny were to ...more
It's pretty funny and takes some big/topics-you-wouldn't-want-to-talk-about-in-public very lightly. You wouldn't except Jenny McCarthy to be a witty and concise writer but she is in this book and it works out well for her. There are a lot of practical and insightful remarks on the early stages (1st trimester) of pregnancy and it's nice to read about it all from a "funny person's" perspective. She's very crude and honest but she does it in a way that really takes the pressure off of ...more
The only word I can really think of to describe this book is cute. It's not so much an educational book on pregnancy as it is a book to tell you that you're not alone. It was refreshingly (and humorously) honest, and totally bang on in a lot of areas. I had many "YES!" moments when she'd describe a symptom or emotion that I'd been feeling, but wasn't sure was normal.
The writing isn't spectacular, but I don't think that's the point. It's written in a conversational way th...more
The writing isn't spectacular, but I don't think that's the point. It's written in a conversational way th...more
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I picked this book up at a library book sale. Thanking my lucky stars I only paid $.50 for this.
I equate reading this book with listening to the blond, dumb, popular girl, smacking her gum, telling all that will listen about her weekend. Very self-centered. While I understand each pregnancy is different and she may not have wanted to speak on everyone's behalf, it's very me, me, me. She states a point, and then shares very few details (the average chapter is about 4 pages)-it w...more
I equate reading this book with listening to the blond, dumb, popular girl, smacking her gum, telling all that will listen about her weekend. Very self-centered. While I understand each pregnancy is different and she may not have wanted to speak on everyone's behalf, it's very me, me, me. She states a point, and then shares very few details (the average chapter is about 4 pages)-it w...more
I am not one for self-help books about pregnancy or weddings, which are positive things in life. These are not traumatic events for which one needs therapy or guidance. These are just egocentric at best.
I don't need a book to help me "get through" my wedding. Who needs a book to prepare for gifts that appear at your door like Christmas on steroids or a princess gown and cameras snapping only at you as 300 of your closest friends and family come to praise you and watch you ...more
I don't need a book to help me "get through" my wedding. Who needs a book to prepare for gifts that appear at your door like Christmas on steroids or a princess gown and cameras snapping only at you as 300 of your closest friends and family come to praise you and watch you ...more
There are some funny (and gross) parts to this book, and it is a very easy read, but there were a few things I didn't like about it. First of all, the book is clearly geared toward those who didn't have much of a problem getting pregnant in the first place, so there are some parts of the opening chapters that could really be hurtful to someone who conceived after struggling with infertility. That aside, I also didn't really like the way the book was organized. Each chapter basically focuses on o...more
Eh, I was mostly unmoved by this book, although I did laugh out loud at one point and the last chapter about her labor moved me to tears. Although I think almost any coherent story about birth could move me to tears right now. (And almost any patron can make me want to throw a book at them, but that's another story for another time.)
Maybe it's telling that the passage that made me laugh is about uncontrollable crying:
"Sometimes you have no idea why you're crying. I reme...more
Maybe it's telling that the passage that made me laugh is about uncontrollable crying:
"Sometimes you have no idea why you're crying. I reme...more
You can read/skim this book in about an hour . . . although having done that I don't reccommend it.
I thought this would be a Chelsea Handler-esque book in terms of humour but Jenny is definitely not a comedic genius. In fact I don't think I laughed once. Instead, I found her to be rather annoying - she focuses soley on the negative and awful things and changes that happen to your body during pregnancy (under the guise that she is revealing all the secrets that other women don't talk...more
I thought this would be a Chelsea Handler-esque book in terms of humour but Jenny is definitely not a comedic genius. In fact I don't think I laughed once. Instead, I found her to be rather annoying - she focuses soley on the negative and awful things and changes that happen to your body during pregnancy (under the guise that she is revealing all the secrets that other women don't talk...more
carissa
rated it
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...more
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...more
I read this one because my friend Tara (who has her own ‘green’ themed blog GreenCycledDesigns) checked it out of the library. Having finished said book ridiculously quickly, she dropped it off in my library with the enticement of at least an hours worth of laughter to be found in the pages.
She wasn’t lying! Even with no plans on the horizon to start my own family I couldn’t seem to put this book down. It’s not a masterful work of literature, it’s even better…An honest-to-goodness conv...more
She wasn’t lying! Even with no plans on the horizon to start my own family I couldn’t seem to put this book down. It’s not a masterful work of literature, it’s even better…An honest-to-goodness conv...more
I was given this book to read roughly a year before trying for a baby. And no, the extra year's wait had nothing to do with the book. Although, for those less familiar with the medical aspects of pregnancy, I could understand why this book might scare the ever-loving crap out of people. While most Hollywood moms are out there making pregnancy look effortless and glamorous, this book perhaps swings a bit far to the opposite extreme.
To clarify, McCarthy is no wordsmith, and her sense o...more
To clarify, McCarthy is no wordsmith, and her sense o...more
This is such a fun breezy break from all the super serious pregnancy books out there. Not that pregnancy isn't a situation you should have lots of good information about, but sometimes you just need to laugh at the ridiculousness that is this life changing time. And McCarthy knows how to make her audience laugh. No wonder this has become a bit of a classic for expecting mothers.
I remember browsing this book at the library I was working at shortly after it came out & back then 20-year...more
I remember browsing this book at the library I was working at shortly after it came out & back then 20-year...more
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This book was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo very very very great. I loved it so much. It was so good I only wish it was longer.
If you are trying to ,are, or even have been pregnant this is a must read. I would give this as a gift to anyone I know that gets pregnant.
I don't remember the last time if ever I have read something and been all alone in a room just dying laughing. It is that funny. Yet it is so heartfelt I cried at the end (of course there is those pregnancy horm...more
If you are trying to ,are, or even have been pregnant this is a must read. I would give this as a gift to anyone I know that gets pregnant.
I don't remember the last time if ever I have read something and been all alone in a room just dying laughing. It is that funny. Yet it is so heartfelt I cried at the end (of course there is those pregnancy horm...more
I love Jenny McCarthy...I love her style...read any of her books and it feels as if you are sitting right there with her, giggling and talking over coffee or something...
I don't want to denigrate her experience of pregnancy--but this is a book about her pregnancy and her birth...which is not my ideal way to handle things...she is all about medical intervention, drugs, whatever...
I've gone both routes...drugs during delivery (no epidural; I won't have one ever, for a variety of reasons)...more
I don't want to denigrate her experience of pregnancy--but this is a book about her pregnancy and her birth...which is not my ideal way to handle things...she is all about medical intervention, drugs, whatever...
I've gone both routes...drugs during delivery (no epidural; I won't have one ever, for a variety of reasons)...more
DEAR LORD- I don't care if you're pregnant or not- this book is hilarious! I had to read it and couldn't put it down- finished it in about 2 days; its a quick read :)
"My memory is a little foggy about all this, but I'm pretty sure I told anyone who would listen that they were welcome to sew up my vagina to keep the baby inside" (pp117)
"Imagine staying up all night, the running a marathon, then...doing laundry and raking leaves off a football field all in one d...more
"My memory is a little foggy about all this, but I'm pretty sure I told anyone who would listen that they were welcome to sew up my vagina to keep the baby inside" (pp117)
"Imagine staying up all night, the running a marathon, then...doing laundry and raking leaves off a football field all in one d...more
I thought this book would be funnier than it was. I picked it up to read something lighter than the pregnancy books I've been swimming in recently. It wasn't really that funny. And I didn't necessarily like the slant against anything natural in childbirth. It is sad that Jenny is so anti-breastfeeding. It is sad that she is so against natural birth. It really didn't surprise me to read that her labor ended in a c-section with the way she went about things. You could really see that one coming. I...more
In regards to having a baby, Jenny McCarthy says, "If I can do it, ANYONE can!" Um, Jenny, I think you mean this about writing a book.
I agree with the other reviewers who said this book isn't funny. Only one little part even brought a smile to my face, and it's not like I didn't want to laugh. Also, the subtitle should be The Naked Truth About My Pregnancy and Childbirth Experience because of the wide variations in experiences among women. It really is largely negative, i...more
I agree with the other reviewers who said this book isn't funny. Only one little part even brought a smile to my face, and it's not like I didn't want to laugh. Also, the subtitle should be The Naked Truth About My Pregnancy and Childbirth Experience because of the wide variations in experiences among women. It really is largely negative, i...more
So horrible. "the naked truth about pregnancy?" Well if you don't already know that being pregnant makes you constipated, emotional, nauseous, discharge, pee frequently, and ultimately gain weight, then buy this book. I would just recommend you do so from a second hand store. That is right where my copy is going. $15 for 160 pages of agony is just poor spending. Also, don't expect any of it to be funny, (at all). Although, jenny does frequently tell you how funny she [thinks she] is. ...more
This is definitely the stupidest book I have ever read. McCarthy deserves credit for at least writing it on her own, but possibly they should have enlisted a ghost writer to help the book come across as immature and irreverent adult literature instead of the ignorant and simplistic writing of a child. But it could be that I just get ticked when every bit of popular media portrays pregnancy and birth as OUT OF CONTROL and SO NASTY or THE WORST TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!! In my opinion, that just serves ...more
This book took all of two seconds to read. Ok, maybe 30 min cover to cover. I think I have had my fill of pregnancy humor at this point - all pregnancy memoirs tend to be regurgitating the same pregnancy 'enlightening moments'. So on that note, yes, Jenny - I know you can get hemorrhoids, a linea nigra, leg cramps, etc. This is not new info. Regarding her narrative, it jumps around all over the place (ie you read about tribulations of her 9th month, then three 'chapters' later she talks about be...more
I just finished this book and it actually took me right up until the last page to decide whether or not I would recommend it. lol I'm not pregnant but while reading it I knew that my final opinion of it would depend on the answer to the question, "If I were pregnant would this book increase the possibility of me freaking out, or would it give me a much-needed laugh in the face of pregnancy fears?"
Well right from the start, it was clear that Jenny (a comedic actress) was s...more
Well right from the start, it was clear that Jenny (a comedic actress) was s...more
As of recently, I have been trolling Goodwills for books to add to my collection. After seeing the documentary, "The Business of Being Born", my interest was piqued as to the different methods of child bearing and pregnancy. For being the former host of MTV's Singled Out and a Playboy Playmate, she does an excellent job of relating her experience to the readers. Throughout the book, she is very frank and honest about exactly what happens during the terms of pregnancy and what a "...more
Written at about a fourth grade level, this book is great if you just need something to read while waiting somewhere...it's literally about a 2 hour read. I purchased this because I thought it would be humorous (albeit crude humor), and it's really just a lot of whining. Jenny McCarthy had an uncomplicated pregnancy (by medical standards, if not hers), followed by a long-ish delivery ending in an emergency C-section, after which her baby was completely fine (and full term). Not exactly a comp...more
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Jennifer McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress and author. She first appeared in Playboy magazine in October 1993 and was named Playmate of the Year in its June 1994 issue. She later began a career in television and film and has recently started writing books dealing largely with her pregnancy and motherhood of a child with autism.
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