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How Men Have Babies: The Pregnant Father's Survival Guide
A satirical look at impending fatherhood discusses the trials and tribulations of cravings, birth classes, and pregnant women's multiple personalities.
Paperback
First published May 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 28, 2016
Fun read; something as important and stressful as having a baby shouldn't be taken too seriously. It's overwhelming, so having someone who's been through it all make light of it kept me reading all the way through.
That's not to say it's all immature humor (though it largely is). On the contrary, there are some surprising and beautiful observations about the profound and wonderful importance of having a baby. The idea of having a TV sitcom dad talk about pregnancy from a man's perspective was hilarious to me, just look at that cover! So I was a bit surprised to find myself actually moved by some of the writing and the stories shared within these pages.
The book's not overly clinical or dull, though there are many interesting historical and medical facts, many of which I had not known. Some of it is dated now that the book is about a decade-old; Thicke speculates about where things will be in the year 2010! The important thing though isn't how current the info on things like C-section rates in the U.S. is, it's really about the emotional experience that is pregnancy.
I haven't seen many books on pregnancy and child birth for men. The author's perspective and anecdotes from fellow parents helped me realize that I wasn't crazy for what I was thinking. My wife's incessant and elaborate plans for remodeling our house suddenly wasn't unusual; Thicke has a great anecdote about his own wife's demands for household renovations.
In the end, many of the things that I thought were weird and downright stressful turned out to be normal. The simple affirmation throughout the book's stories that our experience with pregnancy was just like what people have always gone through was very comforting. The fact that our pregnancy was a bit less crazy than some of the parents' stories featured here was also VERY comforting.
That's not to say it's all immature humor (though it largely is). On the contrary, there are some surprising and beautiful observations about the profound and wonderful importance of having a baby. The idea of having a TV sitcom dad talk about pregnancy from a man's perspective was hilarious to me, just look at that cover! So I was a bit surprised to find myself actually moved by some of the writing and the stories shared within these pages.
The book's not overly clinical or dull, though there are many interesting historical and medical facts, many of which I had not known. Some of it is dated now that the book is about a decade-old; Thicke speculates about where things will be in the year 2010! The important thing though isn't how current the info on things like C-section rates in the U.S. is, it's really about the emotional experience that is pregnancy.
I haven't seen many books on pregnancy and child birth for men. The author's perspective and anecdotes from fellow parents helped me realize that I wasn't crazy for what I was thinking. My wife's incessant and elaborate plans for remodeling our house suddenly wasn't unusual; Thicke has a great anecdote about his own wife's demands for household renovations.
In the end, many of the things that I thought were weird and downright stressful turned out to be normal. The simple affirmation throughout the book's stories that our experience with pregnancy was just like what people have always gone through was very comforting. The fact that our pregnancy was a bit less crazy than some of the parents' stories featured here was also VERY comforting.
August 22, 2014
I have not read this yet, keep putting it off. My husband did not have good things to say about it.
June 3, 2011
A real think piece from the number one authority on television fatherhood. Ever.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews