Book Review: Expecting Better by Emily Oster

I haven't been a pregnancy-book-reading sort of expectant mother. I think I knew I wouldn't be, going into this. I'd heard that the most common pregnancy books were either guides to what's going on with your baby and body during each week, or full of everything that could possibly go wrong. No thank you! My doctor gave me a book, and if I had a question, I looked it up there or asked her at my appointments.

But then I heard about Expecting Better. It's written by Emily Oster, an economist, and my opposite: she wanted as much information as possible on everything during her pregnancy. And she did the work to get that information, by going straight to the research when she realized many of the common rules and recommendations were not standard, and depended on whether you talked to your OB or consulted the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It sounded to me like Malcolm Gladwell--dispelling common misconceptions through a hard look at the data--only for pregnancy. 

The author received a great deal of criticism for being (1) not a doctor, and (2) willing to challenge the common (American) wisdom about pregnancy, especially with regard to alcohol and caffeine. Neither of these two criticisms bother me, because (1) someone with a PhD in economics knows how to read and interpret research in order to use it for decision making, and (2) why shouldn't we be willing to challenge recommendations and assumptions that do not seem to be grounded in data?

Expecting Better, like many pregnancy books, is divided into trimester sections, with a separate section for labor. The first trimester section includes an examination of the common don'ts: alcohol, deli meat, cat litter, fish, and caffeine. Each sub-section concludes with a helpful "Bottom Line" summary of what the data said and what that means. She presents the results in a conversational, understandable way, but lists her sources in numbered notes for those who want to consult the original journal article.

My biggest problem with this book was the manner in which exercise during pregnancy was glossed over. Probably because the author is an economist, not an athlete, and a self-described reluctant exerciser. Covered in the same chapter as Kegels, prenatal yoga, and sleep, general exercise during pregnancy is brushed off as not harmful but not helpful for the mom or baby. In other words, it doesn't matter. I would argue with that conclusion, out of my own experience so far, and for athletes or anyone who wants to return to exercise soon after delivery. (I am not arguing with her assertion that women with certain conditions, like placenta previa, should not exercise much, and all women should listen to their doctors). Just like with time off from running during any other time, the longer you go without exercising during pregnancy, the more fitness you will lose and the longer it will take to regain that fitness. Not to mention labor is like one extremely long workout itself! Running while pregnant (or doing any other type of exercise) might not be easy or fun, but I do think it's probably good for the mother and baby the same way it's good for everyone else,  and I would think it helps prepare you for labor.

The best part of this book is hands down all the graphics used to helpfully display the information. There are graphs about the likelihood of miscarriage by week in the first trimester, a chart displaying which fish are highest in omega 3s and lowest in mercury (salmon is a good safe one), and a graph demonstrating the effects of Kegel exercises on incontinence. I borrowed this book from the library, and I almost want to buy it for myself just for the charts!

Despite not being a comprehensive or traditional pregnancy book, I really enjoyed it and I learned a great deal. I would recommend it to any pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant woman who wants to look at the data behind the conventional pregnancy recommendations.

October Summary

Happy End of October! Yes, I know it's Halloween.

This year, though we don't have kids, my husband and I have been talking a great deal about Halloween, and what exactly Christians should do with the holiday. I dislike the gory, grotesque imagery it's become steeped in recently. (I say recently, could it be I just didn't notice this stuff as a kid?) A house in my neighborhood has severed heads on its lawn. But I do like costumes, and it could be so fun for kids, minus the scariness.

In the course of our conversation, we've read several articles about the topic. This one is a good place to start. It gives the history of the holiday and discusses Christian options. I like to hear thoughts on this, so if your family has a cool Halloween celebration or alternative, let me know in the comments! As for us, we participated in a Trunk-or-Treat last week and tonight we're helping at our church's fall festival.

The least-scary car of them all: we decorated as a Texas A&M tailgate party.

Anyway, on to the summary!

October Running Things

1. About 80 miles. I cut my running mileage and did some cross-training (pool and weights) to let my foot rest and heal. Which brings us to...

2. The foot is feeling a little better. That is, when I take care of it. When I forget to ice and stretch, it lets me know.

3. I bought my first pair of ankle-length tights in, well, ever. Yes, I had been braving winter runs in leftover high-school tights--you know, the extremely shiny ones that are impossible to get your foot out of. It was time.

October Non-Running Things

1. Suddenly, new readers! In October, my blog views more than tripled. So if you're a new reader, welcome! And thanks for reading!

2. Nine books. I kind of went through a reading slump, which might have had something to do with reading Tolkien's The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1 of The History of Middle Earth. It was dense. I finished, but I don't recommend it unless you're really, really into Tolkien.
Highlights:
Looking for Alaska by John Green. This summer, John Green broke my heart in The Fault in Our Stars. (If you haven't read it, do it! But only if you want to cry). Looking for Alaska was his first novel, and I loved it.
Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive A Mass Extinction by Annalee Newitz. Though this was not what I was expecting (I expected more strategies for surviving things like earthquakes, asteroids, and the zombiepocalypse, and it's actually about how the human race will survive), it was still an interesting read.

3. I discovered baked apples. At a corn maze and rib cook-off in Las Cruces, we sampled about eighteen different ribs (that's too many ribs, in case you were wondering), and where I traded both of my dessert tickets for this deliciousness:

Don't let the rib distract you from the amazingness of this apple.

I think baked apples just sounded dry and not desserty enough in the past. Oh, how wrong I was. I'm going to try to replicate it in my kitchen sometime.

 4. And finally, my favorite image from fall so far:

Hiking in Cloudcroft, NM

Friday Five: Books I'm Looking Forward to Reading

Not all of these are brand-new or coming out soon, but they're all new to me!

1) Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath

This came out October 8th, and I just got on the waiting list for it at the library. It's a look at how eating, moving, and sleeping affect our health, along with practical, research-based ideas for maximizing the ways we benefit from them.

2) The Essential Sheehan: A Lifetime of Running Wisdom from the Legendary Dr. George Sheehan 

If you're a runner, there's a good chance you've heard of George Sheehan. A past medical editor of Runner's World magazine and the author of several books on running, he has no doubt had a profound impact on the sport. This new collection of his best running articles comes out October 29th.

3) The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein 

Out since August, this is one I'm really excited about! It's a discussion of genetics and sports performance and the questions we have all wondered about as athletes: What makes someone great at their sport? How much of an athlete's ability is nature, and how much nurture? Why can two athletes complete the same training and respond differently?

4) Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan
Pollan's new book came out in April, but I hadn't heard of it until yesterday. Having enjoyed his earlier books on food, I'm interested in his take on cooking. In Cooked, he writes of his experiences learning from masters of a wide variety of culinary techniques, and comments on our modern removal from food preparation by relying on the food industry to do much of it for us.

5) David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
I always learn something when I read Malcolm Gladwell, and I expect his new book to be no exception. His exploration of the history and science of underdogs was published October 1.

Bonus: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays: 140 Step-by-Step Recipes for Simple, Scrumptious Celebrations by Ree Drummond
I didn't include this in the five, because it's a cookbook and not technically a book you read (though I have been known to actually read my cookbooks). If you don't read The Pioneer Woman, you really should. Her writing is hilarious, her recipes are delicious, and her photos are gorgeous. I'm sure her new holiday cookbook will be more of the same! Look for it October 29.

Friday Five: Favorite Running Books

I love running. And I love reading. So reading about running--yes, please! Sometimes a good running book is just what I need to boost my motivation.

1. Once A Runner (and Again to Carthage) by John L. Parker, Jr.

The only fiction on this list (why don't we have more fiction about running?), Once a Runner and its sequel chronicle the adventures of Quenton Cassidy, a college miler and later an Olympic marathon hopeful. I picked up a copy at a used book store after reading about the author in Runner's World. It sat on my bookshelf for a few years, until I discovered the new sequel, purchased it, and determined to read them both. The fictional Cassidy's dedication is so inspiring that for a few weeks after reading the books, I tried to run two-a-days.

 2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Part adventure story, part scientific query, Born to Run began as the author's quest to run without pain, a journey that took him to the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. It's a fascinating read, and taught me more about running than I've ever learned from a single book.

3. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore

I tend to buy books and let them sit on my shelf indefinitely, and this was one of those. When I finally picked it up, I couldn't believe I'd waited so long. It's lengthy, but worth it--Bill Bowerman's story deserves this many words. From his coaching career to his revolutionary running shoe creation, there are no dull moments. It made me miss track, running fast, and having a coach and a team.

4. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

The Japanese novelist Murakami started running when he started writing full-time, and here he recounts highlights from his running life and muses about the intersection of running and writing in his life. So many running memoirs are written by the best-of-the-best, front-of-the-packers, and, while inspiring, aren't very relatable. This is a refreshing change, written by a runner who runs not to win, but to enjoy running.

5. Eat and Run by Scott Jurek

There are a lot of elite-runner-memoirs out there, and I've read several and liked a few. This is the only one I liked enough to put on this list. One reason is that while Jurek is decidedly elite, he also comes across as real. As in, he's honest about the work he puts in and how hard it is, and that maybe he doesn't enjoy every excruciating bit of what it takes to be a standout ultrarunner, but that, to quote him, "Sometimes you just do things." Another reason is that he's vegan, and while I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, veganism fascinates me, and I've lately been trying to eat fewer animal products. So I like that there are recipes in this book--his chili recipe is the only one I use anymore!