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Author(s): Dr. Michele Hakakha (OB/GYN) and Dr. Ari Brown (pediatrician)
Title: Expecting 411:The Insiders Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 653
Genre: Pregnancy Reference
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 1, 2011
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Expecting 411 by Doctors Hakakha and Brown is decently balanced in most areas, and is certainly preferable to the complete rubbish that is the fear-mongering What to Expect When You're Expecting, but it is still far, far from ideal as a maternity reference.

What the expectant American mother needs to realize: American obstetrics are extremely, extremely conservative. What is presented to American mothers as completely necessary for any chance of a successful pregnancy would be reserved for only high-risk pregnancies in other developed countries like England, France, and Germany. Likewise, there is a very large rift (and permeating prejudice) between obstetricians and midwives, natural childbirth and medically-controlled childbirth. And for every professional opinion a mother will find she will find twenty more personal opinions just waiting to barrage the unsuspecting mom-to-be.

As a general reference, Expecting 411 is actually fairly useful. There's enough of a narrative to read it cover to cover (which I did), but it is well organized, and could easily be used just to answer questions as they come up. There are handy charts for nutrition, explanations of medical procedures, and real-life advice when the doctors hang up their coats and write as mothers.

The "problems" with the text are the same problems that nearly any medically-partial maternity text is going to have: it presents only the most conservative opinions and advice. In my personal experience, much of this advice is only shared in person by older practitioners, while younger doctors are taking a more laid-back approach and recognizing successful practices in other first-world countries. Sometimes the organization of the material can be purposefully misleading; for example, when discussing the always hot issue of circumcision. On pages 272 and 273 the doctors provide nice lists of reasons for and against circumcision - five FOR and three AGAINST. However, the authors fail to acknowledge the source of the research for circumcision: for example, the research that suggests circumcision reduces the risk of HIV has only been conducted in rural Africa, and the actual research indicates several other lifestyle and cultural factors which are highly unlikely to impact a young man growing up in the US. In small print at the end of the article the authors acknowledge that "[c]ircumcisions are done more for social, cultural, and religious reasons than for medical necessity" (276), but by the time this comes about they've already done their best to scare a mother into making a particular decision. (Heh, I guess you can tell where I stand on the issue.)

And then I get nitpicky over small lifestyle "suggestions" offered by the book. Because, of course, all pregnant women simply can't wait to lounge around in "granny panties" (one of the "best buys" for pregnant women, according to the authors) and stretchy yoga pants. I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think "maternity" has to equal "frumpy," and I'm constantly frustrated by limited maternal options. Through all forty weeks I continue to wear the same panties I have always preferred, I wear heels nearly everyday, and I have no desire to hide my belly under huge pants panels and tent-like maternity shirts. We can call this last response a reaction to the trouble I've had this week finding pants that actually fit, but there you have it.

Like most expectant mothers, I could go on and on and on - especially as I'm sitting in my third round of this happy madness. So here's the bottom line: if you're looking for a medically-partial maternity text, Expecting 411 is one of your better options. But if you're going to try just one of the "411" books, I would recommend opting for Baby 411 - especially for first-time mothers.