The Panic-Free Pregnancy by Michael S. Broder

#82 in my book challenge for the year, The Panic-Free Pregnancy, was recommended to me by a food critic, because it debunks common pregnancy myths such as “don’t eat sushi.” (Why? Sushi may cause food poisoning, but not listeria, the only kind of food poisoning that can cross the placenta. Ditto for rare meat.) The book is divided into sections of pre-, during, and post-pregnancy. I found it most effective in the “during” sections for things like what drugs are safe. The author, a doctor and researcher, debunks many commonly held beliefs such as avoiding ibuprofen entirely, and avoiding cold medicines. One of the most interesting factoids he attacks is the “8 glasses of water a day” rule. According to him, there is absolutely no study or test to back this up. It was put out as a nutritional guideline at one point, and people adopted it and now never question it. Instead, he advocates drinking if you’re thirsty. What a concept.

The book is useful, but it’s not world-shaking. Ultimately, much of what he says is common sense, and much of it is able to be found elsewhere. It upholds some of the common advice, such as avoiding deli products, soft cheeses and blue cheeses for listeria. He also is not able to confirm that topical creams that contain retinol are safe, so there are still plenty of common things that are off the list for pregnant women.

This book should be used with caution. A topic can be discussed in a few places, not all of which are listed in the index. For example, in one discussion of listeria that’s not in the index, he recommends avoiding blue cheeses, but not in any other. Additionally, my doctor disagreed with his assertions about ibuprofen. She agreed that it might be used occasionally as needed early in pregnancy, but said that the further on in pregnancy one goes, the more of a detrimental effect it has on the circulation of the developing fetus. Broder’s book is more cavalier than cautious on this point. While this book sells itself as the grain of salt that one should take with the conventional wisdom about what to do or avoid during pregnancy, it should also be used cautiously.

3 Responses to “The Panic-Free Pregnancy by Michael S. Broder”

  1. Donna Says:

    I would say that you did not summarize what Dr. Broder attacks or addresses wtih any accuracy. Water was NOT being attacked but rather discussed. Your summary of what Dr. Broder recommends regarding blue cheese is NOT accurate.

  2. girldetective Says:

    The reviews here are capsules, not in-depth analyses. My examples of Broder’s treatment of water and blue cheese were just that–examples. Since Broder in more than one place debunks the 8-glasses-a-day water advice, I think his approach could fairly be called an attack. I do not own this book (after reading it I would not buy it) but rather checked it out of the library, so I cannot refer to it directly to respond to your charges. I remember that there were few listings for listeria in the index, and when I referred to them, not one of them listed blue cheese. Yet as I read the book, there was one discussion of listeria, unindexed, that included blue cheese as something to avoid, which coincides with conventional wisdom.

    My own experience in my second pregnancy has made me question Dr. Broder’s approach to the 8-glasses-a-day advice. I’ve been hospitalized twice for irritable uterus due to dehydration, though the second time was after a bout of flu, so there were extenuating circumstances. But the first time was not; I was exercising and did not feel thirsty, didn’t drink more than I wanted, and wound up in the ER. Since the 2nd visit, I have made a point to keep more to the 8 glass a day model, and have had no subsequent problems.

    I stand by my opinion of the book. Others are entitled to theirs. Mine was that it was somewhat useful though poorly indexed, and should be used as a guide, not a gospel.

  3. michael broder Says:

    I came across this post only this week, so I am sorry to be responding so late. I don’t think I was “attacking” the 8 glasses of water a day myth, just examining the evidence for it. I was fascinated to learn how little science there was behind the 8 glass of water thing, and I thought it could be empowering to share that with people. As far as listeria goes, it’s a pretty rare infection (fewer than 1 in 10,000 pregnant women get it-another fact you might miss in reading most pregnancy advice books). That said, I checked the index, and you’re right, the only “listeria’ indexed is to a general statement about the condition. The other parts (that refer to what foods should be avoided to reduce infection risk) are indexed under “cheese” and “hot dogs.” I will recommend that this be fixed in the next edition. thanks for the comments!