Expecting better
by Emily Oster · first published 2013
72% recommend28% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An economist's data-driven look at the research behind pregnancy advice, weighing study quality and risk instead of conventional wisdom. Suits expecting parents who want reasoned, non-condescending guidance.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Pregnancy--unquestionably one of the most profound, meaningful experiences of adulthood--can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. We're told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee, but aren't told why. Rules for prenatal testing are hard and fast--and unexplained. Are all of these recommendations right for every mom-to-be? Here, the author shows that pregnancy rules are often misguided and sometimes flat-out wrong. Pregnant women face an endless stream of decisions, from the casual to the frightening. Expecting Better presents the hard facts and real-world advice you wo
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The economist Emily Oster debunks some of the more dubious claims of breastfeeding advocates (and many pediatricians) in her book _Expecting Better_.
on “U.S. Opposed Breast-Feeding Resolution at World Health Assembly (2018)” ↗The research is often there, but not read or understood by the practicing doctors. I found the book “Expecting Better”[1] to have a great analytical approach to the existing research. [1]http://www.amazon.com/Expecting-Better-Conventional-Pregnanc...
on “Car Mechanic Dreams Up a Tool to Ease Births” ↗Sightly offtopic, but recent or prospective parents on HN may appreciate the book "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster, which takes a critical economists eye to advice and studies about pregnancy. Sort of in the vein of Freakonomics.
on “Impact of breast milk on IQ, brain size and white matter development (2010)” ↗Surprised they don't mention economist Emily Oster's book Expecting Better, which is an imperfect book but takes a data-driven Freakonomics-style approach to pregnancy. I enjoyed it. The real challenge is that there's so little good data to begin with.
on “The diabolical genius of the baby advice industry” ↗…drinking is toxic and bad for unborn children. That is an extreme behavior and claiming no amount of alcohol is allowed is not credible. [1] I encourage people to check out Emily Osters excellent book, expecting better: https://www.amazon.com/Expecting-Better-Conventional-Pregnan... She examines the medical literature and debunks many myths of pregnancy.
on “Study: Percent of West Virginia Babies Exposed to Alcohol Before Birth” ↗…variables? what is the size of the sample? what are the researchers conclusions?). Have you ever read Emily Oster? She talks a lot about deciphering the data on pregnancy and caring for children (she wrote expecting better and crib sheet). It's messy science, but there is absolutely data. All the more reason a professional can support a parent to understand how (if) it applies to them and could inform decisions they make…
on “Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents” ↗And, the parenting books by Emily Oster (Crib Sheet and Expecting Better - the latter is about pregnancy and the first early childhood).
on “Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents” ↗Emily Oster's book Expecting Better talks about this, I don't have a copy on hand but you could check her sources.
on “No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation” ↗…That way when the kid wakes up in the middle of the night (as all kids do!) they can quietly self entertain and go back to sleep. Also just good advice on how to interact with kids - cooperatively. "Expecting Better" (pregnancy), "Crib sheet" (infant) and "Family Firm" (family dynamics) by Emily Oster. Dr Oster (economics, not md) reviews guidelines, their underlying evidence and talks about alternatives. She provides…
on “I don't read web articles anymore, but I read books” ↗…speaking your baby is YOUR baby and you have to learn as you go and adapt. Take it a few days at a time, tackle the current issues, and repeat. On the data driven side, Emily Oster and her prenatal (Expecting Better) and postpartum (Cribsheet) books are great resources, but they hardly prepare you for parenting. Those books can help you make some macro decisions for sure, but overall parenting is an experience which…
on “Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?” ↗…Montessori Baby Covers the theory of what babies need and presents a good minimum of what they need without making you buy a ton. You won't and shoukd not 100% follow this book but adapt it for yourself. Expecting Better and Crib Sheets Oster does an excellent job at listing research, evaluating studies and drawing conclusions. Her substack is also worth while.
on “Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?” ↗…notes about what's most important to you. Don't leave out older people. Despite the mass amount of new literature about how to raise kids, being a parent hasn't changed that much in 2 generations. 3. Expecting Better - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310896/expecting-be... Easy to skip to just the chapters you want to learn about. E.g. if you end up needing/wanting genetic testing, you could read that chapter…
on “Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?” ↗Echoing the other comments to recommend Expecting Better by Emily Oster. All of the other books I tried to read were poorly researched and borderline condescending. She digs up the (sometimes decades old and poor quality) research that underpins all the "conventional…
on “Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?” ↗…Personally the parts I found most useful are areas where people have extremely strong opinions about what parents should do while in reality the data is too weak to justify any strong views. Her first book, Expecting Better, is mostly about pregnancy. Her second book, Cribsheet, is about early childhood (through pre-K). She also started doing a newsletter recently that I've been enjoying. https://emilyoster.substack.com/
on “Ask HN: Is There a Manual for Babies?” ↗Her book "Expecting Better" came highly recommended from multiple pediatricians - it's among the most trusted books about pregnancy. And I would strongly recommend almost anyone read it - one of the main premises of the book is…
on “Masking Policy Is Incredibly Irrational” ↗