Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth

Despite controversy that followed the author after the release of this book there are many helpful and encourages passages to be taken from her writing. Jenny tells it like it is in a lighthearted way. She is more honest about the great unknowns of pregnancy and childbirth than even some the most in-depth documentaries out there. The short chapters make for an easy leisure read but be ready for the non-sequential order of events as you read. It delivers the information at hand in with an unexpected taste of the "pregnancy-brain" train of thought. The final chapter should be taken with a grain of salt as McCarthy's views on autism are certainly not scientifically grounded and may upset some. Still, the rest of the book can do wonders in show more putting a new and expecting mother's mind to ease. show less

Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs is nothing short of adorable. I am currently expecting my second child, and picked up this book after hearing several positive reviews from other expectant mothers. McCarthy is straight-forward and honest about the joys and tribulations of pregnancies without ever losing her sense of humor. She makes several "taboo" subjects approachable, and in the face of so many books aimed at "scaring" pregnant women into doing things a certain way, McCarthy gives readers the bare facts while reassuring them that they can handle anything mother nature throws at them. Even if they don't agree with some of her choices, McCarthy's experiences will amuse and reassure her audience - especially those expecting their first baby.

(review originally posted on bookslut)

After my request for book recommendations in my last column, I should be busy for the next year and a half, especially considering the 100 Books list books I am supposed to be reading, along with my backlog of review books. Maybe I should have been going for my Ph.D. in literature. Or women's studies. Or any subject for which all of this reading would be helping, not hindering, my research.

Oh well. If I'd had that much foresight, I probably would have taken a pass on reading Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs. But surprisingly, her book was much less awful than I anticipated. In fact, I even found myself giggling furtively, hoping not to catch Jessa's attention while she was checking her email on my show more computer, lest she think I actually liked it.

I suppose we should clear the air on one issue before I go on. I can't stand Jenny McCarthy. Being one of about a billion Jennifers, Jennys, and Jens in the world, I am very protective of our collective image and get hostile when someone portrays us badly. And Jenny on MTV was obnoxious. Worse, in college I was forced (by my own inertia really, being too lazy to get off of the couch and leave the room) to watch some Jenny McCarthy soft-porn special on the Playboy Channel. (Ummm, I was in a co-ed fraternity in college. But that's a whole other column.) As a result I can say with authority: Those boobs ain't real.

Which actually is the most unique thing about Jenny's book. She doesn't give a damn about real. Which is almost refreshing, given that everything you read these days in modern maternity magazines is all about natural childbirth. You have to have a midwife. You shouldn't get an epidural. You have to breastfeed. From reading Jenny's book, it's clear she never gave any of this very authoritative advice a second's thought. There are no midwives in sight, she never seems to even contemplate a drug-free child-birth, and she unapologetically does not breastfeed. But on the other hand, her book is so sparse that you never know if this is a result of a conscious choice. Did she just wake up one morning, throw her copy of Fit Pregnancy against the wall, and scream "Screw this hippie shit! I want the good drugs!", or was she just kind of floating along, going with the flow?

At 165 pages, there isn't a lot of depth or introspection on any topic. Which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I was so tired of reading this book by about page 100, but a curse because some of her chapters are actually really funny. Any chapter dealing with hormonally induced emotional changes, especially if it involves fights with her husband, is quite humorous. Chapters dealing with complete strangers feeling like they could tell her how to live her life just because she was pregnant made me fall over laughing. Also, perhaps predictably, all chapters dealing with bodily functions such as puking, peeing, farting or pooping merited reading aloud to whoever was nearby.

In fact, given her reputation for obnoxiousness, and her disclaimer in the introduction to the book about how frank she is, how open she is, and the fact that she was 99% naked on the freaking Playboy channel, her downright prudishness in talking about sex was shocking. See, apparently Jenny can't bring herself to say the word masturbation. Talking about hemorrhoids? Fine. Constipation? Great! The m-word? Oh no. We'll stick with charming phrases like "going at it alone."

I think that not too far in the future, some graduate student somewhere could write a thesis on all the neuroses and issues revealed by Jenny in her little book, but until I can figure out a way to relate it all to environmental science, that student will not be me. In the meantime, unless you're a really big fan of Jenny McCarthy, or are just craving some cotton candy for your brain after reading mammoth tomes on maternity, go ahead and pass on this book. Although she promises to reveal all the dirty secrets of pregnancy in her book, only two of her chapters covered anything I hadn't heard 10,000 times before. (Did you know that women usually poop on the table during childbirth? Great. I'm so glad I have to look forward to that now.) And those I probably could have lived without anyway. She writes as if she wants to be your main source of information for pregnancy side effects, but treats each subject so briefly (a typical chapter is about four pages long) that not much real information is imparted. The book is mainly a delivery system for about a dozen genuinely funny anecdotes about her pregnancy, most of which occur in the first quarter of the book, so that by the last quarter, you'd almost rather poop on yourself than keep reading.

That was a little scatological. That damn Jenny must be rubbing off on me. show less

What the heck does Jenny McCarthy know about pregnancy? Well, as it turns out, this might not be the most scientific pregnancy manual around, but it's very honest, and pretty darn funny. Each short chapter is dedicated to a pregnancy experience or wacky symptom, such as 'Holy Shit, I Think I Hard-Boiled My Baby' (getting in a jacuzzi), 'Is That An Apple on Your Rectum, or Are You Just Happy to See Me' (Hemorrhoids), and 'Poopin' on the Table' (the dark side of delivery). It's the perfect light reading pick for the OB waiting room, just beware of funny looks from others, since you'll be laughing out loud! While it was a hilarious read, and I was able to relate to most of it, I probably wouldn't recommend purchasing it, because it is such show more a short book. Check it out from the local library instead, like I did. Also, worshippers of the typical pregnancy bibles or those who are easily offended should probably stay away too! show less

So I found out I was pregnant and bought this book. I actually did laugh out loud more than once. I felt a kinship with Ms. McCarthy because I am feeling some of the things she felt and I also hope to never get some of the things she did.

I love how truthful and just open she is about everything, I like the truth flat out instead of sugarcoated and Ms. McCarthy does that for you.

Its a light, cute, read and I was very happy I bought this one because it made me feel a bit less alone than I've been feeling as of late. I will definitely pick up more books by her if she writes them.

While Jenny McCarthy and I do not always see eye to eye on certain subject matters, I often find her to be entertaining and funny. In her book, Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth (Da Capo Life Long, 2004 - Nonfiction; 165 pgs), she is no different. McCarthy wasn't kidding when she said she'd tell the naked truth! She does so with humor, however, which makes it impossible not to laugh at even the worst of moments. While every pregnancy is different, there are enough similarities that just about every woman who has been pregnant can relate to. Although I'm not sure my husband appreciated it, I couldn't help but share some of the author's antidotes about her experience with him.

Jenny McCarthy took all the usual horrors of pregnancy and made light of them with her humour. While the book was mostly funny and truthful, I found her to be trying a bit too hard. I did laugh out loud at certain parts of the book. An easy read and probably good for when you need a little giggle from feeling crappy and blue with all the pregnancy hormones.