Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy And Childbirth [Hardcover]

Jenny McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 13, 2004

Oh, the joys of pregnancy! There's the gasiness, constipation, queasiness, and exhaustion; the forgetfulness, crankiness, and the constant worry. Of course, no woman is spared these discomforts and humiliations, but most are too polite to complain or too embarrassed to talk about them. Not Jenny McCarthy!In Belly Laughs, the actress and new mother reveals the naked truth about the tremendous mood swings, the excruciating pains, and the unseemly disfigurement that go along with pregnancy. Never shy, frequently crude, and always laugh-out-loud funny, McCarthy covers it all in the grittiest of girlfriend detail. With tips and hilarious musings on morning sickness and hormonal rage, hemorrhoids, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, Belly Laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, who has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant or indeed, has ever been born!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McCarthy, 1994 Playmate of the Year, actress (Scream 3; Baywatch; etc.) and former host of MTV's Singled Out, gave birth to her first child in 2002. Her pregnancy wasn't pretty—and she wants to tell readers all about it. At the outset, she tells them, "If you bought this book, you are already aware of my frankness when it comes to certain things—anatomy and bodily functions among them. If someone gave this book to you as a gift and you've never heard of me, apologies to you!" She goes on to recount the nitty-gritty of pregnancy in all its gory detail, covering morning sickness, hormonal rage, cravings, hemorrhoids, "engorged" breasts, gas, hot flashes, fainting spells, weight gain, acne, water retention and, finally, labor. McCarthy is undeniably crass but funny, and her candor and self-deprecation are refreshing. Each brief, chatty chapter focuses on a different—and awful—facet of pregnancy, with McCarthy relating personal anecdotes and usually winding down by reassuring women they're not alone. McCarthy's tales are, for the most part, a hoot, though they may offend more uptight readers. For example, in the beginning of McCarthy's pregnancy, she was constipated, so she visited a specialist. In the waiting room, the assistant called her name, and "everyone... looked up in surprise, and I knew what they were thinking: 'Jenny McCarthy has butt hole problems?' I was so embarrassed, until I realized that they had no right to be smirking: Those assholes were also there because of their own assholes. I felt better already."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

McCarthy applies her in-your-face manner and blue humor to the subject of pregnancy and childbirth in this little piece of fun. The former Playboy centerfold and all-around bad girl recounts her journey to motherhood with utter abandon, discussing topics that those other wholesome books tend to treat too gently, such as enemas, pubic hair growth, and sex in the ninth month. What's noble about this book (yes, noble) is that women who find these topics too embarrassing to bring up now have a place to read about them in a frank and open discussion.^B After all, they're as real as morning sickness, and McCarthy treats them with a candor that borders on crude but that is refreshing, and, ultimately, necessary. Not to mention funny. Like a gossipy girlfriend, McCarthy brings you in and makes you laugh; there's a certain comfort in knowing that even a sex symbol gets stretch marks and balloons to 200 pounds during pregnancy. A must-have for any childbirth collection. An aggressive marketing campaign suggests libraries ought to stock up. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 165 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; First Edition edition (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073820949X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738209494
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (808 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jenny McCarthy is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Belly Laughs, Baby Laughs, and Louder Than Words, among others. The former host of MTV's hugely popular dating show Singled Out, McCarthy began her career as a Playboy model, before launching a high-profile comedic television and film career. She has been featured everywhere, from Time magazine to the cover of Rolling Stone; has appeared on virtually every television talk show, from Larry King Live to Howard Stern; and is a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She has also served as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers.

In addition to her work in the world of healing and preventing autism, she is the co-creator, with practicing speech/language pathologist Sarah Clifford Scheflen, of Teach2Talk, a series of DVDs for children.

Born in Chicago, McCarthy currently resides in Los Angeles, California, with her son, Evan. You can follow her on Twitter @JennyMcCarthy.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's ok to think about yourself when pregnant! April 10, 2006

By Amy Bischoff

Format:Hardcover

So, for the most part the reviews are either 'OMG, this book is so funny' or 'OMG this book is so offensive!'

It's funny, no questioning that. It's crude, no questioning that either. If you find the "F" word offensive, don't buy it. If you find referring to your privates in "crude" language offensive, don't buy it. For those of us who have conquered the world of adult language and realize that words are just words there are no real problems.

Don't buy this book if you are looking to be educated about pregnancy. It's entitled "Belly Laughs". These are Jenny's anecdotal stories that we all ge to laugh about.

If you are one of those people who is horrified if you hear a pregnant woman call herself fat, say she isn't going to breastfeed or is more concerned with her own image than this "perfect beautifu life inside her" don't buy. For those of us who have actually been through pregnancy without sugar coating it, some days you do feel fat, sometimes you DO want to have sex without jr. kicking you and every once in a while we want to think more about ourselves than being pregnant. It's good that there is a book in the mainstream that validates that feeling instead of saying "all you should think about is this life inside you". Sometimes us pregnant girls want to think about our OWN lives.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing! December 1, 2004

By Carly

Format:Hardcover

I thought this book was truely hilarious, and like many others read it in one sitting.

This book is the antithesis to the matronly and patronising "What to Expect" books. The purpose of this book was not to be educational in this style (she doesn't pretend to be a medical professional) but to be frank about the things most of us are reluctant to discuss.

I for one am so sick of celebrities giving interviews about how wonderful, miraculous and perfect their pregnancies and births are (not to mention the hallmark-card motherhood sentiments). Sure, we all can appreciate just how wonderful the whole process is, but this is written about ad nauseum. It makes us 'real mothers' feel ashamed about our less-than-perfect experiences and feelings. Its time pregnancy/birth/motherhood was represented more realistically in the media.

I think for too long it has been 'taboo' for mothers to complain at all, or admit that things are not always wonderful (perhaps this is contributing to the worrying rates of PND?) I see this open and honest book as a step in the right direction for demystifying the whole process. It tells you the things other books either don't or gloss over, and I applaud her for her courage.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with for the second installment..I hope she is able to be open and honest about more than just her bodily functions but also the mixed feelings that sometimes go along with motherhood.

117 of 157 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is hilarious!!!! April 6, 2005

By S. M. Anderson

Format:Hardcover

I'm not expecting, but one of my best friends is expecting her first child. My coworker brought this book into work, and she said we had to read this book. I had tears running down my face. This book is a quick read and you can finish it easy in 1 - 2 days. This book takes a light hearted look at pregnancy. Pregnancy is a beautiful experience, but it was fun to read her frank and funny views on gas, the belly expanding, and the all so quiet topic of pooping on the delivery table. There were so many moments when I laughed out loud and had to look around to make sure no one was looking at me all strange.

Some of her other funny stories includes; craving mustard, when she hated mustard. Jenny liking mumus because nothing else fit. Jenny having strange dreams while pregnant. Dealing with hemorrhoids, weighing her breast. Her trying to keep her boobs from hanging off the sides of the mattress due to their size. Surrender to the maternity bra. A pregnant woman's fart can truly bring a man to his knees. I had to find tissue after reading that line. I had so many laughing tears running down my face. The different changes the body go through. Crying for no reason due to hormonal changes, and pregnancy stupids. Skin changes, pregnant head, bad headaches and wanting to saw the head off. Premature labor. Hating skinny women. How she panicked when the epidural wore off and her concerns was still "Am I pooping on the table." Don't make a pregnant woman want to pee.

This book is not meant to be a pregnancy guide, it's meant to take a light hearted comical look at going through the pregnancy experience. I mean the book is after all called Belly Laughs. If you are expecting this book to have some new insight on pregnancy then you will be mistaken. If you have a great sense of humor you will find yourself enjoying this book a lot.

This book will make you laugh and laugh some more. I bought a copy for my best friend, and she loved it. This book is hilarious!!!!!!!!