Customer Reviews

The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is my second preganacy; my daughter is 11 years old. Therefore, it's been a while since I have been pregnant. Believe it or not, a lot has changed since 1994. This book is a Godsend. Kimberly really speaks to the Sistahs. Her personal experiences and those of other women including celebrities make you feel like you have a support group. The book covers a lot of topics; however, I did not see anything about birth control after the pregnancy.
She does remind us that every pregnancy is different. I have learned that already; I know that I was not this nauseous with my daughter. She talks about relationships with girlfriends and significant others. I highly recommend that every Sistah have this book.

I am in love with this book. It sheds some light on pregnancy from a black woman's perspective and yes there is one. The examples she gives are so understanding and I can relate. I wanted a book that I could relate to as a working black woman with a todler and a husband. But she also addresses the single black mother which I think was much overdue. Every black pregnant woman should read this book because. You will be amazed. With the use of testimonies from several "mocha colored" women she sheds some light on pregnancy for sistahs. She also researched medical issues that could effect black women including high blood pressure and weight gain.

This book was given to me as a gift. I'm in my 5th month of pregnancy but the information about the first trimester still helped my perspective in dealing with accepting this pregnancy. It's very informative with information that you won't find in any of the other publications on the market. I laughed and cried. I enjoyed the stories from other celebrities. A definite read for other "Mocha Mommas" out there.

This book was the best! I am not pregnant yet, but am in "research mode" before we start trying and I would definitely rec'd it to others in a similar position. It was really informative of not only letting you know what to physically expect prior to and during pregnancy but also what physical issues specifically relate to black women (as well as issues related to relationships, finances, and preparing for the little one). This was a very refershing and honest look at pregnancy - I especially enjoyed the personal stories sprinkled throughout the book. This book had me laughing and engaged the entire time - I finished the book in a weekend!!!!

I was extremely pleased with the book's humor and down to earth tone. I could really relate to all the advice and challenges that many other prenatal books don't talk about. I would have liked to see more detail of each trimester, what to expect, and how baby is growing etc.
I give this book two thumbs up!

I guess I expected still a technical book with the anecdotes mixed in. It was a very good story book and excellent if you have a technical book to accompany it. It did give information that is very helpful to the Mocha Mom to be, but just wasn't enough for me.

I didn't know what to expect from this "manual" but I found it to be a fun way of getting information in preparation for my first pregnancy. The author speaks just like an old girlfriend and presents a balanced view of the many scenarios an expectant mother may face. I would also recommend a more thorough "official guide" type book as well just to be on the safe side though.

I enjoyed the content of this book a lot. It really hits on every subject and unlike some of the other maternity books it really does speak to black women. I really enjoyed all the stories from entertainers and well-known folks (i.e. Soledad O'Brian, Kimora Lee, Nicole Ari Parker, etc.) everyday women and even the author. The parts I found particularly valuable were the sections on what to expect physically, the style section, uncommon pregnancies and the discussion on how to handle you career while pregnant.

I have the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy for the technical aspects but this is great for the emotional and cultural aspects of being a mocha mom. This would make a great gift for an expecting mocha mom.

Kimberly Allers has the ability to speak the truth like only a sistah can. Not only is the book very informative for the pertinent health issues but it is also very entertaining. She chose a variety of sources for stories from experience; famous actors, physicians to the everyday woman. What more could you want from a comfort stand point. I would recommend this book to everyone I know. My husband and I are preparing to extend our family and he enjoyed the chapters just as much as I did. There's nothing more precious then your husband watching you crack up over chapters pertaining to gas and mood swings during pregnancy. The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Preganancy is a treasure to keep forever, with additional editions for any pertinent health updates, of course:) Thanks girl!

i liked some of this book. at times it felt a little over the top, but for the most part it was pretty informative on a very personal level, which i appreciated.

my biggest gripe with it was that the author came off as a bit condescending and sarcastic when it came to women who decide to give birth without pain medication, as if we're crazy for not "taking advantage" of the technology and drugs made available. she included some excerpts from women on the topic and for the most part, they were pretty biased towards getting epidurals, etc.

i'm all for women choosing what type of birth experience they desire - neither is right or wrong. though i'm a strong advocate for non-medicated birth for numerous reasons, i also respect and understand the reasons many women choose pain medications. so i couldn't help but feel a little offended at how the author implied (and even basically said) that it seems women who want "natural" birth have something to prove.

we don't - we have our reasons (which i won't go into here, as it's not the topic) which vary widely from mother to mother. it'd be nice if the author tried to respect that more with her choice of words. she certainly didn't come across that way. she tried to clean it up at times by saying things along the lines of no woman is better or worse for choosing either direction for their birth. but most of her word choice, jokes and sarcasm showed that she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder with respect to women who decide not to use medications.