Customer Reviews

No More Morning Sickness: A Survival Guide for Pregnant Women (Plume)

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

 

 

While the book was worthwhile to have on hand as a guide, I feel strongly that the title and the first chapters are misleading--they suggest to the reader that if you follow Erick's theory and identify those few magic foods for you, you will stop vomiting, put on weight and be cured. Wrong. Basically, morning sickness is a hormonal phenomenon that your body has to ride out, in its own time. Neither nutritionists nor health practitioners, holistic or mainstream, really understand it or know what to do about it. Following Erick's premise will help you to identify those few foods that will help you feel less bad, and that you can keep down most of the time, but if you have it bad, time is the only cure. Take it from someone who's tried everything in the course of more than 10 weeks. The book should be retitled to "Surviving Morning Sickness."

I'm puking my guts out and all she has to say is avoid smells and try different foods. The only thing that has done for me is now I puke up different foods. First of all, the title makes you think that you can get rid of your morning sickness, which is totally false. I didn't find anything in the book that helped me. Also, it left some of my key questions unanswered such as: Are there things other than diet that can help? At what point should I call my doctor? How long is this living hell going to last? And lastly, a few additional words of comfort would have been appreciated, rather than the chapter on all the women who spent 9 months hospitalized for this, and this is written as a success story because they were able to cope with it. Come on...

Miriam Erick's "No More Morning Sickness" provides the information that any woman struggling with this potentially debilitating and frustrating symptom of pregnancy needs to read. Miriam Erick assures her readers that it "is not all in your head." She describes the history and treatments of morning sickness, and most important of all, she makes you feel like you have an ally in your struggle with this potentially horrid "illness." I have experienced the good ol' morning, noon and night sickness with all 3 of my pregnancies, and I found the information in this book comforting and helpful, though, I would steer clear of the recipes and head instead to the frozen food section of the local supermart. She does provide tremendous food lists and ideas for those who are frustrated to no end with their sickness. I think every Obstetrician should know about this book and recommend it frequently to those patients they know to be struggling.

The title of this book is misleading because even the author herself admits that using her suggested tips and tools did not totally eliminate morning sickness is many cases. In fact, the testimonials she recounts are of women who learn to COPE with the nausea and vomiting, not of women who kissed it goodbye.

Erick makes a good case for greater understanding and support for women suffering from morning sickness. I know firsthand that it can be devastating. However, I don't think she's really offering anything new or revolutionary, since most women instinctively learn to manage their sickness by dietary changes. In other words, we just eat what we can, when we can, even if it's chocolate and lemonade. This is her advice in a nutshell. Nor did I find the recipes and meal plans helpful since as the author herself stresses, every women has to find a different diet to suit her needs.

The only thing especially meritorious about Erick's work is the fact that she devotes so much time and attention to a problem that is barely given a paragraph or two in most standard pregnancy books. So if you just want to read a book that offers more support and sympathy than you'll get from most other pregnancy books, than you will like this one. However, if you are looking for something new or failproof to cure your morning sickness ills, you won't find it in thsi book. We don't need a dietician to tell us to listen to our bodies.

Buy this book before you get pregnant, so that when you are throwing your guts up you will have it on hand to save you! i was sick for 9 months and without this book would have lost my mind. Miriam's suggestions really work! i was able to become a functioning member of society!! required reading for husband, too!!

This book provides a thorough review of the history of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, possible causes, possible reliefs or remedies, and nutrition information. It also has touching stories about women who went through what you are probably going through now. She does not believe that n/v has a psychological component.

Ok, so this book will not give you any secret that will get rid of your morning sickness, so don't buy it with that exectation. Do buy it if you want to learn some coping strategies and get some comfort from the author, who is clearly a sympathetic person who understands what youre going through. The book was worth getting for me since she mentions that some women develop lactose intolerances during pregnancy, and that bit of knowledge very helpful.

I am a doctoral student who reads, writes, and does research for a living. I am blessed with colleagues who study and practice in the fields of birth and reproduction and have access to one of the largest libraries in the world. I am also suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (a.k.a. extreme morning sickness) 13.5 weeks into my first pregnancy. Of the two dozen or so books on pregnancy I've read thus far, this one has been the most helpful, both in lifting my spirits and giving me some tools for critically thinking about ways to minimize my symptoms. While this book doesn't contain every last word on the subject or even the very most recent science (any researcher worth her weight knows that due to the two-to-four-year lag time in the publishing process, the scientific data in most books are out-of-date as soon as they hit the shelves - that's why science textbooks must be replaced every year), it's been a wonderful companion for me.

While it's probably not the perfect book for everyone, I really enjoyed it.

Erick writes with a compassionate tone and a great sense of humor. I especially appreciated the stories about other women (her patients), which were a comfort, and her realistic approach to eating (or just keeping food down) during this time. (Those who have read some of the most popular pregnancy books will appreciate the subtle jabs she makes at the complicated creative recipes that are suggested elsewhere!) More than anything, this book just made me feel a little better about looking and feeling terrible (i.e. the constant nausea, daily emesis, dandruff, pale skin, weight loss, etc. that comes along with severe morning sickness).

I agree with other reviewers that this book doesn't "solve" morning sickness. However, I would hesitate to hold this book to a standard it doesn't aspire to reach. First of all, it's not replacement for good pre-natal care and your own research (online, etc.) that takes into account the specifics of your own situation. The symptoms of morning sickness are the result of many complicated factors involving hormonal changes. (Duh!) But, unless you have access to medical journals and the backgound in bio-chemistry to understand the data therein, all you can do is focus on the consequences of those changes. This is where this book helped me.

While Erick does not go into the details of the science, she is no doubt highly informed. Her strategies are consistent with what I've been told by my colleagues are the specific hormonal affects that contribute to nausea. For example, changes in metabolism that contribute to blood sugar spikes (i.e. increased glucose production for fetal brain development), the release of toxins from mom's adipose tissue into her blood stream (to protect the fetus), and the increased sensitivity to toxins in the environment, edible, plants and meats (e.g. "radar nose") which maybe adaptive strategies for protection of mom and baby during this time, etc. etc.

This book is, of course, limited by its publication date, which is 1993. However, it looks like a revised version came out in 2004. That title is "Managing Morning Sickness" (ISBN: 0923521828) and it is also available on Amazon.com. I haven't read it but I'm sure Erick has only improved. If nothing else, perhaps the revised title will satisfy some reviewers ...

Just when you think you are totally alone in the battle against morning sickness, a book like this comes along and saves your life... and your sanity. Miriam Erick - thank you from the bottom of my heart (and my husband's as well)

I purchased a used cop of this book for my pregnant daughter. When she received the book - it smelled of mothballs which immediately caused her to become sick. What seemed to be a good idea turned out badly. I will not trust any future used book purchases with Amazon as they have no quality controls in place. A disgusted customer.