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Midwives magazine: August 2010

Author: Mark Woods
Publisher: White Ladder Press
ISBN: 9781905410620

Reviewed by Steve Smethurst (expectant father)

A companion volume to the excellent Pregnancy for modern girls, this promises to be ‘frank, factual and funny’. It does all three nicely, with a month-by-month guide to what you can expect, covering everything from science to shopping. Although if I was to say it ‘delivers’ on its objective, while possibly being a bit ‘laboured’, you’d get the message.
 
The concept appears to be that if men don’t find something funny every few paragraphs, there’s very little chance they’ll get to chapter nine and find out what happens at the birth. The author even admits that he’s gone out of his way to be ‘puerile’ and ‘tastefully questionable’.

It may work for some, but for me the real strength of this book was the words of other dads – several are quoted in each chapter.

Their insights, experiences and anecdotes brought home to me the highs, lows and extremes of emotion that I’m likely to face as my partner and I prepare to become a family. My favourite one came from David, a father of one: ‘I got home from work one day and my partner handed me a leaflet from our local opticians. “I’m worried about your eyesight,” she said. “I don’t think you can see beyond your knees… It’s the only explanation I can find as to why you constantly walk up the stairs and straight past the 20 f***ing things that need taking up there.”’

Perhaps humour is the trick after all.


Have you read this book? What did you think?