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Pregnant Pause:: My Journey Through Obnoxious Questions, Baby Lust, Meddling Relatives, and Pre-Partum Depression Kindle Edition

3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

Pre-partum Depression Rule #1: Never Wear an Empire-Waisted Dress to a Baby Shower

If you've been asked the question "When are you going to have a baby?" so many times that you feel as though your uterus is starring in a new reality TV show, this hilarious, insightful book is for you.

Carrie Friedman shares her daily struggles with what she calls her "pre-partum depression"—from baby lust to panic, and everything in between. Fending off the "dreaded question" from everyone, including her yoga teacher, and navigating the minefield of toddler birthday parties, as well as creating her own faux baby registry under an assumed name, Carrie Friedman captures the process of deciding to have a baby with humor and smarts.

If you're looking for refuge from prying questions, pet substitution, and the call of your biological clock, this book is a hilarious diversion."
--Adrianne Frost,
I Hate Other People's Kids

"An absolute delight!"


--Jamie Cat Callan,
French Women Don't Sleep Alone
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006H6D39Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel Press (March 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 915 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Carrie Friedman
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Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
3.4 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2010
I first must explain how I happened upon this book. Frustrated with getting a lot of pressure to become pregnant so soon into married life, I wrote a blog entry on my other blog site Tall Tales from a Small Town about this frustration. I was considering titling it "A Pregnant Pause" and googled the phrase to get a good definition. And then I found the book....and my salvation. I ordered it straight away.

I read the book in a day, because it was manna for my soul. Finally, someone understood.

Carrie wrote this book from a very personal perspective, explaining that she did want kids.....eventually. She talks about the fear of parenthood, the fear of how it will change her life as a woman, and the fear that she will become like those total whackado moms out there. You know the ones.

She also raises interesting, and valid points, about questionable parenting techniques that have become pop cultural norms, and offers explanations for why women push their maternal views on other members of their gender.

The thing I loved best is that Carrie gave a voice to thousands of women, probably hundreds of thousands. She made me feel normal, like there is absolutely nothing wrong with waiting to have a baby. It is not selfish, it is not abnormal, it is just the best decision for me.

Thank you, Carrie, for making me feel at home in my identity as a married woman, something I was struggling with. I have recommended that my husband read this as well, since it could have so easily been written by me, to allow him to better understand why I get so frustrated with the cultural baby craze on my behalf.

As a personal note, I did still write my blog on the same topic, and if interested, you can find it here. It is not nearly as brilliant as Carrie's book, but read it, and if you feel the same way, go buy Carrie's book, and spread the word.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2013
Just like every humor book, this one has its audience. I am obviously not the intended audience for this book. I think there are lots of folks, like the majority of reviewers for the book as well as folks like my dear best friend and sister, who would truly enjoy the book. For me, it was too judgy. I think there are ways to make fun of the culture of mommyhood and peoples' wacky ideas about childrearing without painting them in broad negative swaths. Life is more complicated than that. I would have enjoyed the book if it had a little more self-awareness. The author comes across as "that friend" who talks s***about other peoples' choices constantly. She's a beloved friend who loves to indulge in deciding what is right and wrong for other women. When "that friend" is talking I want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. It makes the other person sound like they only know people who think alike, have never met someone from a different culture, and don't have any life experience (or else they would know that there is a moment when one must whip out the breast or do something else uncouth, and this stuff is apparent even before you are a mother unless you are living a super controlled, sheltered life). This kind of judgyness makes people sound like they have no control over their lives and they thrive off of deciding what is right and wrong for other women to do. See: The Knot, The Bump, and The Nest. Those places are filled with this kind of vile, unilateral, un-self-aware lady judgement. And to me, this book reeks of it.

+ 2 for the attempt to tackle this sticky subject.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2009
As a 29YO Registered Nurse who works in the Nursery/NICU, oddly enough I have never wanted children of my own. The little ones I take care of are enough for me. Before I got married, I spoke with my husband and he accepted, and even agreed, with my views. Now after 3 years of marriage and friends having babies, the subject has come up. However, my feelings haven't changed. I felt I was somehow being unfair to him, so I jumped on this book when I saw it. It has helped me SO MUCH to figure my feelings out. I haven't decided what to do yet, but I am SO glad somebody wrote a book for people like me, and it's supportive, rather than people shaming me for "depriving my husband and parents/in-laws of children and grandchildren". This is a WONDERFUL book...it feels you're able to sit down and talk it out with a close friend!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2011
I loved this book! As a 29 year old woman with every single one of her friends having babies or is pregnant with babies, I was feeling extremely alienated and like maybe I wasn't moving fast enough. This book made me feel like a sane normal person. I loved it. I love that there are people out there that are just as frightened as I am over the over parenting. I love that there are people who are just as appalled I am when friends bring their babies to their parties. I loved that other people feel just as disturbed when people ask intrusive questions about their... uterus and activities in their bedroom. Every single chapter was like a day in my life. I loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2011
I love this book! First I love that only because you want to have kids or even if you don't how so many people push them on you like kids are the greatest thing ever to EVERYONE. I am at the moment right now TTC #1 but I totally understand about how she felt about others kids. Many people think that everyone she love their kids just as much as they do as this book so puts it blatantly says "Not True." People push their kids and gosh man do you see so many undisciplined kids because the mom's don't want to be the bad guy. Ohh the airplane ride... Love the book and her enthusiasm. Thumbs up!!!
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