Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives

I've always loved reading about science and the medical field, and this author did a good job of combining her own stories/experiences of her 9 months of a working writer's pregnancy with the findings she presented. She does not take a personal stance on issues, just presents the findings of the research and stories of her encounters with the researchers, often offering both sides of some issues' conflicting findings. I had lots of info to share with my husband from each chapter, and it was interesting enough for him to listen to me spout it back to him :)I read through this book in a little over a week and passed it on to a friend of mine who is also pregnant and could appreciate its insights. I like Annie Murphy Paul's writing style.. informational without being too technical, definitely not boring. To me at least, but like I said, this book is right up my alley.I would recommend it for women who are pregnant, considering becoming pregnant, or anyone who is interested in how the intrauterine environment can have lifelong affects on the fetus within.

I ready this book straight through in one day and found it packed with useful scientific findings on the long-term impact of the uterine environment on developing fetuses. Yet, it doesn't seem overwhelming or "preachy" just informative and thought-provoking. As I read through it, I found myself underlining key passages or findings to go back to later and contemplate (I'm hoping to become pregnant soon).I think the most interesting aspect of this book were the numerous findings that things women do before their child is even born (healthier eating, exercise, positive mood, decrease stress, etc...)can have an equal or greater impact than things done after birth. Yet, as the author points out, "Prenatal experience doesn't force the individual down a particular path; at most, it points us in a general direction, and we can take another route if we choose."Excellent book, easy and informative read, and a must for anyone interested in this topic, pregnant, or planning on getting pregnant!

I admit that Annie Murphy Paul is no Mary Roach, however much she may be trying to emulate her style and share her market, and that shouldn't be held against her. What I read in many of the other reviews, before I decided to purchase this book, is that Mrs. Paul spends more time talking about her trips to the Manhattan Whole Foods than she does substantiating the research that fills out her semi-autobiographical book on fetal origins. Yes, Mrs. Paul is quite privileged, almost fully exempt from the prenatal stressors she writes about, (which adds a snooty tone to her already snooty-toned overly-wordy writing style) but let's give her a break. It's a GOOD book, written about a burgeoning field which is INTERESTING to read about. Her trips to Whole Foods are included in the book because they are relative to her research, and I don't believe any of her personal anecdotes are self-absorbed enough to merit one or two star reviews. Who are we to limit female science writers by obligating a critical comparison to the most well-known and successful one? I am elated that there are more to choose from! And that their books are not only well-researched, but include personal accounts of one of the most highly scrutinized experiences in women's lives. Annie Murphy Paul has privilege, but she also has courage, the education to merit writing this book (and writing it well) and interesting first-hand experience on the emotional and physical experience of pregnancy in modern America.I have really enjoyed reading this book, especially with how little I THOUGHT I was going to enjoy it based on the negative reviews. Mary Roach is undeniably awesome, and a hard act to follow, but Annie Murphy Paul is awesome too is taking initiative to publish research on a fascinating field. So let's be supportive, people! How bland would our world be if we had just a handful of writer prototypes for every other writer to compete against? As an avid reader, I am pro-diversity and an array of literary voices. I can say Annie Murphy Paul has her own voice, worth hearing. If you haven't seen her TED talk, based on this book, it is worth a watch... ( [...] )...and I do recommend the book as well, as it includes a bounty of other studies and serves to partially satisfy the need to become a well-informed pregnant woman.

If you've already read What To Expect and found yourself saying "Okay, but why?", this book has some answers (and provokes more questions). This book, rather than a pregnancy guide, is a combined science and history of how the information in our current pregnancy literature came to be there, and what we might see in the future. The topic of fetal origins is fascinating, but this book isn't a "pregnancy book" like one might expect; I would compare many of the topics and ideas to "Freakonomics". It's a great book for scientifically minded moms- and dads-to-be to read and discuss together.When I first picked up this book, written about pregnancy by an expectant mother, I expected to put it down and want to purge my cupboards of all foods artificial, buy an air purifier, and join a gym, but the author manages to keep all preachiness and judgement out of her writing, and I simply feel informed and intrigued, eager to follow fetal origins research as the field becomes more mainstream.

Just some cliches you already know, and with many old-dated experiments which only make you feel more nervous about the whole pregnancy journey ……

Fascinating book with drew on lots of diverse research while weaving it all in to a personal, reflective narrative. Enjoyable to read - indeed, I got through it in two days! I will be passing it on - to pregnant friends/others interested in the impact of antenatal experiences.Oh, and I’ll be eating plenty of chocolate. For science!

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Si vous êtes enceintes, évitez cette lecture culpabilisante et pas très enrichissante.

The book is a must read for all mums-to be, I am glad I found it. It has many useful information but also tries to not make expectant mothers feel more guilty about what they do during pregnancy - such a demanding time