Expecting Better - (The Parentdata) by Emily Oster

Book Synopsis

Fully revised and updated for 2025, from the bestselling author of Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected

"Emily Oster is the non-judgmental girlfriend holding our hand and guiding us through pregnancy and motherhood. She has done the work to get us the hard facts in a soft, understandable way." --Amy Schumer

The award-winning economist named one of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting.

Pregnancy--unquestionably one of the most pro­found, meaningful experiences of adulthood--can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden. Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained. Parents-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices.

When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself, she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy, and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening, Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy--and the occasional glass of wine.

Review Quotes

"A revelation for curious mothers-to-be whose doctors fail to lay out the pros and cons of that morning latte, let alone discuss real science. And it makes for valuable homework before those harried ob-gyn appointments, even for lucky patients whose doctors are able to talk about the rationale behind their advice." --New York Times

"If you're newly pregnant, you may have a long list of questions, concerns, and spiraling anxieties. The good news is that Emily Oster has probably already looked into all of them. Her book will help you understand the data behind recommendations on everything, from gardening to coffee consumption." -The Skimm (Moms Who Get It award winner)

"A book . . . that pregnant women won't want to miss." --Parents Magazine

"Emily Oster is the non-judgmental girlfriend holding our hand and guiding us through pregnancy and motherhood. She has done the work to get us the hard facts in a soft, understandable way." --Amy Schumer

"Oster's advice cuts through the emotion, myth, fear of malpractice litigation and looks at the numbers. A mother herself, Oster's interest isn't just curiosity, it's the same thing that motivates every new mom . . . and Oster's ability to break down the data into informed analysis is a refreshing break from the hysterical hearsay that often dominates the conversation." --Babyzone

"Gives moms-to-be a big helping of peace of mind!" --Harvey Karp M.D., bestselling author of The Happiest Baby on the Block

"It took someone as smart as Emily Oster to make it all this simple. She cuts through the thicket of anxiety and received wisdom, and gives us the facts. Expecting Better is both enlightening and calming. It almost makes me want to get pregnant." --Pamela Druckerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bringing Up Bébé

About the Author

Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of Expecting Better, Cribsheet, and The Family Firm. She writes the newsletter ParentData and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg. She has two children.