Brain Health from Birth: Nurturing Brain Development During Pregnancy and the First Year
Reviews (95)
Highly Disappointed
Was really disappointed that this book gives recommendations, such as vaccines during pregnancy, that are not backed by science. Anyone who has done any research knows that vaccines have never been tested on pregnant women and should, therefore, not be recommended as safe when they’re experimental. They are also classified as biologics so they are not required to undergo any safety testing. Even the federal government has deemed them “unavoidably unsafe”. The fact that she’s recommending these makes me question all of the other statements and claims that are being made in the book. Why even bother avoiding all of the topical toxins when you recommend injecting them? Makes no sense and goes to show how brainwashed people are into believing in vaccines. All of the vaccine ingredients can be found on the CDC website, including antifreeze, animal cells, and aborted fetal cells (two strains: WI-38 and MRC-5). I loved the first book but will now hesitate at recommending that one too because of all the misinformation in this book.
Action oriented, easily readable, cutting edge scientific findings
If you're concerned about the rise in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD, and want quality evidence based recommendations to mitigate your risk factors, this is the book for you. There is nothing like it out there right now. I'm a pediatric nurse with a research background (oncology), and my husband has a biochemistry research background (though he's moved careers now as well). Needless to say, we're very picky about the medical advice we trust. Rebecca Fett's research is exceptional. She has the scientific background necessary to tease out quality studies. More importantly though, she has the communication skills to present the findings in approachable, easy to understand language, and boils everything down into readily applicable, action oriented advice. While I can see how some people would stuggle with this book- it's hard not to learn about the effects of endocrine disruptors in our lives without some stress and anxiety about it. Also, I imagine if you already have an older child, or if your child is already born, that it would be a struggle not to feel a measure of self blame about things you didn't do because you didn't know any better. But I'm personally in the camp of thinking that we all do the best we can, and dwelling on what we could have done better doesn't help us to improve the future. I'd prefer to know and be able to take action. I feel like that's where this book is valuable- while some of the information may cause anxiety, it also gives actionable steps for what to do to resolve and mitigate all those risk factors. I'm 8 months pregnant and I likely wouldn't have this healthy pregnancy without Rebecca Fett's book It Starts with the Egg. She's managed to come and do the same thing for neruodevelopment as she did for infertility. Empower, direct, educate, and help. Key points: -Good research -Accessible summary of the findings -Engaging, readable, approachable -Action oriented, with a supporting website including specific brand recommendations to guide choices -Main con is it could cause anxiety or guilt in some readers. But we're better off knowing and acting- it'll take years before policy changes dictate this in popular culture, and that won't happen unless we're educated and demand it.
Hard to get past the fear mongering
There is some good information here about nutrition. I would have really enjoyed reading more if I could get past how much the author hammers into fear of autism and adhd and seems to assert that these things are causally linked to nutrition. She discusses in the book how autism diagnoses rates are rising, but fails to mention that as the medical community has come to understand the Autism spectrum and other conditions diagnoses will obviously increase. I think this angle was very off putting.
Excellent book about protecting brain development during pregnancy & early childhood
I first read Fett’s book It Starts With The Egg a few months ago and loved it, so I was thrilled when this came out. If you liked ISWTE, this is written in the same style - she uses all empirical evidence based on human studies, and she then translates the data into practical tips and suggestions for everyday life. It’s perfect for any layperson who wants to know what the data says, but doesn’t have the scientific training to decide what studies to read and how to interpret them. I am trying to conceive, but went ahead and read this book so I would know what to do once pregnant. A lot of science-based pregnancy books (such as Debunking the Bump and Expecting Better) include the same information; I was happy to see that this book includes new information that I hadn’t read anywhere else. There are tips on prenatal vitamins, diet, personal care and cleaning products. There is also lots of information on protecting brain health in the first days of life by avoiding hypoglycemia or degradation due to not feeding enough - this was perhaps the most important part of the book for me. She also recommends materials and ingredients to avoid in products for babies and children. She has a website where you can view more extensive product recommendations based on the studies from the book. I highly recommend reading this, even if you have read other science-based pregnancy books, as you will learn new things that are grounded in empirical evidence.
Must read for pregnancy and moms with new babies!!!
After 3 years of not being able to conceive and being faced with IVF as my only option to have a baby, I was left feeling hopeless and totally overwhelmed with what was to come and whether or not I’d actually be able to one day get pregnant. My friend highly recommended Rebecca’s first book, It Starts With The Egg, and I quickly devoured it and put as much into practice as I could before my transfer. Fast forward a few months, and with the help of her first book, I’m now 13 weeks pregnant! I’ve been highly anticipating the release of Brain Health From Birth and it has not disappointed and been such a welcomed guide for me as I’m still in the early stages of my first pregnancy. Rebecca has a way of putting such complex research findings into a easy to consume guidebook that will leave you feeling so informed and empowered as you navigate your way through pregnancy and your baby’s first year. I love that this book covers everything from supplements, to ultrasounds, to making greener product decisions and tips on how to better protect your baby during their first year. I will forever be grateful for both of these amazing resources that Rebecca has so thoughtfully written!
Practical advices and useful website
I adore this book so much that I will recommend it to any new mom as a must-to-read. The content is easy to understand, the author incorporates latest to date scientific research reviews to support her points. The principles of buying baby safety products are useful, practiful, make sense, and there is also a website of product recommendations, which can save you tons of energy to read through ingredient tags. One down thing about the product recommendations may be that they are normally on the high-end of a price range. But being a rational customer, you can choose which advice to follow and which not, so it's not a bad thing to have recommendations.
Fascinating, must-read for all expecting and new moms!
Every expecting mom and new mom naturally wants to do all she can to support and care for her new baby from the womb. With Rebecca Fett's newest book, she clearly lays out practical, achievable ways of creating a healthy environment to best support brain and overall healthy development. In a world where there is quite an increase in developmental disorders, such as Autism and ADHD, the author presents in a clearly, easy to understand format, the research and evidence of factors within one's control of mitigating risk including adding essential supplements, nutrients and dietary changes to best support a developing brain and prevent pre-term birth, among other things. The research is compelling. The book also addresses things such as ultrasound and nontoxic newborn care items as well. Her style is straight-forward and very much evidence-based, while still being quite readable. The road to growing our family has been difficult and it has been a huge blessing to have tools in my hands to prepare my body as best as I can - both for a healthy pregnancy and for the health of my future children. As one who works in the medical field and with a science background, this information is one that I will incorporate both personally and professionally. I am very grateful for another wonderful book by Rebecca Fett. It is a blessing and gift for sure!
Pregnancy book must have!
Excellent book to help pregnant women navigate through pregnancy. Gives great recommendations that will help protect your growing baby! This is a must read!
Informative book
Informative book which lays out nicely how to improve your baby’s brain health during pregnancy. Don’t go too crazy over all the recommendations though any improvement you make can be beneficial.
Must have
Very informative book; easy to digest. Balance it out with expecting Better by Emily Oster and you get a well rounded set of information to make the best choices for YOU during pregnancy.
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