It seems a very long time ago that I conceived of Expecting Better. I was thinking about that the other day and dug up the first email I sent, almost at random, to my now agent with my initial, slightly shaggy book proposal.  

I said: “This brings me, finally, to the basic idea, which is a book which covers decision-making during pregnancy, focusing on what the medical literature actually says about risks, procedures, etc. I do not think this type of book exists. There are a lot of books about pregnancy (obviously), many of which go through recommendations on behaviors, and some things on decision making. I have yet to find one which actually presents any evidence.”

I sent this email in February 2011; Penelope was born in April. I’m not sure what I was thinking in committing to writing a book during that first year, but anyway here we are.

Expecting Better has undergone a number of revisions, the largest of which I did just last year. With each of them, I’ve gone back to consider what the new data says, whether there are topics missing, whether there are changes in the way I want to talk about various issues. With the latest revision, I’ve gotten a chance to put many of the updates in the newsletter. So the roundup below pulls together most of the pieces I’ve updated over these past years.

Before we get into it, though, let me try to answer one crucial question that I get all the time, which is not addressed in any of the editions of Expecting Better: Does eating dates make you go into labor?