Your doctor gives you medical advice. Your mother buys you baby clothes. But who can give you the real story when you're pregnant? Your best frends, of course - at least, the ones who've been through the exhilaration and exhaustion, the agony and ecstasy of pregnancy. Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine talks to you the way only a best friend can - in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. Now, in this newly revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant. From learning that you're expecting ('Oh my God, how do I get out of this?') to the day your newborn arrives ('You mean I have to take it home with me?'), Iovine gives you the low-down on: What Really Happens to Your Body -- from morning sickness and gas to eating everything in sight The Many Moods of Pregnancy - why you're so irritable/distracted/ tired/light-headed (or at least more than usual). Staying Stylish - cautionary style tips from your best friend, who really would tell you if your perky new-mum haircut makes you look like a pinhead whale Pregnancy Is Down to a Science - from in vitro fertilization to scheduled C-section, the latest technology provides so many options, alternatives, and tests, it can all be downright confusing. . . . and much more!

When your baby is walking - and you're sprinting to keep up - count on The Best Friends' Guide to Toddlers to keep you one step ahead! One moment your little sweetie curls up in your lap and kisses your neck, the next he's running through the local shop screaming 'No, no, no!' Just who is this little being who was formerly your baby? Does it seem like your precious infant has been replaced by a very small maniac? Are you alternately enchanted and terrified by your toddler's independence, imagination and inability to sit still for one single minute? Don't panic - the wise, witty and always honest advice of Vicki Iovine is here to help you figure out such things as: How to say 'no' and look like you mean it When to move your little tyke out of the cot and into a bed (and how to keep him there) Which vegetables your toddler will eat - and how to disguise the others Who decides when it's time to potty-train Whether you can ever win an argument with a person whose vocabulary is only a hundred words Iovine tells mothers what they need to know - straight-from-the-hip survival tips from the ones who've been there. The Best Friends' Guides tell it like it is and give frazzled mums a much-needed laugh.

WHO KNEW BABIES NEEDED SO MANY ACCESSORIES? 

It’s official. You’re pregnant. Get used to the fact that life is never going to be the same. And break out the credit card, because that little bundle of joy is going to cost you. The list seems endless—from car seats to changing pads. But don’t despair. The Girlfriends are here to take some of the guesswork out of shopping for baby-to-be. We’ll tell you when to skimp and when to splurge, and which hand-me-downs are safe and which are sorry. You’ll get advice on…

• Where to get what you need
• Crib and car seat do’s and don’ts
• Wardrobe musts and misses—for mother and child
• Stocking the nursery and the rest of the house
• What every new mom should have on hand for herself
• The Master Shopping List—don’t leave home without it!

Plus the Top 10 Things to Do for Yourself Before the Baby Arrives, the Top 10 Baby Items You Won’t Find at a Baby Store, the Top 10 Best—and Worst—Things to Borrow, the Top 10 Signs of a First-Time Mom, and more…

Bust out of that mommy rut and get into the groove!

When a mother finally emerges from the mommy mole tunnel of pregnancy, breastfeeding, potty-training and preschool, she comes to the inevitable realization: The road to maternity is a one-way street. No U-turns allowed. You’ve survived the battles of baby- and toddler-hood, playdates and temper tantrums to time-outs. And just when it seems your former life is within reach—taking up neglected jobs and hobbies, committing to a fitness program, rediscovering the boyfriend living in the body of your husband—you crash headfirst into the wall of reality. The kids may be able to fasten their own seatbelts and pour their own cereal, but the homework, tucking in, car pools, and birthday parties have just begun. Let Vicki Iovine, author of The Girlfriends’ Guides, show you how to navigate the twists and turns of family life—and find time for your kids, your spouse, your home, your work, and yourself. You’re not alone in this “mommy adolescence.” In The Girlfriends’ Guide to Getting Your Groove Back, Iovine provides her trademark sage, witty advice on:

- How to focus at work when things at home are in chaos—and vice versa
- Making time for yourself—and not the PTA
- Getting over the romantic myth of “date nights” and weekends away from the kids
- Homework help—your transformation into a human flashcard
- The dinnertime crush and how to relieve frozen pizza fatigue

Iovine puts the perils of perpetual parenthood into perspective. You’ll feel like you do after a long chat with a good friend—relaxed, refreshed, and ready to reclaim your life …

When it comes to your new baby, everyone from Dr. Spock to Dr. Brazleton has an armful of advice. But no one's delivering any tips on how you can care for yourself. Now, four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine answers your questions, calms your fears, and cracks you up as only a girlfriend can, with straight advice and hilarious observations on...

"Baby euphoria": Is it a mind-altering drug?

"Husband? What Husband?": Taking care of the big baby, as well as the little baby

"I Want My Old Body Back!": What you can fix and what you can't

"The Droning Phenomenon": The inability to discuss anything but your baby for more than thirty seconds

"Do I Have to Become Carol Brady?": Conquering your fear of being a less-than-perfect mother

"Competitive Mothering": Coping with know-it-alls, finger-pointers, and others who try to "Out-Mom" you

NOTE: Pausing to read this book may be the only selfish thing you do all year?since you'll have time for nothing else!

Filled with straight talk from a four-time delivery room veteran, this book sees readers through the most exhilarating and exhausting time of their lives, one day at a time. An entire year's worth of invaluable--often hilarious--advice on everything from stretch marks, morning sickness, and maternity underwear to bladder control, pregnancy insanity, and postpartum dementia is included.

Your kids are no longer babies, you've got some time to yourself again - things should be getting easier, so why do you still feel fatigued, flabby and infant-obsessed? The kids may be able to fasten their own seatbelts and pour their own cereal, but the homework, tucking in, car pools, and birthday parties have just begun. Let Vicki Iovine, show you how to navigate the twists and turns of family life - and find time for your kids, your spouse, your home, your work, and yourself. You're not alone in this "mommy adolescence." In The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting Your Groove Back, Iovine provides her trademark sage, witty advice on: How to focus at work when things at home are in chaos - and vice versaMaking time for yourself - and not the PTA Getting over the romantic myth of "date nights" and weekends away from the kids: The 'S' word: recapturing the sex-kitten within and keeping the home fires burning; the lowdown Iovine puts the perils of perpetual parenthood into perspective. You'll feel like you do after a long chat with a good friend - relaxed, refreshed, and ready to reclaim your life...