Brain Health from Birth: Nurturing Brain Development During Pregnancy and the First Year

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

I liked that the author thoroughly researched everything and made it clear which things were a priority to be concerned about and which things were less of a big deal.

I love this book so much, everyone needs to read it. I could write a crazy long detailed reason why, but sometimes less is more. Just buy the book.. you won't regret it.

Packed full of helpful information that synthesizes and breaks-down scientific studies and their implications for the developing brain.

This book is well written and highlights everything you need to know.

Some of the book I found informative while other parts were based on anecdotes or correlations that seem unsupported by actual clinical evidence. Very focused on the advent of autism diagnosis and all of the plethora of factors that could be associated with it. For example the use of acetaminophen is correlated with autism because the recommendation to give acetaminophen started as autism rates rose. You can find a thousand things that can be correlated that way that would be coincidence, I would prefer research based information. Also correlations of boa with autism yet bpa use has decreased while autism is diagnosed more...it's inconsistent reasoning. yes bpa is bad and don't take lots of drugs or use chemicals. Vaccines have never been positively linked to autism so focus on the facts please

Fantastic book

Anyone who gives this a one star and says it is “misleading about vaccines” is an anti-vaxer and not someone you want to take advice from. This book is phenomenal. I particularly like how Rebecca gives ALL the facts but then points out what REALLY matters to make a difference. I also really appreciate her “do what you can” approach rather than a “you must change your entire life right now immediately” approach. A true gem of a read and very thankful for Rebecca and her books.

Brain Health From Birth should be next to your What to Expect When You're Expecting or other pregnancy book. While other books talk logistics of what is happening week by week and things like birthing strategies, Rebecca's book talks about what you should be doing throughout your pregnancy to provide the best environment for your baby's health from proper supplements and food to various tests and vaccines during pregnancy. She further discusses environmental factors around the house and in baby products that also affect the health of your baby both during pregnancy and in the first year after birth. Importantly, I appreciate her approach to such topics. She thoroughly researches medical journals and studies taking time to summarize them in a straight forward way that enables educated decisions. She never lays blame for the minimal distribution of the such relevant information or makes anyone feel guilty for choices they need to make. Even as a second time mom-to-be, I still find myself diving into this book and learning so much. This is a great book that I highly recommend.

I have read countless pregnancy books and this is one of the few that contains current, scientifically-backed information. It is clear from the pages of references that the author has done copious research to support every single claim in this book. From important information for the pregnancy stage, like what supplements are really necessary, to vital information about what to purchase for your newborn, this is the most complete pregnancy book on the market. I feel so much more confident in my choices during pregnancy after reading this book.

Following up in "It starts with the egg" as a must-read for any woman trying and struggling to get pregnant, Rebecca Fett's new book is going to become a classic for all moms concerned with the health and health choices they make associated with their babies during pregnancy and infancy. Meticulously researched, Rebecca lays out the important information to know in a readable and understandable way. As a newly pregnant first-time-mom, I devoured the book in a few days, and have been so thankful to have it as a reference to return to as I've had to make decisions about what products are safe, and what health decisions need to be carefully scrutinized after my baby is born. I am certainly recommending this book to all of my pregnant friends!

Spectacular follow through from It Starts With The Egg! It’s evident Rebecca has put her research to work. Both of these books combined have changed my life and will follow her advice, recommending them to anyone in this journey. I’m 11w pregnant thanks to her and my baby is on the oath of heath thanks to her! Thank you!

After years and years of infertility and endless procedures, I read Fett’s earlier book, It Starts With The Egg, and just as she suggested, we got pregnant three months after following her routine. When she came out with this book, it was a no brainer to me to give it a read and follow her advice. Much of it was easy because I’d already changed some stuff around my house from the first book, but I happily added some supplements like Choline, Vitamin D and a probiotic to my routine. The information in her book is really interesting and helpful. A must read for anyone expecting.

I was interested in this book originally because of her previous book. However I completely disagree with the authors support of the fed is best movement. Read works from the La Leche League instead. Formula is not a whole replacement for the biological norm of breastfeeding and bonding.

I really appreciate that the author understands that we’re not all millionaires with money to blow on only the most expensive options. She makes it clear what it’s most important to focus on and what doesn’t need to be a priority. Sources for everything are cited throughout. After positive results from putting her recommendations from It Starts with the Egg into practice, I feel very confident following this author’s guidance.

Great source of info. I really loved the section on how to find a baby formula that most closely resembles breastmilk. I had planned on solely breastfeeding, but a medical situation forced use of infant formula. The info in this section helped with my choices for my baby and helped me feel less like I was swapping out fruit n veg for candies. It put my mind at rest that there were things I could do to still try and give my baby optimal nutrition for growth and development even though I was no longer able to breastfeed. That was worth its weight in gold.

This book is well-researched and the end-of-chapter summaries are very helpful. I read the whole thing in one sitting because the information is important so you want to have it sooner rather than later! I think every mama-to-be could pick up a number of easy changes to incorporate from this book (e.g. tweaking supplements). I read, loved, and lived by It Starts with the Egg for my first (so far successful) IVF cycle and this book is a great follow-up for the next phase. I’ve referred back to ISWTE frequently as a reference, and I’m sure I’ll do the same with this one. Every pregnant woman should have this in her library!

As a scientist, I love Rebecca’s reliance on research to leave parents informed about decisions they make surrounding their pregnancy and the early days of parenting. There are a few moments where I feel that correlational research is used as evidence of implied causation, but she usually follows it up with a caveat to emphasize the limitations of the research and qualifies the conclusions we can make. I wish there were more books out there on pregnancy and child rearing that relied so heavily on the limited research available on these topics.

I credit It Starts with the Egg for our pregnancy and now Brain Health from Birth is my primary reading during pregnancy. I love the practical aspect of Fett's research and recommendations, and really like how she inserts her own experiences throughout the book. I also appreciate her extensive research and references. I have downloaded or purchased some of these references for further reading. If you are interested in the latest research on supplements to encourage healthy brain function and chemicals to avoid during pregnancy and post them this book is prefect for you.

I love that Rebecca backs all of her recommendations with scientific research & she’s a realist by giving cost effective options. I truly believe that this book will change the world as it pertains to ADHD & autism. Rebecca is on to something & ALL pregnant women & new parents owe it to their children’s future to read this book!!!

A bunch of loosely referenced material with lots of self options. Rebecca really lost me with this book, and makes me rethink her 1st book with I thought was well written and researched.

So well-written and engaging. Don’t be fooled by the title- there’s a lot of info here on pregnancy. Don’t wait, go ahead and buy now. This is definitely the best pregnancy and newborn book I have read.

Fantastic book- well researched and presented in an easy to understand way. Invaluable info that I truly feel will help me raise a healthier baby. She has a way of educating without overwhelming the reader and keeps it all interesting and engaging.

Rebecca has done it again! After reading “It Starts With The Egg” and implementing a lot of her recommendations, I got pregnant with my second IVF try (first try after making the changes in her book). This new book is the PERFECT resource and sequel for me as an expecting mom. Bravo! Thank you, Rebecca!

This is an excellent book as a resource for fetal and infant brain development backed by scientific research. I feel more confident with the information I have received from this book. Highly recommend!

This book has been so helpful during my pregnancy and in preparing for postpartum! Thank you Rebecca Fett for explaining extensive and complicated information in a way that people who are not in the medical field can understand!

Very good knowledge in the book.

Great read for mom’s interested in babies brain/gut health development! Love that the book is research based and has many great citations. It is easy to read whether you are in the medical field or not.

I love this book!

Highly recommended to anyone who wants sound, well researched information on pregnancy and baby’s brain health. I intend to follow as many advice as possible. Rebecca’s books are tremendaouly helpful and informative!!!

I very much enjoyed the first book and followed thru most of it and did in fact get pregnant. I did not use two of the recommended drugs as I didn’t feel Comfortable with them. But I bought this book next since it was highly Recommended and I have to say I could Only Get thru the first two chapters before closing it. It was so filled with fear mongering that I was questioning how she had a stand to even state any of this. I read the reviews and a lot of people agree. I returned the book and didn’t take the recommendations in this book. Multiple doctors of mine didn’t even understand the value of choline which doesn’t surprise me but with the way this book started I no longer trust this author.

Great info in an easy to understand manner!

Unfortunately, we purchased this book 3 months after our daughter was born and hence, nearly 1/3 of the book related to the in utero period. With that being said, the book didn't provide any additional information that an individually could not obtain through reading well sourced articles on the internet, asking your doctor, and just plain common sense (ie. try your best to eat healthy and exercise, get vaccinated- ask your doctor if you have any questions about vaccine as everyone is different). While my wife and I have a medical background, so this book may seem rather introductory; I don't think this book provides any more valuable insight. I went online to file a return and just missed the return window by 3 days.

great info but the copy i received a lot of the pages are falling out. It wasn't manufactured very well.

Cannot believe I wasted money on this book. This author is just that, an author. Not a medical professional who has done research or understands the research. She chooses to believe what has been contradicted with medical research and uses the book to push those beliefs on you. Don't waste your money.

I loved Rebecca’s first book but this second one is very misinformed on vaccine safety and efficacy. It was hard to get around her blatantly incorrect advice regarding links to nutrition and autism when the more obvious links between vaccines and so many chronic health issues (including ADHD, autism, chronic ear infections, allergies, etc) have been pointed out in the recent landmark Mawson Homeschool Study. Pregnant women should not be encouraged to vaccinate themselves or to vaccinate their young babies. Studies show that countries that vaccinate see higher mortality rates of their babies (vaccines cause SIDS!). During the Coronavirus lockdown, America saw a 30% drop in infant mortality (due to missed vaccinations of babies). The fact that this author missed the research on vaccines is very disappointing. Perhaps she will update this volume with further research in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous book, It Starts with the Egg, and Brain Health from Birth delivered once again. Rebecca Fett does an impressive job of assembling and summarizing all of the relevant research on various and diverse topics related to infant brain health. I was very surprised to learn of the research connection between acetaminophen and brain health - I had never heard of this before. She helps you to understand where it is most important to focus your efforts. Surprisingly, organic cotton and bedding materials and infant formula are not priority areas, whereas low or flame retardant-free car seats are. I very much appreciate her reporting on the one clinical trial that exists on the use of probiotics to treat and reverse group B strep infections (in some women). The concise chapter summaries allow you to focus on the main actionable points of the research and serve as handy reference points for future use. The author also includes a table of various vaccines and aluminum content by manufacturer. She has done an incredible amount of research to provide these resources. Additionally, the product recommendations are GOLD. I frequently reference the book and/or her website for the best products in their class. The one product I would like to add to her fish oil list is Aquabiome maximum strength fish oil. It is the only fish oil I have found to contain a DHA/EPA ratio more in line with what is found in sea food. It provides substantially more DHA than any other fish oil while at the same time including an appreciable amount of EPA. In sum, Brain Health from Birth is an awesome resource you will reference again and again for your little one.

I loved this book and its common sense approach to doing what we can, where we can, based on the science that exists today, to benefit our children’s early health and development. My only complaint is that it bothered me how little recommendations there were for poor or low-income mothers- there also should have been a chapter on advocating to our government so that ALL parents have access to things like prenatal DHA supplements and choline.

I first read Rebecca Fett's book "It Starts with the Egg" about 10 months ago. I had been through 6 miscarriages and was preparing for another round of IVF. After spending so much money again on IVF, I decided to read that book and make lifestyle changes. I loved that book because it is research-based and very well written and based on science. Before my scheduled round of IVF and making a lot of the recommendations in the book, I did a round of clomid and am now 20 weeks pregnant with healthy twin girls. So when this book recently came out, I was very excited to read it. I am a pediatric Nurse Practitioner and also used to do research for autism and behavioral therapy for children with autism. I found this book so fascinating because a lot of the research noted in the book are new studies about autism and brain development both during pregnancy and during the child's first year. It gives research based-recommendations for brain development of the developing fetus and changes we can make (such as lifestyle changes, diet, products to use/avoid, vitamins). I wish this book would have been around when I was pregnant with my other 2 children! We all try and do our best to raise healthy children and if there are things we can change, even little easy changes, then why wouldn't we take that? Thank you Rebecca for writing this book! I find it very interesting and have definitely made some changes already for this pregnancy :)

I read It Starts With Egg which has been pivotal so I was excited to start reading this book in faith. However, I just got my positive, so I am even more stoked. I can't read it fast enough, but so far I am part way in. I have to say the title does not capture it all. There is so much more to this book! Rebecca is very studious. Everything is backed by lots of research. I think she has scoured the research more than 99% of doctors. I have already recommended the book to my midwives so that when I start mentioning my supplements, they aren't blindsided. So far, I am really fascinated by the choline section. I have heard Dr. Lynch mention the importance in pregnancy and Dr. Chris Masterjohn mention the importance with MTHFR polymorphism, but otherwise no one is talking about choline!!! Definitely not the OB's and midwives I have seen. I have a feeling I may not agree with everything in the book, but I think I am still going to find this as pivotal in my pregnancy as her previous book was in my preconception preparation.

I suffered through 3 miscarriages. After losing the third, I read Rebecca Fett’s first book, “It Starts With The Egg.” I followed her advice for 6 months, my 4th pregnancy is going well! After finding out I was pregnant again, I often said there needed to be a follow up to her book. I was so excited and relieved to find out she was working on one! I’ve been reading her book every free second I get to obtain as much information as quickly as possible. I’m always skeptical of pregnancy advice, but Rebecca always acknowledges where her research came from and counter arguments. I found the information on ADHD and autism most useful. She goes through possible causes and ways to have the most healthiest baby possible. Rebecca also explains supplements for healthy brain development and toxins to avoid during pregnancy. Even as a nurse, I learned so much from her books! I’m so grateful for her work and her sharing her knowledge with others.

I was highly anticipating Rebecca’s Brain Health from Birth book and it ended up being even better than I expected. Every chapter contained research and insights I hadn’t read about before and I plan to put her recommendations in place as I go through pregnancy. For example, on Omega-3s Rebecca says “Dr. Olsen and his colleagues directly measured the levels of omega-3 fats in women’s blood during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. In a study published in 2018, he reported that the women with very low omega-3 fats were 10 times more likely to deliver prematurely.” Rebecca then gives further evidence on the benefits of Omega 3s, questions to ask when choosing a fish oil supplement, and brands she had found that fit the bill. More broadly, Rebecca gives insights on topics ranging from other critical supplements to breastfeeding, cord clamping, vaccines and pain & fever relief for babies. Several months before her book came out I was doing online research on autism and couldn’t find any of this information on the sites where I looked. This could be because I wasn’t looking at the right pages on these sites, but either way I found a wealth of information in Rebecca’s book on autism and ADHD prevention that is invaluable to me. I am so thankful for this information and I feel more confident going into pregnancy because of it.

A must-read. 1 in 40 babies in the US is born with Autism. That number increases to 1 in 27 if you have a boy. Even more dire is the statistic that 1 in 6 children is born with a developmental disability. What can you do? Hope and pray you beat the odds? In “Brain Health from Birth”, Rebecca Fett, a scientist (and lawyer!) herself, provides us with an actionable, science-supported guide as to steps parents can take to give their child the best shot at a normal, healthy and high-functioning brain. Fett tells you the actual vitamins and minerals a mother can take so that your child has a higher IQ, the baby products you should avoid (and those you should be sure to buy) so that your infant isn’t breathing in all sorts of toxins that will affect their brains and what vitamins the baby should take to reduce inflammation and improve their microbiome (hugely linked to brain health, colic and more). Similar to her top-selling book “It Starts With the Egg”, Rebecca writes in an approachable, easy-to understand manner. Pressed for time? She has a bulleted list at the end of every chapter summarizing the key points contained within. Want to delve into the data? She links to every study she cites in a hefty footnote section. A must-read for any expecting parent or those of an infant looking to give their child the best shot at brain health and life.

Highly recommend this book! I’m a WHNP and still learned a ton from this book. I tell all my patients about this and her prior book “It’s Starts with the Egg” depending on need. I love her accompanying website and took all her recommendations to heart as I am expecting my first. Shes an excellent writer and explainer of evidence based research. Please make more books!!!

Amazing book! Very informative with realistic suggestions. It is impossible to live a truly toxic free life but this book acts as a fantastic guide to helping you decrease the worse toxins and help deliver a healthy baby. It is an amazing resource and a good read.

The book is perfect for any mother who is looking for answers to today’s most difficult issues with children’s brain health, like Autism. The author not only backs everything with research, she also gives practical advice. With the growing rate of autism in today’s society, this is a great insight has to what mothers can do differently while pregnant and the child’s first few years of life to increase their child’s intelligence and decreasing mental disabilities.

Junk science and supports bad interest science. Don't waste your time. There may be some good but much is off the mark.

Amazing book , a must read for all future moms. First book helped me so much in getting into new habits before I conceive . This one is keeping me in the right track how to continue with my life. Thank you Rebecca

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s pregnant or has recently had a baby. After having a miscarriage I read the author’s previous book “It Starts with the Egg” and was able to incorporate a lot of her advice in my daily life. We were able to conceive quickly after and now that I’m pregnant I’m so happy that Rebecca released this book. All the information on the book is backed up by solid research and Rebecca makes it all easy to understand and gives practical tips on what specific brands to choose or what to prioritize when implementing the changes. I’d like to say that even though the book explains about many toxins present in our environment, the suggestions on what to do are definitely doable for anyone.

First I'd like to mention I'm using my husband's account to write this review. This book is amazing! I'm so thankful I became aware of it. I want to do everything possible to help my baby have the best brain health and this book gives me the knowledge and guidance to be able to do that. I highly recommend getting this book. Anyone who is pregnant or their baby is under a year old should read this book. One thing I love about the book the most is that not only does the author tell you things to avoid, etc., but she also provides guidance on what to do and products to buy that are safe. So helpful!

Love this book and the author. Rebecca Fett also wrote another favorite of mine: it starts with the egg which is what I used while ttc. She deep dives into what is best for baby and mama during pregnancy and the crucial start to start! Very excited for my next pregnant to view this as a bible to live by!

I found this book after reading Rebecca's first book It Starts with the Egg which was instrumental in me, as a 44 year old woman getting pregnant with my own eggs. I am part way through Brain Health from Birth and am soooo grateful that I found it just after I learned I was pregnant. It explains how expectant mothers can take simple steps to reduce the chances of their babies being born with developmental disabilities. Every expectant mother (and father!) needs to read this book!

I was eager for this book to be published, as I feel Rebecca’s “It Starts with the Egg” was so instrumental in my becoming pregnant. “Brain Health From Birth” has not disappointed. Rebecca has a way of taking complicated scientific information and describing it in clear, easy to understand ways. She includes “Points to Remember” at the end of each chapter, which clearly summarize the main ideas. I highly recommend this book.

Another 5 Star review for Rebecca Fett! I literally took notes during my time reading this book. The content is easy to understand and simple to apply! Thanks so much, Rebecca!

Rebecca does a ton of research for you and compiles it in an easy to digest way. Well-rounded with lots of useful advice to take away.

This book is an amazing follow up to Rebecca Fett’s “It’s Starts with her Egg” which gave me support and hope through IVF. This book gives you instant takeaways, insight, and knowledge in how to support your growing baby. A must have for moms. So thankful for these support tools.

Love this book! Found her research so helpful. I read Rebecca’s first book, It Starts with the Egg after my miscarriage & after following the advise I am so grateful to be reading this book while pregnant! Thank you Rebecca for your hard work!

Very informative and a great complement to It Starts with the Egg.

a great book

This book’s goal is just to fear monger. The author leaps to conclusions way too fast. I’ve read a few books now on these topics and I think it is very important to stick with authors who either have a PhD or MD. She points to many single studies that point out correlations and forgets the causation. She cherry picks key points of different articles and loosely references them. In the intro she alludes to staving off autism because her son shows signs of it by having GI issues.

If you’re looking for a book that covers nutrition and particularly vitamins during pregnancy and breastfeeding this is a good book to read, with evidence-based reviews and clear summaries. However, I did have a couple of issues with this book. First of all, it’s a very narrow view of ‘nurturing’ brain health as it essentially only covers nutrition and medicines. There was very little in this book that covered the just as important topic of non-nutrition stimulation and nurturing (talk, play, engagement, etc). I would also retitlr this as ‘Preventing autism and ADHD’ as that seems to be the primary focus of the book. It is written from a lens that assumes your child is at high risk of developing autism and ADHD and how to prevent that. Again, this is a very narrow view and fails to truly look at early childhood development from the lens of nurturing and optimising growth and potential.

She writes the best books

A lot of emphasis is put on our babies developing well physically in the womb and beyond however what is equally important and not really talked about is brain development. I do feel that these days it is vitally important to be in charge of your own health, not to rely on doctors or midwifes, do your own research and learn the facts for yourself, especially during pregnancy and this is exactly what Rebecca has done with this book. After a 6 year long battle to get pregnant I was terrified of doing something wrong when it eventually happened however I felt much more empowered and more in control of my pregnancy after reading this book. It is written in a way that is very easy to understand and every fact is supported by science and research (with reference to the specific studies if you want to delve deeper into that subject). It explains the role of vitamins and supplements in pregnancy which I found extremely interesting and invaluable. For example, society pushes the use of Folic acid during pregnancy however this is the synthetic version of Folate which is much better for us to take. Some women are born without the enzymes that the body needs to convert Folic acid into Folate internally (but of course they would never know this) plus it is possible to take too much folic acid and this can happen as some foods, such as certain cereals, have added folic acid and too much can cause brain developmental problems. It is not possible to take too much folate on the other hand. Also, the book teaches of the vital importance of Choline during pregnancy and breast feeding. When I mentioned Choline to my midwife, she had no idea what I was talking about - which emphasises my point that we need to take control of our own health through our own education. The book is a follow on to Fett's first book "It starts with the egg" and it carries on many of the concepts that she first highlights there such as being cautious of plastic during pregnancy and your babies early years, the importance of diet and highlights certain toxic foods to avoid (I never knew that oats were so bad for toxins so have switched to organic now). She also highlights the fact that a lot of every day items such as rugs, curtains, baby car seats, mattresses etc are covered in flame retardant and other nasty chemicals which our babies will absorb over time and she gives recommendations for non-toxic, safe brands. It's all about awareness - we cant avoid these things completely however we can significantly reduce exposure. I highly recommend this book to all pregnant ladies, new mothers or for ladies hoping to get pregnant in the future and for dads too.

Huge fan of Rebecca Fett’s first book It Starts With The Egg. I used that as a guide to getting pregnant. This Brain Health From Birth, has been a good practical step by step of things you and your partner can do during each stage of pregnancy from vitamins right through to during your baby’s first year. The book is very digestible and you can always join to Facebook page for more conversations on specific questions you may have.

Great book for the mums to be. You will learn so much useful information how to support not only the wellbeing of your little one but yours too. The information provided in this book is not often mentioned anywhere else. For this alone this a real gem. Would highly recommend.

More like a book of new age worries than about actual development. Pointless fear mongering on certain topics and just plain dangerous advice in some areas.

Very statistical based (which of course is a good thing) but stick with it as so valid and informative and relevant

This has been my main book during my pregnancy. What is unique about this book is that it offers perspective on what we can do to promote brain health in the young ones through diet, supplements, toxin reductions and day to day care, which I found very useful and insightful. I would definitely recommend this book as a prerequisite for every pregnant women.

Some interesting information for pregnancy and Baby's health.

Great book, very informative.

This book gave me lots of knowledge

Great read

I am so impressed with this book. I became a fan of Rebecca Fett’s research initially when I was looking for answers on how to manage symptoms of my autoimmune arthritis (which I got with her book The Keystone Approach). This led me to her other book, It Starts With the Egg, when I started trying to get pregnant (again, got great results - I’m pregnant with my first). I preordered this book and flew through it. As always, she has practical advice that is backed by the most recent research. No fear mongering - just useful tips in how small changes can make a big impact on baby’s brain development while in utero and the first year of babe’s life. I ended up getting a copy as a gift for my nursing friend who was interested in all the info I was talking about at work. Would definitely recommend !

Rebecca Fett is a biologist and uses evidence-based approach citing different studies to confirm her ideas, but the problem is that independent science is virtually non-existent now: the vast majority of recent research is industry-funded so very often it's in fact so-called "junk science". For example, she recommends getting flu and Dtap shots during pregnancy, but vaccines are known inflammation and autoimmunity triggers, and manufacturers explicitly specify they have never been tested on pregnant women so they're exempt from liability if a woman miscarries or gives birth to a vaccine injured baby (which DOES happen - just join any vaccine injury group and read heartbreaking stories). I mean, where did the precautionary principle used for decades after the Thalidomide tragedy go? Moreover, there's a growing body of evidence proving that autism and other neurodevelopmental issues ARE in reality strictly connected to early and frequent vaccination of babies and small children - but you won't find these studies published in most medical journals as the latter are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and understandably never accept any research that doubts "vaccines are safe and effective" dogma. Also, Rebecca recommends eating salmon at least twice a week during pregnancy - but surprisingly she doesn't mention farm-raised salmon is LOADED with persistent organic pollutants like PCB and PBDE and other environmental toxicants like e.g. heavy metals and dioxins, so it's safe to eat it only once a month - for healthy non-pregnant individuals. I followed her advice when I was pregnant because I trusted her research (very superficial and based mostly on junk science, as I've found out later) and simply didn't know better - and I deeply regret that and thus can't recommend her book anymore.

I love this authors books as they are backed by science and extremely informative on how to care for yourself and your baby for brain development. It is a must have for all parents expecting.

I found this book incredibly interesting and alarming! I was unaware of the dramatic rise of autism and other developmental issues in children today compared to a generation ago. The book provides practical tips and advice for reducing the risk of autism in our children, and includes opinions and advice from the author from her experience with her own children. It takes quite complex scientific issues and studies and explains them in an easy to digest manner. An absolute must for anyone planning pregnancy, already pregnant or with young children.