Academic’s new book helps parents-to-be how spot fake news about pregnancy, birth and babies.

In her new book, Professor Amy Brown takes a different focus to supporting parents through pregnancy, birth and the early months. Rather than giving them advice and guidance from a certain perspective, she talks parents through how to evaluate the information they find online, in the press and in books themselves.

Making decisions

Professor Brown said: “In a world overflowing with information telling you what is best for you and your baby, making decisions can feel overwhelming. Who do you trust? Who is telling the truth? And how do you know if what they are saying is right for you?

"There is an array of pregnancy, birth and parenting books out there, all proposing different methods for growing, birthing and caring for your baby. There is a growing interest amongst the public in basing decisions at this time on up to date science and research, with research studies often used to back up different perspectives. Every day the media present new research as ‘definitely the best new thing’ for pregnant women and new mothers. But unless you have a background in science, research or media it can be difficult to know who is presenting the facts and who is distorting them.

"I set out to write this book as a guide to pregnant and new parents in helping them understand how research is conducted and to think about what research studies really mean. My aim was not to give them the ‘one right answer’ but to equip them with the skills they need to judge things like who is giving them the message, who funded the research and how well it was conducted and to decide for themselves what that means for them. I hope that this book helps parents to judge what is really important and relevant to them, and what is just soundbites."

Buy a copy of Informed is Best published by Pinter & Martin.