Rating: 
Summary: ABSOULUTELY OUTSTANDING!!!!!
Review: This is a must own book for all first time expecting couples
. Not only is it wonderful for the expecting mothers, but for the fathers too. It gives them a step by step of what is happening to their spouses body. It has wonderful month by
month pictures detailing the monthly changes. It also helps
expecting moms to have on hands access to others first time mothers questions and answer. This book was very comforting
to me because as I am sure most new mothers feel, they have no
clue as to whats happening to their body. WONDERFUL!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Buy other books to accompany this one.
Review: It might be the first book you buy, but it shouldn't
be the only book you acquire; I agree with those who
find it filled with "gloom-and-doom". For instance,
"What To Expect" tells you how to cheat on their
"Best-Odds Diet" - you *can* eat sweets, but only
if they're low fat and good for you! Also, your
symptoms' timeline may not mimic the timeline
in the text (or for that matter in anyone's text,)
so following the "What to Expect"'s tenets religiously
could cause you a great deal of anxiety if,
say, you experience fatigue during your whole
pregnancy instead of feeling a renewed sense
of energy in the fourth or fifth month.
Try Vicki Iovine's "The Girlfriends' Guide
to Pregnancy" for the sense of "everyone's
different, but you'll most likely do okay"
that's missing in "What to Expect".
Rating:
Summary: What every pregnant woman should have in her home!
Review: What to expect when your expecting is a must for every pregnant or
thinking of getting pregnant woman should own. It was a book which I must
have looked in at least twice a day. It gives brief discriptions of
most any question a woman can have. It may not have all the information one
may want, but is a start in the right direction. I also have What to expect the first year, and What to expect the toddler years. I enjoy these also, mostly when my daughter
doesn't feel well.
Rating:
Summary: Answers some questions, but leaves alot to be desired.
Review: Though this book is given to pregnant women by many doctors and
insurance companies, it is not a comprehensive guide to pregnancy
and childbirth. The format is easy to read, and gives you the
basics for what is happening each month. From talking to many
pregnant women, I've heard that this book only begins to answer
their many questions, and I felt the same way. If you have a
textbook pregnancy, and believe that doctors are gods,
then this is the only book for you. Otherwise, read it yes, but
make sure you are reading other books too.
Rating: 
Summary: Great For Beginners
Review: This is a great all-around baby book for first-time Moms and Dads, from month-by-month developmental charts to when to call the doctor and when to relax and wait. Best alternatives are Sears and Leach, or you can pick from conservative to liberal books on child behavior or books on Dads or single parenting. My favorite recent book on parenting is "I Sleep At Red Lights: A True Story of Life After Triplets," by Bruce Stockler, which captures the incredible chaos, joy, anxiety and humor in being a parent--and making priorities. Also loved Annie Lamott's "Operating Instructions" (although some women I know object to her bizarre background.)
Rating:
Summary: Even "thinking" parents need reassurance sometimes
Review: We are halfway through our first pregnancy. Four months ago, we bought this book, along with Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (Simkin) and Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week book (Curtis). Of the three, we like Simkin's book best, and Curtis's book the least. The What to Expect book, while not as informative as the Simkin's book, is in our opinion very good.Many of the things the other reviewers said about this book are true: the authors' diet suggestions border on the fanatical (it seems as if they are writing for obese parents-to-be), and the tone of the book is definitely patronizing. The amount of knowledge about the biological aspects of pregnancy is also minimal---the book is very light on technical terms and diagrams. However, if you click on the image of the book at the top of the screen, you will notice a sentence that highlights the strongest point of the book: "...reassuringly answers the concerns of mothers- and father-to-be." We couldn't agree more. Several times throughout the pregnancy, my wife has had various symptoms that, while quite normal, were alarming for a first-time pregnant couple. Neither of the other two books said very much about these symptoms, but the What to Expect book reassuringly and accurately helped us evaluate whether the symptoms were anything to worry about. Examples are: Is extreme fatigue a sign of danger? Are nosebleeds anything to worry about? What about abdominal cramps during the second trimester? In most cases, the What to Expect was the best book of the three, allowing us to quickly find these concerns in the index, and read about them at length. Most importantly, the What to Expect book described the symptoms in sufficient detail to allow us to distinguish them from the truly serious. In short: there are many problems with this book. The month-by-month organization is not very useful, and there just isn't very much information about the biological aspects of pregnancy (Simkin's books provide that information very well). Sometimes, though, some of us just need to put that little bit of worry in our heads to rest. And this book helped us do just that. On a side note, I noticed that many reviewers accused this book of being alarmist. I found that the Curtis book was much more alarmist than the What to Expect book. Curtis's book might as well be named "What Could Be Wrong with Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week." The What to Expect book at least groups the most fear-inspiring stuff towards the end, in a separate chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, couldn't have done it without it!
Review: I'm not too sure what all the negative comments are about regarding this book because I think it is wonderful. If you're a first-time mom, this book explains absolutely everything you're experiencing. If you have difficulties, before you run and call your ob, check out this book first. Plus, it really tells you when and when not to worry, and when to call the doctor if there's a problem. I really could not have been without this book. I used it throughout my entire pregnancy and was extremely grateful that I had purchased it. It makes a great shower gift or just a new announcement of someone who is expecting. It offers guidelines on nutrition but it's best to follow your doctor's advice. You don't want to gain too much weight but you have to be sure to eat things that are healthy and not potato chips. Ginger snaps are awesome in helping getting rid of morning sickness. No herbal tea though! There's tons of helpful advice in this book and it really is a great resource especially for new moms. I just loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Informative Book
Review: I liked this book - it was informative and provided lots of information in a month by month format (which I found most useful). I don't get the "it's too scary" comments - isn't knowledge power? Don't you want to know about things that can go wrong, and be able to potentially recongnize a problem earlier? I find the more I know, the better I feel. "It's too scary" complaints look almost childish! Grow up, ladies! I remember reading the diet section, but I don't recall that it left a lasting impression on me. If you can't follow their particular diet, don't! The book is not supposed to provide you with a day-to-day menue, it just gives you basic guidelines of what kinds of things you should be eating. Too many times, women think that pregnancy is their ticket to eat ice cream by the gallons, and the book emphasizes that healthy eating is important in pregnancy, as well as healthy weight gain. So, don't take everything that's in this book literally, but remember that it does contain useful tips.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the first time mom
Review: My mom bought this book for me when she found out I was pregnant and I love it. It's set up in an easy-to-read, month-by-month format. "What to expect..." covers a lot of the questions "moms-to-be" have to ask. I'd recommend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly helped save mine and my baby's life!
Review: I will admit that I agree with other reviewers in the fact that this book tells a few too many worse case situations. And it caused me to worry (and also bother my husband) slightly more than nessecary during our pregnancy. But during my 7th month of pregnancy I developed preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which is a problem with high blood pressure, platelet counts and liver enzymes. This can be VERY serious to both mom and baby if not caught in time. After noticing a few of the symptoms I used this book to look them up and read that I may have preeclampsia. So I imediately went to the doctor and ended up having a emergency c-section 3 days later because my liver was about to shut down. I had a 3 lb 5 oz baby at 30 weeks gestation. We are both doing well but I hate to think of what might've happened if we hadn't caught the problem when we did.
So maybe all the worse case situations are there for good reason-to warn people of serious, life threatening problems and give them early warning signs to watch for.
Note to husbands-NEVER criticize your wife for worrying too much during the pregnancy. She knows more about her body and this pregnancy more than you!
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