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Summary: Pregnant womans bible....
Review: I am expecting my first child soon and when my husband and I found out we were expecting, we immediatly went and bought this book. I have looked up everything in this book that I don't understand. When it comes to how big baby is they don't say much, but how can they possibly tell you how big your baby is at any given point. I found the index to be the greatest thing. They tell you everypage that the subject your looking for is on. HOW GREAT IS THAT!!! I loved this I even bought a copy for my husband, to take with him overseas. I would recomend this book to everyone I know.
Rating: 
Summary: Good resource -- but don't let it make you feel guilty!!
Review: I have owned 2 copies of this book -- one for each of my first two pregnancies. I devoured it during my first pregnancy, but ended up tossing it because of how "tsk-tsk" the authors are toward women who might even consider eating a piece of chocolate cake (all that sugar? Think of the baby!), during pregnancy (even if that's all you can manage to keep down during the first trimester). Once you've actually been through a real pregnancy, you realize how differently reality is from the ideal. You eat WHAT you can, WHEN you can. And if your midwife gives you a prescription to help relieve your nausea, YOU TAKE IT, with gratitude! At the start of my second pregnancy, however, I realized how easy it was to find things in What to Expect, that the chronological layout really is quite useful. So I ended up buying another copy (used). All in all, I do recommend it as one of the better pregnancy reference books, although I do have reservations about it simply due to the guilt-inducing nature of the opinions of the authors. Be forewarned: the authors seem to think we are all capable of eating a perfectly balanced diet everyday (morning sickness anyone?), we should not even CONSIDER taking anything that might help relieve nausea, and we should all expect to have a perfectly wonderful pregnancy experience! All of this can be a little heavy handed, especially for women in their first pregnancy who find that pregnancy is not always all it's idealized to be. I am in my third pregnancy (I have 2 wonderful, healthy children) and will probably not need to resort to pregnancy books this time. Unless someone happens to give me a used copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
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Summary: The BEST mom-to-be resource
Review: This book stayed on my nightstand throughout my pregnancy. It answered so many questions, reassured me, and helped me look forward to each new stage of pregnancy. I recommend it to every expectant mom! Sheryl Gurrentz, author
"The Guilt-Free Guide to Your New Life as a Mom: Practical ways to take care of yourself, your life and your baby--all at the same time"
Rating:
Summary: Wordy, but Lots of Useful Info
Review: I found this book to have a lot of useful information, but it starts off very wordy. I don't care about the author's whole life history and reason she decided to write this book. Establishing that could be done in a page, not 4. The Pregnancy Diet
There is a recipe section, that if I had the time, may be of some use. However, making cream of tomato soup from scratch is time consuming and more expensive that buying the can and adding milk. All of the recipes in that section need to be made from scratch, even the French fries, not a practical suggestion for someone who has a job. Part 2 - Nine Months & Counting
The Question & Answer format was really helpful. Most of the questions give you about half a page of really useful information, with facts, but not overstating the answer to the question presented. Part 3
From postpartum to breastfeeding to Daddy, the section mixes the Q & A format with the informational format from the 1st section of the book. This section is very useful for understand your postpartum 1-6 weeks and tips for breastfeeding holds. The "Expectant Father" section is in the Q & A format, and may have some things that Mommy hasn't realized about Daddy. You're husband or partner may not read the whole book, but is 1 chapter really gonna hurt him? Part 4 - Special Concerns
This was something that had never even crossed my mind until I read this book. From common colds to measles, as well as how to deal with symptoms of illness. "I have a fever, should I take aspirin?" and a bunch of other questions like that. It is an informative section that some may not even think about when they are expecting. Pregnancy Notes section
I think that this is a very creative section because you have 2 pages to write down your personal notes for each month. The book also suggests that you show the notes to your doctor, so they know what's going on, since they can't be with you 24/7.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful but.....
Review: .....a little on the condescending and preachy side. I'm so glad to see that other reviewers agree. My OB hands this book out at your first visit, so I felt their must be something wrong with me for not liking it. I do give it three stars, but one is based purely on it's informative nature. It has saved me a few calls to the OB, which is probably why they hand it out. However, I find myself wanting to track down the author and slap her on a regular basis. The pregnancy diet will make you feel like a failure right off the bat because it is hopelessly unrealistic and nearly impossible for any real, human, twinkie and pickle craving pregnant woman to follow. And the harping.....from all sides and topics......about diet. Do you have heartburn? Forget some comforting nugget to make you feel better, the first line she gives you suggests that you brought it on yourself by "overindulging". It comes from everywhere, and yes, it is extremely annoying. So my advice is, if you've got thick skin go for it. Parts of it are informative. However, if you are like 99.999% of pregnant woman (myself included) and are feeling a little sensitive, find something else. Pregnancy is hard enough without a book to make you feel bad about yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste time or money on this book
Review: I was initially attracted to this book by the great title and cover. It unfortunately was not accurate and had too many unrealistic suggestions. If you need a great selection of pregnancy/childcare books, I highly recommend all the books by William and Martha Sears. The books by Iovine are also a great addition to balance out the Sears books.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it used
Review: or see if you can get someone to give you a copy if you feel the need to keep this "pregnancy bible" close at hand. The month-by-month format is helpful (then again, your experiences may vary somewhat). However, like many readers here, what really annoys me about this book is the tone in which it is written -- like all pregnant women are morons who jettisoned their sense of humor the minute the test came back positive. And the nutrition section is kind of a joke. I went from four months of morning sickness straight into persistent heartburn, so I made food choices based on what (1) didn't make me gag or (2) didn't keep me up all night belching. (Sometimes it was grapefruit, sometimes it was potato chips.) Relax a little bit -- constantly worrying about your weight or if you stood downwind from a car with a bad exhaust system isn't good for the baby either.
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Summary: What I Expected was a Better book!
Review: I have had 3 children and am most likely prego with #4. I am an avid reader and have read many pregancy, birthing, baby, and childcare books and magazines. I don't consider myself an expert, but I do know what a good pregnancy book is, and this isn't one. I borrowed this book from my SIL who used it through her prego. My sister had swore by her book through her prego, as well. I had heard nothing but great reviews. Well, I was highly disappointed. I didn't agree with many of her discussions she brought up. While much of the books was interesting and helpful in a general information of what was going on, it didn't give me any real answers! My OB and friends who have already given birth gave me all the information this book gave me. I was glad I hadn't purchased it! I highly recommend: Your Pregnancy Week by Week. It gives you great descriptions for what is going on inside your body, what changes you'll face and are facing, why certain things happen, what your baby looks like, what size your baby is, what is happening to your baby, when certain things develop, why you feel this or that, what this pain is, what that feeling is, etc. It's incredible! If you want a great book that is similar to What to Expect... then get The Pregnancy Book by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears, RN. Dr. Sears is a Pediatrician with a great website. Martha is a Pediatric Nurse and La Leche League leader. They have had 8 children together and practice what they preach. I have this in my permanent library and recommend it to friends who are moms-to-be quite frequently. I don't recommend any of the What to Expect books... Dr. Sears has great books that are all great alternatives to What to Expect... What to Expect was so popular because it was the first and only book of its kind for so long. Now there are a ton of great options out there. It filled a need, but now it's no longer needed!
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Summary: A Must Have!
Review: A Must have!
Although english is my second language, I have enjoyed this book very much. It was my source of information throughout my pregnancy & even labor. Even my Dr. was impressed about all the information i tell her & she kept on wondering if it was really my first pregnancy! & now with the arrival of my baby I started reading What To Excpect The First Year, & I'm sure that I'm getting the right information from the experts.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, but not reassuring
Review: Although I found this book to be helpful when looking for information about something, I did not find the tone of the book reassuring. Much of it is written in question and answer format, and the majority of the questions have the tone of a mother who is worrying. This format sends the message that panic and constant worry are appropriate responses to pregnancy. Even though worry is certainly a part of being pregnant, I felt that the presuppositon of worry often exacerbated my own worries and was leading me in the direction of worrying excessively - which is easy enough to do in the first place. I give it two stars because it is informative, but would recommend looking for a book with a more reassuring tone.
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