Rating: 
Summary: What can go wrong when you're expecting
Review: This book is full of idiotic statements and scare tactics and
the majority of "information," it seems, is about all the discomforts and illness you might have during what is supposed to be a very joyous time in your life.
First of all, I'd like to say that I don't condone smoking during pregnancy, but the book tells us that if you smoke while pregnant your uterus becomes filled with smoke and causes your baby to cough. Uhm, exactly how deep would one have to inhale for the smoke to reach and fill the uterus? And, how can the baby cough when it doesn't even breathe until it first reaches the air outside thewomb? You'll get tons of tips like that...oh, and God forbid you eat something they don't allow and gain more than 25 lbs in your entire pregnancy! If that doesn't make you feel bad enough, it says that miscarriage in the second trimester is usually the fault of the mother. Isn't that nice? To me, the book is not much more than a sermon and as many others have said, it takes the most
natural experience the world and makes it into a serious medical condition. If you really want to read this book, check it out at the library first. I wish I would have!
Rating:
Summary: incites anxiety and needless fear
Review: I did NOT like this book, it doesn't seem to help at all and is very preachy. I am healthy and am doing everything right in pregnancy, but this book makes me doubt myself. A good pregnancy book should not incite anxieties and false fears. PLUS, there is minimal info on morning sickness, which is my worst problem. Very disappointing. The diet section is just ridiculous - I am a very healthy eater who eats organic foods as much as possible but this book still made me feel like a junk-food hog (and I am NOT). I would only recommend this book for women with little-to-no prior knowledge of pregnancy, because it does have most of the basic clinical information. Women who are already educated about pregnancy basics would benefit more by reading other books.
Rating: 
Summary: How to make a pregnant woman even more neurotic...
Review: As a physician, I went into my first pregancy with a fair bit of "knowledge" - but nothing compares to "the real thing!" This book does have lots of information in it, and covers complications/ problems etc well. However, it could create a huge number of guilty/neurotic/paranoid moms to be with all of the restrictions on diet that it includes. "The pregnancy diet" sounds great, but how many servings of orange vs green vegetables do I really need to eat every day, let alone avoiding anything smoked/salted/processed... great if you are already a health nut and eat organic food, but for the rest of the planet, let's get a little more practical! The reality is that babies are the world's best parasites and will take what they need from their "host" - which is why malnourished heroin addicted moms can still give birth to 8lb babies!I say it is a good resource, but don't live by it alone or you will go mad!!!
Rating: 
Summary: This book is a "Must Have" for all Parents
Review: I bought this book when I was expecting my first child (a daughter) and I read it regularly throughout the pregnancy. I felt so much more knowledgeable about pregnancy and more prepared for the actual birth of my child. When I was expecting my second child (a son) I thought I knew almost everything I needed to know about pregnancy, but of course I didn't, and I read the book again and learned so much more! I love how each step of the pregnancy is outlined month by month. The index is very comprehensive as well, so I could always look up whatever I wanted to know in a few seconds. The book is very easy to read and answered all my questions. I have also bought "What to Expect the First Year" and "What to Expect the Toddler Years" and I highly recommend all three books for all parents.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: With doctors always rushing you at appointments, it's a lot easier to find answers to your questions in this book! Also, you don't have to be embarrassed. I absolutely loved it! It was very organized, and I'm shocked that there were some negative reviews at all. This book is a godsend, really. I found an answer to EVERY question I had, and I learned a LOT. I could probably write my own book now!!
Rating: 
Summary: What to Expect When You're Expecting
Review: I just found out I was pregnant and bought this book by recommendation. While I found a lot of information therin, I do not love the format. I bought some other pregnancy books that were easier reads. I want to comment on those who are upset about this book because they got scared reading about potential complications of a pregnancy. People who get scared about facts need to work on themselves. Facts are just facts. This books is not a novel. It is not supposed to make you feel happy, sad, fearful or confident about your pregnancy. It is supposed to provide some information you do not already have. I believe What to Expect does what it's supposed to do.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Shower Gift
Review: Not a replacement for your doctor, but the closest you'll get. By that I mean no book will replace your obstetrition, but this book answers more questions then I thought possible. I sure wish I had read this when I had my first daughter, but now it has a permanent place in my library and is the gift I give at every baby shower. Also might make a great mom's day gift for your expectant friends.
Rating:
Summary: What to Expect When You're Expecting
Review: This was my BIBLE for my pregnancy. Everytime I had a question about something I just used the book for reference. This book follows your pregnancy month by month, and answers common questions that go along with the big event. Well laid out and organized, I recommend this book to every woman expecting.
Rating:
Summary: Complete, nicely structured... 'nuf said! Get your copy!
Review: Since my wife and I found out we were expecting, we've been avid readers of our copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting". True that an important part of the content is devoted to the fears and "things that could go wrong" but the fact is that when you don't have information it is fear about the unknown precisely. I find the way the book is presented, in a kind of Question and Answer way, to be very easy to follow. If you zoom out a bit more, you find a predictable structure to every chapter each of which corresponds to a month of the pregnancy, so you can't get lost here. If you want more of an issue, there's normally at least two answers dealt with. If you only have limited time to read something, it's put together in such a way that you can skim through it without missing out on a lot. All in all, it takes you by the hand as you learn more about the mother's body and the changes she's undergoing, the baby's growth and what to expect when, as well as what the fathers feel and fear during these forty beautiful weeks. Get it and join the "secret" club of the pregnant couples who already have it: at least I felt that way when I got it. Before you're pregnant this is one of those books you will never hear about. Once the word is out, EVERY single person who's already a parent will recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Complete + Professional + Non-Judgemental = All You Need
Review: When we decided to get pregnant, we read something like 25 books. One year and one baby later, I kind of feel like an expert in baby books. So let me say that this book is far and away the best pregnancy book and it is no surprise that it has been a bestseller for many years. This book is a complete, professional, non-judgemental reference. A lot of books try too hard to be funny or cute. WTE is not humorless, but it deals with subject matter in a refreshingly straightforward way. The advice and help given echoes what our doctors have said and answered most of our questions before we even saw our Obstetritian (no, it's not a substitute). This book covered EVERYTHING. It answered all our questions about diet, medication, flu shots, cat ownership, false labor, vitamin supplements, cramps, ultrasound, breastfeeding or how to judge your OB/GYN. All the answers were in here, along with tons of other stuff we didn't think about until we came across it here. Most importantly, this book isn't judgemental. There are a ton of controversial issues associated with pregnancy (medication, breast feeding, circumcision). Lots of books out make a lot of assumptions about religion, single parents, "modern times" or they just avoid some issues entirely. This book assumes you can make up your own mind once you're presented with all the information. This book wasn't a replacement for our doctors, but it gave us a lot of really useful information without taking a side. If the book has a flaw, it is the diet section. Do yourself a favor and skip that section. In all fairness, this is a flaw of a lot of the books we read (some of them reading like 1950s "Keep Young And Beautiful" rants). Our doctor gave us a 10 page handout that gave us all the information we needed. Like I say, we read a lot of pregnancy books. It's pretty shocking how many we found to be completly WORTHLESS! I don't want to name names, and I've already written a couple of negative reviews, but I'm thinking particularly of the ones full of Erma Bombeck-esque anecdotes about La Maz classes, the "staying chic while you're pregnant" fashion mag type, the old-fashioned preachy church-lady books, or--worst of all--the "nutrition" books that focused almost entirely on weight. Some of these books are written by people with no medical qualifications at all! A good rule of thumb: if the author has no medical qualifications, the book will be useless from a medical standpoint. Would you allow a fashion magazine editor to make up your mind about having an epidural? Just about every pregnancy book uses the "What Nobody Will Tell You" tagline. Once you've read this book, there will be very few surprises left. There isn't a topic that isn't touched on and just about everything you need is covered in depth. That's not to say this is the only book you need, but it goes a long, long way. I'm only harping on this because I was pretty shocked to read some of the negative reviews that complained about WTE containing a lot of information on rare pregnancy situations, saying that such information was "scary" and "unnecessary". WTE gives plenty of information on what is serious as opposed to what is a false alarm. Nobody PLANS on having a troubled pregnancy! Aren't you better off knowing what's involved and how to detect and prevent such things? I suppose for some people ignorance is bliss, but we were MUCH happier being prepared. When we went into labor 5 weeks early, we felt at least somewhat prepared for it because it was extensively covered in the book! If you're looking for entertainment, pick up something else or rent a movie. But if you're looking for a complete, professional, and useful reference book, What To Expect While You're Expecting is THE BEST and it will be the standard for years to come.
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