Rating: 
Summary: bad advice
Review: My guess is that the impressive size of this book (aproximatley 600 pages) is what draws people to buy it. Well size isn't everything, especially not in this case.
It is important to keep a healthy diet during pregnancy, but the diet this book suggests is insane. No one could follow it. Half a bagel as a treat? Vegetarian sushi is only okay as long as you opt for low sodium soy sauce? If I had miscarried, and my only source of information was this book, I would have assumed my miscarrige was caused by some trivial dietary mistake, and never have forgiven myself.
The diet isn't the only thing about this book that is ridiculous, for one, the book suggests that if you are in active labor you should pass the time by cooking casseroles for your mate. Suuure....I'll get right on that..maybe I should carry a mop into the kitchen with me so I can mop my amniotic fluid off the floor while I'm cooking.
Rating: 
Summary: Somebody has to stick up for this book!
Review: Okay, so it's not as entertaining as the "Girlfriend's Guide" and it doesn't have the weekly illustrations of "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week." However, there's a reason that this book has been a leader in pregnancy preparedness since it was first published. The book is logically organized by trimester and includes separate chapters for the dad and for special issues. Some people are turned off by the somewhat authoritative tone of the book, but I think this is because the authors convey the information in a Q and A form. There are sample questions from mothers which the authors answer instead of just having textbook-like headings followed by dry, technical details. Often I found myself having exactly the same questions as the ones asked. Other times I was glad they anticipated questions that I would have never thought to ask. Inevitably, the authors have their biases (e.g., all caffeine is forbidden during pregnancy), but that doesn't change the fact that this is a very informative and complete guide. Before you allow yourself to be turned off by the authors' style and tone, at least take a look at this book and consider adding it as a reference guide to your pregnancy book library.
Rating: 
Summary: Stay away , the cover should have a warning!
Review: I have had this book for the 8 months and feel now that the girl on the front should have warned me to stay away. She looks positivly miserable and most of the book is the same. Very dry in it's contents. This is not the book to read if you have any sense of humor about your pregnancy or want to get the real scoop! Do yourself a favor, Go for Pregnancy for Dummies or the Girlfriends Guide, they are much better reads.
Rating:
Summary: Silly, flawed and blatantly ignorant
Review: The book lacks an easily accessible organization and a wholesome approach--apart from being flawed and, in many places, plain wrong. You may, for instance, have symptoms in the second month that only show up in the book's fifth or sixth month; so the month-by-month approach this book takes (and which had attracted me to it) turns out to be of no use at all and even quite disorienting. It also concentrates on all kinds of problems--some of them rather silly, others rather exotic medical conditions. The result is that you feel sick and silly after reading the book, not more informed and more in control of your life and able to make good choices.
One of the books erroneous presumptions is that the only safe place to have a baby is the United States of America. Never mind the greater availability of organic food, the huge variety of wholegrain products, the stricter environmental standards and the free health care in most European states. Before you follow the book's advice and only frequent "American restaurants" to avoid all those empty starches and greasy foods, ask yourself, why such a great percentage of Americans are overweight and obese and Europeans are not. For authors, there is no excuse for assuming such blatant ignorance in their readership.
Rating:
Summary: why do people still buy this book??
Review: This book is old and it's information is outdated. Tbe tone is highly negative and well, simplistic. If you want a good overall pregnancy book try The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger.
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of Indifferent
Review: I was given this book at my first doctors appointment after I found out I was pregnant. I liked other books that I bought much better, and would not reccommend buying this one for yourself. I did look up a couple things, but it was to compare to things I read in other books or when I had a question. The diet they expect you to be on is a complete joke, and the book has kind of a preaching tone to it.
Rating:
Summary: I needed a starting book and this one sounded good
Review: If there were half stars available, i would give this book 3.5 stars instead of three. I liked this book, but i found it to be very short in description as to what happens each month. Since this is my first pregnancy, I was looking for a good book to reference for what i could expect each month and different ways to handle it. I found there to be more each month in a sort of "Letter to the Editor" fashion, than actual this is what to expect and this is how to deal with it. Which is more what i was looking for. But long lines of pregnant women in my life said this book would be a great starting place and it was, but it left me wishing for a bit more. I wouldn't say that i wouldn't recommend this book to someone in their first pregnancy, but i wouldn't use it as my only guide.
Rating:
Summary: my pregnancy bible!!
Review: Excellent! I reccomend this book to anyone who is pregnant. This book has been a bible to me throughout my first pregnancy and now my second. Each chapter is thorough and very well organized. I have read each chapter before I began that month and have found them to be both reassuring and informative. The book includes in it a preconception plan, information about choosing a doctor, childbirth alternatives, second pregnancies, twins, sex while you are pregnant, and coping with the common and not so common pregnancy symptoms. I especially found helpful the chapters about labor and delivery. Most of what it said did actually happen to me, although the book made some things sound worse than they are. Some parts can sound pretty scary, but you need to be prepared for the worst. There is also a chapter that covers what the fathers can expect! This chapter covers everything from mood swings to sympathy symptoms to bonding. My boyfriend also has read this entire book and tries to follow the tips and advice more than I do!
Overall, i strongly reccomend this book to anyone who is planning to start a family. It is very helpful to have a guide to turn to whenever you have any kind of question at any time of the day!!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time or $$!
Review: Like others, I wish there was a no star rating. This book is TERRIBLE! When a former co-worker was pregnant, I saw her reading this book daily. So when my husband and I found out we were expecting, we went out and bought this book. What a waste of money!! My husband is a nurse, and found the just for dads chapter ridiculous, not to mention insane. I got so nervous about Labor and Delivery after reading this book I went out and bought 3 more books, just on L&D. I found the Sears' book, The Birth Book, to be the best guide. I wish I'd had their Pregnancy book, I'm sure I would have liked it much better. The diet that others mention in their reviews is completely insane and the authors make you feel like if you don't follow it, you'll have a child that has problems.(I didn't, I ate what I wanted, took my prenatal vitamin every day, and had a healthy 9lb+ baby.) Plus, if you're having a fairly normal typical pregancy, and you are a worrier, this book is awful- I worried for 8 months about all that could go wrong.(and all that happened was that I was slightly anemic and delivered one week early.) I would recommend that any new expecting woman go to the bookstore one evening, sit down in the pregnancy section(or get a selection of books and go sit down) and scan through the books. Find the one that seems to fit you the best and buy it. Or check them out of the library before buying. I wish I had. With my next one, I probably will. And I will never give this book to anyone who's expecting.
Rating:
Summary: What To Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
Review: This book was fabulous for letting you know exactly what was happening & what to expect throughout your pregnancy. I found this book to be a wealth of information. There weren't any questions that it didn't answer for me. I like honest forthright information. I highly recommend this book to every pregnant woman, especially the first time!
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