Rating: 
Summary: Pedantic - treats you like an idiot - guilts you to death
Review: For some strange reason, this book has become "the book" for pregnant women to read. It is unfortunate, because it is *not* the best book out there by any means. In all likelihood, it's expectant mothers' penchant for feeling guity that drive sales of this one. The facts in it are fine for the most part and agree with other materials I have read. But the presentation . . .If you have a (very common - 30% of women) problem like light spotting in the first trimester, do not expect any comfort - or even much information from this book on the troubling event. If you enjoy learning about a very strict diet (called "Best odds") and reminded throughout the book of what a loser you are if you eat something that's 'not very best-odds,' you might enjoy this one. There is no question that nutrition is important during pregnancy. This book would have you believe, however, that eating *anything* that's not:
1. packed with vitamins and/or calcium and/or protein and
2. low fat
is more or less akin to a very grave sin (practically murder.) It is so pedantic!! Ice cream, for ex, craved by many pregnant women (though not me) is just "not very best odds." You can just hear the sneer when the authors say something they don't want you to eat "isn't very 'best odds' anyway." Get off the high horse, authors. Most responsible pregnant women will try to eat healthy food and most will also indulge some of the cravings for foods that just aren't "best odds" according to you. These authors will make you feel that eating anything they don't consider best-odds is harming your babies gravely, depriving them of the very source of life - blah blah blah. Read here about your odds of having every weirdo and odd-ball pregnancy malady - that'll make you feel good - and about all your various odds of having deformed babies. I hated this book and fail to understand its popularity but I gave it 2 stars because it is accurate, I think.
Rating:
Summary: This book [mostly] blows
Review: While there is definitely some good and factual information in this book, it is so peppered with outdated old-school western medical b.s. that it is often maddening and could easily frighten someone who doesn't know any better. It touts things like episiotomy as normal (and often helpful - ?!) and pregnancy weight gain beyond 25 lbs as being the result of "overindulgence" during pregnancy -- never mind such other health indicators as blood pressure, hemoglobin and glucose levels, etc. I found this book to be patronizing and obnoxious and it's going right into the recycling bin. A *FAR* better book (and series), in my opinion, is The Pregnancy Book by William & Martha Sears (an MD & RN couple - but open to progressive and more sensible ideas).
Rating: 
Summary: Book is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I really loved this book along with the other millon that I purchased. This book is really informative.
Rating: 
Summary: patronizing AND terrifying
Review: This is one of the few books I've ever read that made me want to throw it across the room. If you are pregnant and looking to be both patronized and terrified, this is the book for you. The "Best Odds" diet is the most absurd: be prepared to feel guilty if you don't follow it, or to gain 50 lbs. if you do.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Advice but can lead to Paranoia
Review: As a first time mother, I was very anxious to get started reading about what to expect in my nine months of pregnancy. The beginning of the book was great, answering a lot of questions about early pregnancy and the tests that follow at the doctor's office. However, reading month by month, I found that around the fifth month, the book began to offer some suggestions that could drive you crazy. I know the authors are trying to be thorough, but this thoroughness can lead a woman with a perfectly normal pregnancy to become paranoid. For example, it tells you to count kicks every day once you begin to feel movement. I found my baby's movement to be somewhat erratic and began to worry that something was wrong. With every question I seemed to have in my second and third trimesters, I began to grow more and more paranoid to the point where I had to have my husband hide the book from me and continuously bother my doctors for reassurance that nothing was wrong. Again, I know the authors have to be thorough, but if you have a good, healthy pregnancy, I feel that this book can just create a lot of unnecessary stress and worry.
Rating:
Summary: It also made me feel stupid and minimized my problems
Review: I had a VERY difficult pregnancy, and the information in this book really minimized the problems I was having. It made me feel stupid, like a whiner, and not take my symptoms seriously enough, and feel guilty for being such a wimp. I ended up in the the hospital with some very scary complications. Very few people sail through their pregnancies like the book describes, and as most OB's will also minimize your discomforts, you really need to stand up for yourself and get a support group (like Babycenter.com) where you can talk to other women and figure out what to demand that your doctor do for you. I think that if I had not read this book, I would have taken my symptoms more seriously and not tried to ignore them for so long.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a guilt trip!
Review: Unless you are willing to follow the very strict diet and exercise guidelines in this book, you shouldn't buy it. Even if you are willing to follow it, the advice is so unrealistic that most women who are pregnant will not be able to follow it because they will just feel too lousy. It really will just make you feel guilty and frustrated, which pregnant women really don't need. The medical information is very general, and was of little help to me during my pregnancy. Anything that I really wanted information on, I had to look up on the Internet. The only really valuable part of the book is the information on fetal development each month, and some of the information on how chemicals and certain foods affect the baby, which you could probably find on-line too. "What to Expect the First Year" is similarly strict and frustrating, and in some ways even insulting as to the advice it gives. Fortunately, I received both books as gifts and didn't waste my own money on them.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent guide for new mothers
Review: I first bought this book 15 years ago on my first pregnancy and it helped me a great deal. I was given a newer edition on my second pregnancy 7 years later and I still found it contained a lot of good information about pregnancy and what to realistically expect. It is very informative for someone who is new to mother hood and also for fathers as well. I am surprised at some of the other reviews because I found this book helped me a great deal in understanding the different stages of pregnancy and the issues and joys associated with each. It is surprisingly close to the real experiences and very easy to follow. I gave one to my niece who just had a baby and she found it to be excellent. I am giving one to another niece (she requested it having hear so much about it) and I recommend it. I also bought "What to Expect the First Year" and it was equally excellent. Buy both or borrow them from the library. Doctors recommend it as well. In fact "What to Expect When Expecting" is part of your first visit package from most good obstetricians for the last several years.
Rating:
Summary: terrible--would never recommend this book
Review: I would have given this book 0 stars if that was an option. This book is definately one of the worst books on the market. It does not prepare the reader for labor and delivery at all. After reading this book (several times), and thinking I was prepared for labor--I found myself having an unnecessary c-section under general anesthetic (when all I wanted was a natural birth). I wish this book would have spoken more about the risks of pitocen, epidurals, internal fetal monitering, etc...and the plusses of natural births with a midwife at home or in a birthing center.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful and Comforting
Review: I can't believe that some women find this book scary! I guess if you still have your "pregnancy innocence" it could be shocking to discover that problems can arise. However, I went through 3 years of infertility prior to conceiving our first baby. I was already well aware that things can and do go wrong in reproduction, so I entered pregnancy scared and paranoid. This book helped calm my fears. It addresses symptoms and problems in a clear, calm manner. In other books I've read, I felt like the authors were very condescending and "patting me on the head" saying "don't worry your pretty little head about that. That rarely happens." WTEWYE doesn't do that. They clearly explain "normal pregnancy" while realizing that not all pregnancies are without some complications. The attitude is more like: "Yes, most pregnancies are low-risk and perfect. Yours probably will be too. BUT, sometimes problems occur. These are the symptoms. Here's what can be done about it." Forewarned is forearmed. The diet section is MUCH improved over earlier editions. It's a kinder, gentler and far more realistic view of pregnancy nutrition. They acknowledge the psychological need for treats and that having a donut isn't going to doom your pregnancy. :)
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