Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Patronizing In Its Tone
Review: This is my first pregnancy, so I went out and bought this book right away, having heard it was so great. After having read it, I think that it has its good parts and its parts that are not so good. One thing that I really did not like was the so-called "Best Odds Diet" that is featured in the first few chapters. How in God's name is anyone supposed to eat THAT much food in one day--not to mention the fact that most of the food listed was enough to make me want to puke just thinking about it (molasses?? lentils?? Gag me!!) Who are these authors to tell me what to put in my mouth and make me feel like I'm "harming" my baby if I don't follow this granola/earth mother diet to the tee?? Another thing that I did not like was the fact that it doesn't really show you any realistic pictures of what the developing baby looks like. I really wanted to know that! The pictures are crudely drawn and more of an afterthought than anything else. The thing that bothered me the most was how the book suggested in one part that if you are feeling queasy and having morning sickness that perhaps you are just stressed out and worred about becoming a mother!!!!! How downright patroninzing!!!! I had to check to see if this book was REALLY written by a woman when I read that! Other sources that I've read have linked nausea to elevated HCG and hormone levels in your body--which makes a heckuva lot more sense!!! Ugh!!! It just goes to show how little some people really know about a woman's body and being pregnant.
Some of the question and answer type parts of the book were informative and I did glean some basic information from the book. But basic is the key word here. Go find some other books if you want to completely educate yourself on pregnancy and childbirth. This one is just for the occasional reference, and that's it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Upset!!
Review: I was given this book with my first baby , however it has sections on loss but yet it doesnt really help, i have buried my first two children and it did nothing ot help me. It also doesnt help with how to deal with the NICU staff or how to deal with them or what expect at lest when you walk into a NICU. The section they have on Incompent Cervix is useless! I went to the book again when i was told that is what i have and it did NOTHING to help or reinsure me that i could have a child. It is nothing for the high risk !! i think it is a same you could be in trouble and refer to the book and you get so much nothing out of it
Rating:
Summary: How to be scolded for forty weeks
Review: I am so relieved to read other people's reviews of WTEWYE and realize that I am not the only person with a negative experience. In general, I would say that this book puts a ridiculous burden on pregnant women. The book is laughable in its extreme ethnocentrism, as well. The Best Odds Diet is just plain insanity. The idea that if a woman eats a piece of French bread that she is hurting her unborn baby is ridiculous. The book promotes the idea that women cannot be healthy without being lean, even when pregnant.This book is also rife with inconsistency, for instance, telling you that if you drank before you found out you were pregnant, not to worry about it but then suggesting that if you drink one sip of wine during the pregnancy that your baby will "suffer" for it. Similarly, every women of child-bearing age should take folic acid daily before they get pregnant, because folic acid is a water soluble vitamin and needs to be replenished daily, treating the readers as if they can't handle the truth about folic acid, namely that deficiency is associated with a genetic condition or alcoholism and that if conception occurs, it needs to be supplied immediately thereafter, meaning that if you're the kind of woman who goes around getting pregnant unexpectedly AND doesn't figure it out until you're three months pregnant AND you're an alcoholic or have that genetic condition, then you better be taking those prenatal vitamins. The book also contains a lot of information which just seems old. This book also neglects to include a lot of pretty run of the mill pregnancy symptoms, such as backache in the first month, cramping sensations, intestinal upset and pinching sensations in the pelvis.
In my own experience, I had two "missed abortions" in a row. "Missed abortion" occurs when the fetus dies and is not expelled is an event that WTEWYE describes as incredibly rare, which it is not. The book provides inadequate information about spotting and bleeding, never telling the reader that fifty percent of the women who experience spotting go on to carry to term, but that any kind of blood tinged discharge should be checked out by an OB/GYN in the next few days. It's also really annoying the way the book is divided by months as opposed to weeks. How long is a month? Forty weeks divided by nine months is 4.444 weeks. What month am I at thirteen and a half weeks? Look for a better book than this. If you still want to buy it, you can get it at virtually any yard sale in suburbia for [a really low price].
Rating:
Summary: My OB told me to put this book away and stop reading it...
Review: I went nuts and bought a ton of pregnancy books as soon as my test came back positive. I ordered this one because it is touted as the "pregnancy bible". The more I read this book, the more anxious I got, it is page after page of pregnancy complications and their symptoms. Although it's good to be informed... this book is just too much. My OB told me she does not recommend it. She does not recommend the "What to expect" diet... it is too restrictive and unrealistic. ...
Rating:
Summary: Good general guide...leaves something to be desired
Review: This book is a good primer to pregnancy. It provides info about the basics, and covers a lot of what you can expect to feel. However, the authors' diet is totally unrealistic (especially with women who have morning sickness), the book is way too focused on your weight, and makes it sound like if you take medicine during the pregnancy your child is going to be crippled for life.
This book was my pregnancy bible, and I wish it hadn't been. It caused a lot of guilt and worry that was unnecessary.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is educational
Review: This book is ecuational and helpful. To first time mommies... it is good to educate yourself about what is going on with your body and your baby, however, use common sence. All the things the author says in the book about side effects of pregnancy is good to list b/c sometimes it happens. But relax.... you well do just fine. Take what is said like a grain of salt. If you don't understand something in the book call your doctor... speak to your nurse. This book tells you what to expect month-to-month; so it is comforting to know what's going on in your body.
Rating:
Summary: Decent guide, good starter for pregnancy
Review: As soon as I found out I was pregnant, this was one of the first books I read, knowing it was one of the "must reads" for a mother-to-be. I think the book is a good reference point and a good place to start to someone who has no idea what dilation, meconium, or Braxton-Hicks means. The tone is slightly annoying, leaving something to be desired and the diet is a bit unrealistic (though I hear they changed it in the latest edition). Still, the information is formatted well and at least I seem to match up with all the symptoms as they typically arise. I'd say read this book and then research others that may be better suited to your philosophy (I like the Sears and Sheila Kitzinger personally). But knowing many pregnant women, including several of my friends, you don't read just one of these books anyway. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Great reference if you can take it with a grain of salt
Review: I read this book cover to cover and constantly referred to it while I was pregnant and in the first couple weeks after my daughter was born. That said, I think you need to remember that the author also addresses what COULD happen worst case scenario issues. Whether or not it actually happens to you, you should still be informed about it. The problem with this book is that it can make any first time mom completely paranoid and neurotic if she doesn't take what the author says with a grain of salt. My husband actually refused to read this book after he read the first trimester because he was so freaked out about what 'could' go wrong. It is a good book, but don't assume everything bad is going to happen to you!
Rating:
Summary: overrated
Review: This book is the most over rated book out there. This is my first pregnancy and I have *tons* of questions, especially in my first trimester. This book answered NONE of them. Simple questions like, I'm spotting is that commom (yes). My uterus feels heavy and I feel a "pulling" sensation! Is this ok? (yes). Don't waste your money. I love The Mother of all Pregnancy Books and Merriam (sp) Stoppard's The Complete Guide to Pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense 101
Review: I was thoroughly disappointed in the quality of information in this book. The majority of it is common sense and I have only been able to refer to it a few times. When I purchased this book, I also bought "The Expectant Father," (Brott/Ash) and found it to be much more useful. My spouse and I have even argued over who got to read it when because it is so interesting. Plus, I prefer the layout much more than the question-answer layout of "What to Expect..."
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