Rating: 
Summary: Waste of money. Makes you paranoid and fearful of every ache
Review: This book will make the first time parents contantly checking and rechecking symptoms of every cold, over-examining ever ache and pain. Perfect for hypocondriacs (sp?). This book has no real useful information, just symptoms of the 1 in a million problems. If you want a great pregnancy book try Pregnancy Week-by-Week by MacDougal. It's doesn't have that 'better than you' attitude and the weekly updates, rather than monthly are far more satisfying. I would avoid this book if I were you. I bought it because it is 'THE pregnancy book' that everyone has but it really is a waste of money. Don't even bother with "What to eat..." either. Anyone who tells a pregnant woman to stay away from ANY sugar or chocolate is a sadist!
Rating: 
Summary: Historically speaking, this is insightful
Review: but it needs to be updated. Seems alot of the nutrional guidelines and exercises could be expanded. It is an easy read.
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Summary: answered all of my questions!
Review: this book was so helpful. i had so many questions with my pregnancy (this being my first). this book kept me from calling my doctor with every little worry. i highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good as only a reference
Review: I bought this book because it seemed like one of the staples that you have to get as an expectant mother. I thought it was okay, but not great. On the plus side it is organized in a great way (as opposed to the Girlfriends book)and it does have a lot of information. On the minus side, it may have too much information. By that I mean that it has descriptions and definitions of a lot of scary things that you may never encounter but you might think you are experiencing those things after reading about them. Therefore, I only use this book when I need to look something up. I don't read what could or should happen to you every month because it makes me worry too much. Also, the nutrition section is a total waste. I haven't met one person who has been able to follow the diets that they suggest. They are way too strict about what you shouldn't eat. If I followed their advice I think I'd just be eating nuts and berries.
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Summary: 4 STARS from an OB/GYN
Review: My wife is currently pregnant and we are both OB/GYN physicians. even with our current understanding of the entire labor and delivery process as well as antepartum care....we have found the book to be useful answering questions. There are things this book has to offer every patient whether they be a first time mom or the mother on her 5th or 6th child.I agree that many of the comments in this book regarding diet are a bit on the strict side but I wouldn't be concerned if you are a chubby mom as stated earlier. The book doesn't chastize or make light of anyone with weight problems it is merely suggesting a good course of action. Remember that nothing is the substitute for one-on-one medical advice from your own physician, but it's nice to have a reference that can answer somw qustions you might be embarrassed to answer such as sexuality in pregnancy. I would recommend this book to all pregnant women as a guidline and a pretty good read. The way the book is divided into months is nice as you progress through your pregnancy you can match up with some of the milestones and find out what your baby is looking like at that particular time. Here are some of my lightheated recs for patients: -Be nice to grandma but dont listen to her pregnancy advice -Listen to good labor stories and tune out the bad ones -Remember, you're not fat, you're pregnant -Epidurals are not evil -Be flexible with your birthing plan -Read this book if you can RECOMMEDATIONS: ALL PREGNANT WOMEN NEED THIS ON THEIR SHELVES
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Summary: Too Basic
Review: The books cover the basics of what happens when you are expecting a baby. It doesn't teach you more than what your mother could tell you during a coffee break. It's really a waste of time unless you don't have a mother or other previously pregnant friend to talk to.
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Summary: Expect A Very Thorough Book With This One
Review: Some friends of ours gave us this book as a gift during our first pregnancy. I found this book to very thorough and full of medical information. It may be a little bit too complex if you have very little medical knowledge, yet I wouldn't let this discourage you from reading it. It does do a good job in explaining medical tests, procedures, symptoms, etc. The book covers the whole nine months of pregnancy, as well as labor and delivery, postpartum, diet, and more. There is a section in the back of the book for your own personal pregnancy notes. The book covers a lot of information about the unpleasant pregnancy subjects as well, such as miscarriage, sickness, possible complications, etc. Reading these sections can be quite scary, especially if it is your first pregnancy, but can also be very informative. I experienced some bleeding during my first trimester and was very scared. After reading a section in the book that covered this exact thing, I was reassured that what I was experiencing (and that I was having no other pertinent symptoms) was normal. Had I not read that section and became more informed, I would have been a lot more anxious and apprehensive. Sometimes we have to become educated about the "bad" stuff as well. I have used this book on many occasions and I feel it is a great resource pregnancy book. You won't find any colored pictures, only a few black and white drawings. I would recommend this book for first time mothers and fathers. There is a lot of valuable information found in this book and it is worth reading.
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Summary: Skip this one...
Review: I bought this book when I found out that I was pregnant because all of my friends swore by it. As I read it, I wondered why I had wasted my money. The book did not answer the thousand questions that I had about pregnancy and child birth, but instead made me worry about all the things that could go wrong. I guess that this is the perfect book for the pregnant hypocondriac, but not for me. I would not recommend this book to any normal, healthy mom to be. Your money is much better spent on the Dr. Sears books. This book helps to create a lot of anxiety in pregnant women.
Rating:
Summary: very negative view of pregnancy
Review: I found that this book spent too much time dealing with the negative aspects of pregnancy, and far too little time discussing the positives. I have made many sacrifices for my pregnancy and for the life of my baby, but still felt as if I was making mistakes at every turn because of this book. After discussing my issues with my doctor, he assured me that my diet and lifestyle was more than satisfactory for me and my baby. He advised me to put the book on my shelf, and consult it if I had a medical concern that I wanted to research before contacting him. This is what I have done, and I haven't opened it since. I've turned to Dr. Sears "The Pregnancy Book" where I have found the information to be more thorough, and far more positive. Yes, "What to expect..." has some useful information, but if you want a more positive view of your pregnancy, you may want to look elsewhere.
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Summary: not as bad as others would have you believe! read it!
Review: I guess you'd say I'm a bit of an attachment parenting "nut" or a breastfeeding nazi! But you know what? This is what I used for my two pregnancies. I find it was mostly good information and a good reference tool. Sure, if you want to read books on "giving birth naturally is the only way to go" then don't read this one. If you want honest info on CHOICES in birth, then read this. IMPORTANT: I MUST MAKE THIS DISCLAIMER. I AM STRICT CATHOLIC AND DON'T AGREE WITH THEIR STANCE ON ABORTION IN CASE OF FETAL ABNORMALITIES. I ALSO DON'T BELIEVE IN BIRTH CONTROL...END
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