Rating: 
Summary: Very Helpful when you are Expecting!
Review: I thought it was a very precise and informative book from what you were going to go through the first month and the natal development that went along with that month. Plus, the questions from each section was very helpful as well. The diet portion wasn't too helpful for me. Also, the note section was very helpful as well. To keep track of your pregnancy.
Rating: 
Summary: Alarmist and condescending
Review: I am pregnant with my first baby and bought this book right off the bat because I thought it would be helpful and informative. Instead, it has kept me awake at night with anxiety attacks about gaining too much weight, the toxic fumes from the housecleaning I did before I knew I was pregnant, exercising too much, exercising too little, etc. etc. The preachy, condescending tone is unforgivable and rude -- just when you need a little hand-holding, this book tells you how evil you are if you do normal-person things like eat a little junk food (How laughable is the "Have a piece of cake or some junk food once a month" advice? I'll eat whatever doesn't make me gag, thank you very much.) How about a little support and reassurance during a scary time? Jeez. Nope, this book is going right back to the bookstore. I like the "Girlfriend's Guide" much better, but I want a more "medical" reference book to get me through the next few months. Any suggestions?
Rating: 
Summary: What to Expect When You Are Expecting
Review: I am very pleased with this book, I found it to be very informative and helpful and very interesting to read. It helped me understand what was going on. I have recommended this book to other expectant mothers and they have told me the same thing that they found it to be very useful. It was my pregnancy bible I couldn't put it down,there was always a question and I always found the answer if the answer wasn't there I would write it down and ask my Doctor about it when I saw her the next visit. I found it to be more of a guide then an instructional manual. Every part of this book allowed me the choice of how I was going to care for myself during this pregnancy and what steps to take if something was not feeling right. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL MOTHERS TO BE! Gave mine away recently now I need one again for the second one on it's way. I Loved the book, I hope you do too. :^)
Rating: 
Summary: An Encyclopedia - Not a 'Book'
Review: When I became pregnant (it was a SURPRISE!) I was flat out freaked and un-prepared. My loving sister sent me this book because she enjoyed it so, and I'd heard that many other women loved it. I however, did not, at least not during my initial stages of pregnancy. This book does answer every question you could have and that is a good thing. But this book did not offer me what I needed more than text book answers... Emotional Support!!! Buy this book as a medical guide so you have something to refer to when your insensitive OB doesn't have time to answer your questions. For that it is good. Just don't expect this book to give you the assurance about your feelings and emotions that you so much require at this very sensitive time!
Rating:
Summary: This book disgusts me.
Review: Do NOT buy this book. Here is a choice examples of advice in this stupid book: on "eating well" - you may occasionally treat yourself to a plain bagel, but everything else you eat must be much more unreasonably disgusting. Puh-leez. This book will list all the things that could go wrong at every stage of pregnancy, all the harm you are doing to your fetus every time you twitch a muscle, and much of it is highly unreasonable and overblown. If you want to stay up all night worrying that your baby will be deformed because of something that you did, go ahead and read it. But I would suggest: INSTEAD of this book, consult your doctor about any medical concerns, buy Dr. Spock's books, and buy the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy (and to surviving the first year, and to toddlers, etc) by vicki iovine. You will get better-founded medical information and vicki iovine is also highly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely over-rated book
Review: It seems like this is the book of choice to give to people as soon as you find out they're pregnant. Too bad, because there are much better "pregnancy-survival" books out there. I found that very little of what this book said actually applied to me. It is written from a very paranoid standpoint, and it seems to focus on everything that can go wrong during a pregnancy. I found that it made me more depressed and fearful, so I quit reading it during my fifth month. A much better book is "Natural Pregnancy" by Aviva Jill Romm. I also really like "The Birth Book" by William and Martha Sears, so I would bet that their "The Pregnancy Book: A Month-By-Month Guide" would be better than the "Expecting" book.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Reference Guide
Review: Although I went through the first several months of my pregnancy hating this book because of its "doomsday" outlook on everything that could possibly go wrong, in the end I was very glad I had it. The section on knowing if you're going into labor is the best I've seen, and the book is a good place to go if you are having symptoms you aren't sure about - it is a great reference to have around. Although I wouldn't recommend reading the section "When something goes wrong" unless you have to, I was definitely glad I had it. The month by month section is not as easy to read, and things aren't always where you would need them. I liked "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" for that sort of information better.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Comprehensive If a Little Too Clinical
Review: Obviously this is one of the most relied upon books in the pregnancy genre. And I think every first-time pregnant woman will find the answers to most of her questions within its pages. My only complaint is that the book focuses too much on statistics and clinical data and I found it most useful when read with other books, especially those that relate the stories of actual women and their experiences of pregnancy. A book I just bought and read that brought the data in What To Expect to life for me is called Pregnancy Stories: Real Women Share the Joys, Fears, Thrills and Anxieties of Pregnancy and The Girlfriend's Guide is another good companion. My other complaint about What to Expect is the diet/food section. It seems a bit over the top to me.
Rating:
Summary: Very Pleased Reader of the What to Expect Series
Review: I have kept the first "What to Expect when You're Expecting" book with me since my first pregnancy (more than 8 years ago!) and it reappears with each subsequent pregnancy. And of course the book "What to Expect the First Year" marked with notes from my first child appears shortly before each birth. I am now expecting our third (and LAST) child. I can't applaud this series enough! Every time I read these books I learn something new to assist with the daily tasks of growing, birthing, and raising children. My husband also enjoys reading these books right along with me. He has NEVER felt put down or left out-quite the opposite-the first book helps to explain all of the 'behind the scenes' changes so he better understands what I am going through while I still look 'normal.' I have purchased these books numerous times as gifts for friends and family who are expecting-and I will continue to do so. While these books are NOT all-inclusive, and in no way replace qualified medical advice, they are a great resource for any expectant parents and/or parents of infants! Congratulations to everyone who is reading this review who has just found out they are pregnant--you are in for the best time of your life!
Rating:
Summary: Great book for your first pregnancy!
Review: The first time around your so unsure of EVERYTHING! This book explains it all by the facts! What is happening to your body, why it's happening and when it should happen! Explains all the tests and procedures and answers all your clinical questions regarding pregnancy. Very helpful when unsure and worried about if your doing things right...don't worry..you are! Reads easy with chapters by pregnancy month. A must for your first pregnancy!
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