Rating: 
Summary: Morning Sickness is all in my head?
Review: I have to say, that although this book is a good reference for the many random questions that women have throughout pregnancy, I found it to be demeaning in tone. Having suffered from severe morning sickness, vomiting all day for 5 weeks straight (and feeling generally horrible for 4 weeks after that), that I was extremely offended not only at the shortness of the section dealing with this common and miserable condition but also at the suggestion that its all in my head! I felt like throwing the book across the room when I looked to it for comfort and support and all it offered me was a paragraph about how women with morning sickness tend to be succeptible to the power of suggestion. Excuse me??????
Rating: 
Summary: A lot to learn
Review: What to Expect has so much information it can almost overwhelm you. The book addressed many topics that I had questions about during my pregnancy and I referred to it often. I didn't pay much attention to the pregnancy diet since it really wasn't realistic for me to follow. Because of its question and answer format, I was often reassured to know that I wasn't the only pregnant woman wondering about the things I wondered about or asking the questions I asked. A great book to read along with What to Expect is one called We're Pregnant!. It presents a much more personal look at pregnancy and gives a real-life perspective on many of the medical terms and facts discussed in What to Expect.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent resource in my pregnancy library!
Review: I received WTEWYE as a gift from a friend. All my friends had enjoyed it to one degree or another, plus my OB recommended it. (She did tell me not to read the chapter "When Something Goes Wrong" unless she actually told me I had something going wrong.) So I did not read that chapter and refrained from giving into the temptation to do so.I'll be a first-time mom in 12/99 at age 37 and find the book easy to read, full of answers to common questions and not the least bit condescending. I've been reading each chapter as I enter the corresponding month and like having an idea of what I *may* expect, what my body *may* look like and what my baby looks like. Having common sense, I take what I think will work (some of the Best Odds recipes, not the whole Best Odds diet)and ignore what does not apply to me. No book can be a be-all end-all to me, and that's why this is just ONE of my resources. (I also love V. Iovine's Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, The Everything Guide to Pregnancy and The Nursing Mother's Companion.) I also like the chapter for fathers. My husband is not one to read an entire book, but he got a lot out of that chapter and has been moved to read shorter books like "She's Having a Baby and I'm Having a Meltdown" as a result. He feels more informed and included during the time when the focus has mostly been on me and the baby. Quite frankly, if someone tells me NOT to read a book, I *want* to read it to find out what the freak-out is all about. I must say I don't quite understand the vociferous opposition to this book. As many books do, it has its good points and its weaknesses; if there was something I questioned or felt strange about, I would ask my OB (doula/midwife/healthcare practitioner), check other medical resources and apply my own common sense. If this book doesn't suit your philosophy, that's FINE...don't apply it to your family. But trashing the book doesn't automatically make it worthless to others who may find it--as I have--to be a good source of information, help and reassurance.
Rating: 
Summary: I do not recommend this book!
Review: I did not like the way the book seemed focus on problems that can occur - for example, there was a brief discussion about a problem that occurs in 2% of pregnancies. Well, if there is a 98% chance that it won't happen to me, I don't want to start worrying about it now! Also, I have always had a relatively healthy diet but when I read the following quote I had to laugh - "Before you close your mouth on a forkful of food, consider: 'Is this the best bite I can give my baby?' If it will benefit your baby, chew away. If it'll only benefit your sweet tooth or appease your appetite, put your fork down.'" Talk about pressure! If you stress yourself about about every forkful of food, I believe that the stress is probably worse on the baby than if you had allowed yourself to have that handful of M&M's! I enjoyed the 'Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy' by Vicki Iovine much more, and supplemented it with informative web-sites, my Doctor, and childbirth classes.
Rating:
Summary: The Pregnancy Bible
Review: This book is fabulous. I read it front to back and it was so informative. All those questions that you ask your doctor about are already answered in this book. All you have to do is look it up and the answer is there. I also enjoyed the month by month descriptions of what you should expect and found them all to be true. This is a perfect gift for all mothers (first time or 10th time). This is truly one of the best pregnancy books on the market.
Rating:
Summary: This book explains it all!
Review: The author goes through each step of the pregnancy, and even comments on the delivery process, and describes the first few weeks thereafter. Reading this book you're pretty much covered to know most everything you need to know about expecting. It's very informative and helpful. Another book that has helped me during my recent pregnancy to cope with all the normal symptoms about not feeling loved, and oh gosh what do I look like, and the prevalent loneliness feeling, etc., is a book that I highly recommend because it's uplifting and boosted my self-esteem as it made me and my baby feel precious, is Dietmar Scherf's "I Love Me: Avoiding and Overcoming Depression" which is also available at Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: If this is your first baby throw this book in the bin
Review: Having read all the reviews on this book and many others I purchased 4 books. I read this one first and wish I hadn't read it at all. This is my first baby so I wanted to learn as much as possible. However this book has done nothing but scare me to death about the months ahead. It concentrates on everything that can go wrong or already has gone wrong in a previous pregnancy and what to expect next. Yes I want to know what's in store but this book is not encouraging in the slightest. If you do actually have problems it is probably very informative. First chance I get I am selling this to the secondhand book store. I would not recommend any first timers to read this.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money, not good for your relationship w/ baby
Review: I got this book when pregnant with my first child, and religiously read it for the first several months. Then, as I was also becoming educated through other means, I began to see that this book tends to be alarmist and narrow-minded. The chapter on each month of pregnancy is a neat idea, but the book doesn't provide in-depth information. I found myself searching the web for more scoop on what my unborn baby was "like" at each month, because the book only gives a bit of information. The book tries to be a reference for your various ailments, but you can find that free on-line, and in more depth. I didn't find the tone of the book to be very friendly toward babies, ironically, and this impression was greatly strengthened when I read the book on the baby's first year. Finally, I actually found some of the information to be incorrect and misleading. This book tries to be all things and thus is too shallow in every aspect. There are better, more comprehensive books and websites out there. Pregnancy is not an illness, but these authors seem to think it is.
Rating: 
Summary: mixed feelings
Review: Before I read this book this past weekend, I read through others' reviews and wasn't sure what to expect when I read it. I'm a little in the middle. I don't think that the Best-Odds Diet is too unrealistic, especially if you were used to eating a very healthy diet before you became pregnant. However, I am struggling with the weight gain calculations. I'm only 7 weeks along and I have already gained my 3 lbs. I don't know how realistic the weight scale is since we all are very different in height, size, weight, etc. I skipped the section on what can go wrong in your pregnancy. I will only refer to that IF I HAVE TO! otherwise, why torture yourself on reading the "what ifs". I also have only read ahead through month "4" because I won't remember anything I read today 6 months from now. I suggest reading it, but don't limit yourself to just this ONE. I'm going to try Sears book as well. I see a lot of positive words about his book.
Rating:
Summary: Not at all scary
Review: I thought this book was the best out of the 6+ books that I read while expecting. It helped me realize what was normal and when I needed to call the doctor and when I didn't when I gave it to a friend who was expecting it helped relieve some of her fears that she was having. I thought it was well organized and easy to follow and I think it tells you how most doctors treat labor and delivery unlike the books that tell you all of these options that you may have that are not a reality at most hospitals. I recommend this book highly to anyone who is having their baby delivered by an ob/gyn in a traditional hospital.
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