What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition

Rating:
Summary: Great for the first time mom
Review: My mom bought this book for me when she found out I was pregnant and I love it. It's set up in an easy-to-read, month-by-month format. "What to expect..." covers a lot of the questions "moms-to-be" have to ask. I'd recommend it to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Possibly helped save mine and my baby's life!
Review: I will admit that I agree with other reviewers in the fact that this book tells a few too many worse case situations. And it caused me to worry (and also bother my husband) slightly more than nessecary during our pregnancy. But during my 7th month of pregnancy I developed preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which is a problem with high blood pressure, platelet counts and liver enzymes. This can be VERY serious to both mom and baby if not caught in time. After noticing a few of the symptoms I used this book to look them up and read that I may have preeclampsia. So I imediately went to the doctor and ended up having a emergency c-section 3 days later because my liver was about to shut down. I had a 3 lb 5 oz baby at 30 weeks gestation. We are both doing well but I hate to think of what might've happened if we hadn't caught the problem when we did.
So maybe all the worse case situations are there for good reason-to warn people of serious, life threatening problems and give them early warning signs to watch for.
Note to husbands-NEVER criticize your wife for worrying too much during the pregnancy. She knows more about her body and this pregnancy more than you!

Rating:
Summary: Get a REAL book
Review: Unfortunately, this book is appropriately named - it indeed trains you on "what to expect" - instead of teaching you how to expect better! I never recommend this book to participants in my childbirth class. Dr. Sears has great books and so does Sheila Kitzinger and Penny Simkin.

Rating:
Summary: STOP READING THIS AND BUY THE PREGNANCY BOOK BY DR. SEARS
Review: The best advice I ever received from my midwife was to stop reading What To Expect and go buy The Pregnancy Book by Dr. Sears. All I gleaned from What To Expect was that there were a whole host of possibly bad things that could happen throughout the pregnancy. We don't need to read all that negative stuff when we are starting the journey of a lifetime. The Dr. Sears books are all wonderful, giving you practical advice and information about development (and yes, it covers the possibly bad stuff too, just not in an alarmist way). What To Expect is negative and alarmist, while The Pregnancy Book is possitive and affirming. After all, pregnancy is a time to celebrate our bodies and the baby growing inside! So go buy The Pregnancy Book, put your feet up, read and relax.

Rating:
Summary: Was helpful during my miscarriage but too "old-school"
Review: Wow, it's interesting to see all of the strong opinions on here both pro and con.

I was 4 weeks pregnant with my very first pregnancy when I had a miscarriage. This book really helped me understand what was going on with my body and what to expect.

I must admit, I was a little skeptical about this book when I saw the hokey looking lady on the cover. Not the most modern view of a mom in the year 2005! I don't scare easily - I'm a really laid back person so this book didn't freak me out at all. I found some of the advice a bit neanderthal. I don't know about you ladies, but I'm a 30 year old full time career woman who has a very busy life. Our household absolutely requires TWO incomes so I don't have the luxury of cutting back my work hours to part time or quitting my job (we would starve!) I'm not a feminist but I found myself getting annoyed with the old school, 1950's "Donna Reed" vibe of this book. I got sick of the "lie down and rest" solution they recommend each and every time you feel the slightest of fatigue or run down. PLEEEEEASE GIRL!!! If I "laid down and rested" every time I felt like crap, I'd never get a dang thing done! The same goes for calling or running to the doctor every time I don't feel good.

Like I said, I'm very grateful for the helpful advice regarding miscarriage because it definitely helped me get through mine but it would be nice to see a more modern and realistic portrayal of pregnancy in today's society. I am going to look into the book by Dr. Sears that you guys have suggested and I'm also going to check out the Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy too. Bottom line ladies: TAKE THIS BOOK WITH A HUGE GRAIN OF SALT. It has its good points, it has its bad points and it's certainly not the gospel.

Rating:
Summary: Colossal Waste of Time
Review: As soon as I found out I was pregnant I ordered this book from Amazon. I'll admit, I fell for the hype. Apparently this is "The book to get when you're pregnant". Boy,what a waste. I really don't see why it is so insanely popular! If you need a book to tell you to run to your doctor every time you have a question or concern then this book is for you. If you want to be patronized page after page then this book is for you. Overall I think this book is written for people who are a) easily influenced, b) believe everything the read and c) are susceptible to scare tactics. If you are the kind of person who is willing to think for yourself and make informed decisions, I would go elsewhere. Try www.babycenter.com for good information and unbiased answers to your questions, and read "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" for those little extras no one else tells you as well as some much needed comic relief!
p.s. congrats on your pregnancy!!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book is well mapped out and has everything you could possibly need to know about a pregnancy. It has answered a lot of the questions that I was having. It was as if they were reading my mind. Every question I had so far was answered. Yes, nothing is better then the advice and care of your practicioner, but this book gives you sort of a second opinion. While reading I also was able to think of questions that I wanted to ask my doctor at my next visit. I have already recommended this book to a friend of mine and would refer it to any other pregnant woman.

This book answered many of my questions and concerns. I want to thank the team for telling me about a alternative to coffee that is absolutely delicious. Its caffeine-free and comes in 8 delicious flavors. Just google it under "s oyfee" to find it.I have recommended the books to all my friends and family!!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and calming
Review: This book is by far the best of the pregnancy books I have read. It covers almost every possible aspect of pregnancy, whether common or uncommon, and does so in a calm and reassuring way. It tells you what you need to know without judging, trying to be too funny, or making you worry. The authors are to be congratulated on producing such an incredibly useful book.

Rating:
Summary: Does not cover enough!
Review: As soon as I found out I was pregnant (I am 27 weeks now) I went right out and bought this book because I heard how FABULOUS it was. Sure, it was fun for the first few months, flipping through it, seeing how the baby was growing, and being able to relate to different issues that came with what ever month I was in.
The chapter on the pregnancy diet was OKAY. I liked the list of foods they had which contained the certain nutrients pregnant women need since before I was pregnant I didn't know what I was eating half the time!
In the chapter on the 6th month, the authors have seemed to have gotten a little lazy. This is the month where some of us preggos are just starting (if we haven't already) to adjust to our lives carrying a basketball-like belly all the time. Almost the whole chapter covered childbirth classes and why they are good. While that info is all well and good, I would have much rather preferred more tips on how to sooth an achey back and tips on how to sleep when your little one is kicking the dickens out of you!
In the chapter on the eighth month, they already go into signs of labor, false labor, etc despite the fact they have a big, long chapter on labor and delivery all by itself. Especially in the eighth month, I think we would just prefer information as to physical changes we go through every day. If anyone wants information on symptoms of false labor then simply flip over to that chapter!
I personally prefer to know how my baby is growing and developing week by week. If you want to know what your baby is doing in the weeks between doctors' visits, go to babycenter.com and sign up. According to your due date, you will receive an email every week telling you how your baby is developing.