Rating: 
Summary: Did not live up to it's reputation
Review: I rushed out and bought this book the day I found out I was pregnant because it has a good reputation. Once I got it home and started into it, I found it to be uninteresting and not a good preparation for the coming months. The authors focused way too much on diet- which during your first trimester when morning sickness runs rampant, diet advice is not what you need. Also, there was a lot of "what if this happens.." and moms-to-be do not need more things to worry about. There are far better books out there for pregnant women who don't want to worry about everything for 9 months.
Rating: 
Summary: A patronizing, judgmental and condescending travesty!
Review: I don't know how on earth this book got its reputation as "the place to go" for pregnancy-related information. It preys on women's fears about pregnancy, using scare techniques to convince them not to question the outdated "facts" presented. The science is overly simplified, the "best odds diet" is exaggerated (apparently because the authors don't believe women will take all their advice, so some is better than none) and the answers to the hypothetical questions posed are guilt-mongering and almost uniformly worst-case-scenario. For example, the beginning of the book presents three personality types: she who puts blind and unquestioning faith in her doctor; she who wants to make informed decisions and take charge of the experience; and she who lets the doctor make all the big decisions while leaving the smaller ones to her. There's nothing wrong with the second type. But the authors manage to imply that any woman who dares question a doctor's wisdom is misguided at best, self-destructive at worst. This is so wrong! Today's health care consumer needs to educate herself and make up her own mind instead of blindly relying on one person for all her information. Unfortunately, this patronizing, condescending tone dominates the book. I got so sick of feeling like the authors were patting me on the head and saying, "Oh, don't worry your pretty little head. Just put all your faith in your doctor; he'll take care of you." This is NOT what today's informed consumers need to hear. If you're looking for a *real* book of information on pregnancy, I recommend Dr. Sears' "The Pregnancy Book." His information is much more factual, and he treats women like human beings with brains instead of talking down to them.
Rating: 
Summary: what a lifesaver
Review: This book although not "scientific" is VERY useful. I got this book because it's about what to expect pregnancy wise. Which is what it tells you. This is for the MOM and what to expect as far as changes to you, There are other books for fetal development but this is not what that book was intended for. I would have called the doctor or shown up at the hospital daily without this book.
I truely believe that this book is essential for both FIRST TIMERS and moms who haven't had kids in a while. My kids are 5 yrs apart and when I get pregnant again(we're trying)those kids will also be 5 yra apart. I think this book is for those people. Although you don't forget everything, it's nice to have a refresher course. I honestly am not stupid but always assune doc knows best and this lets you know about birthing plans. I wouldn't have thought about that with out this book.
Rating:
Summary: this is the pregnancy Bible!
Review: During my pregnancy, this book helped me with every concern I could think of. I don't have the most attentive, hand-holding OB/GYN so this book is a lifesaver! It's a must for every pregnant woman. My husband reads this as well.
Rating:
Summary: Only if you know NOTHING about pregnancy
Review: I'm a first time Mom-to-be, and I must admit, the hype surrounding this book pushed me to purchase it, but I was somewhat disappointed. It's not the sort of book that held my attention, only because a lot of the information is oversimplified. If you have a simple a question about something and you need a general answer, this book is OK. But the format of question - answer, question - answer, just wasn't appealing at all. It's written in a boring and condescending tone. The month-by-month guide is misleading as well. There's great information, but not well organized in each month. If you don't know very much about your body or what pregnancy is about, then this may be an informative book for you to read. Otherwise, it's not as essential as everyone makes it out to be. Save your money. Don't buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not the only pregnancy book you'll ever need...
Review: After hearing about this book for years, the first thing I did when I learned I was pregnant was to order a copy on Amazon, along with "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." Although I like the fact this book addresses a myriad of pregnancy concerns in a comforting "you are normal" sort of way, I found the science in it very lacking. I want to know exactly what's going on with the fetus and the pregnancy month-by-month in terms of hormones, organ development - general science. My problem with this book is that it seems to dumb down pregnancy into a to-do list and a catalogue of symptoms, instead of giving a good, solid scientific explanation of what's happening.
Now, if you're looking to find out whether you're normal in that you're experiencing any number of things from swelling and bloating to belching, this book will certainly reassure you that you're not alone. But if you actually want to know what the heck is happening internally, for instance in terms of what hormones are higher and lower than normal, you'll have to find a more scientifically written book, which is what I'm planning to do.
This is not to say that this book is not without value; I admire the authors for compiling a thorough and understandable catalogue of pregnancy do's, don'ts, and so on. But the reader who wants her material to have a little more scientific heft than your average issue of "Ladies Home Journal" will probably have to get other, supplemental books as well.
Rating:
Summary: the greatest book of all time for pregnant women!
Review: i cant say enough good thigns about this book. girl friends guide is a stupid jokey book to make fun of. if you are going to get a book get this one. it has tons of info and helped me through the good times and bad times. women dont you get it? the best odds diet is good for you. come on you think that cheetos and cake will make your baby healty? get real! its all about whats best for your baby. right.. dont be selfish.. dont drink and dont eat crap. enough said. the people who complain about it should be ashamed with themselves.,
Rating:
Summary: Almost Unreadable, Definitly Unbearable
Review: Be afraid, be very afraid, seems to be the purpose of this book. Be afraid of birth, be afraid of your body and be afraid to be fat. This book will prepare you only to be a frightened, demure, good little patient, with a medicalized birth full of procedures and a subsequent "emergency" C-section. This technocratic freebie is astonishingly outdated and promotes very unhealthy weight management that may CAUSE complications! This book tears down women's confidence in themselves and their ability to give birth with a condescending tone and a bias that states: DOCTOR=GOD. I received much more useful birthing information from books such as "Husband Coached Childbirth" by Robert A. Bradley MD, "Choosing Waterbirth" by Lakshmi Bertram and "Primal Mothering in a Modern World" by Hygeia Halfmoon Phd. Your pregnancy/birth will be as beautiful or as miserable as YOU believe it will be. Trust your body and your baby.
Rating:
Summary: i wish i could give it 100 stars! 5 just is not enough!
Review: what can i say this is bible for pregnant women. we would be lost without it. there is not a pregnancy book out there that even comes close to this one. the whole series. every question that i had in my pregnancy was answered and then some in this book. there is not a pregnancy book out there that talks about inverted nipples adn breast feeding. this one does. it let me know that it is possible. what a god send. this book has also saved my life and my babys life.. with the things i learned in the book, i could tell that something was wrong, and got the the hospital asap. without the book, i would have just thought it was gas or soething and not even gave it a second thought. thank you so much to the authors for being my best friends and holding my hands through my pregnancy! IF YOU ARE PREGNANT GET THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to read, outdated, opinionated
Review: This book seems like it's from the '50s -- diet advice that you could only follow if you didn't work outside the home and lived next door to the store and had a maid, fear-mongering, and just basically wrong information. I would recommend that you go to the library and check several books out on pregnancy, and select the one that fits your lifestyle the best. Try "The Girlfriend's Guide" and "The Pregnancy Book" for starters. There are a ton of better books out there.
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