Rating: Summary: Started out okay, became alarmist, inaccurate Review: I bought this book when I found out I was pregnant and the first weeks were interesting. Lately, though, the book has really gone downhill and I wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE. It should be called "Problems in Pregnancy, Week by Week." And the tone is very condescending and doctor-centric. In these later weeks it describes very rare problems as if they are going to be an issue for everyone. For example, in week 33, there's a small section for how big the baby and mother might be, on average. That's fun. Then there's a section called "How Your Baby Is Growing and Developing" and it goes right into a description of Placental Abruption, complete with a drawing of that unfortunate and unlikely event. No description of how most women and babies will be growing and changing this week - just this rare problem. Then there's a section called "Changes in You", but in a similar way, no description of what happens in a normal pregnancy at this stage, they just describe what happens if your water breaks, which would be very unusual and troubling at this time. Oh brother, and then there's a section called "You Should Also Know" that describes how necessary episiotomies are, and how beneficial they are, which is complete bunk. It's almost always better to tear than to be cut, and it's better to do research and be educated than to sheepishly follow a doctor's every whim. And all this is only one week! Lately, they're all like this! Week 31 it was all about Intrauterine Growth Retardation, Week 30 featured a big drawing and description of umbilical cord knots. It's good to have some knowledge about these problems, but it should be in a book about problems in pregnancy, and the information should be more thorough and accurate. To have a little week by week guide of everything that can go wrong in a pregnancy is not fun, or helpful, and I'm putting this book away today.
Rating: Summary: Not organized, Not helpful Review: I only wanted to buy one book for my pregnancy information, and this was a real disappointment. First of all, the book has information regarding pregnancy scattered throughout the weeks, so you almost have to read the entire book to know what is happening at the week you are on. For example, heartburn may not be covered until week 28 but you start having heartburn during week 15. Secondly, everytime I wanted to look up a symptom or pregnancy concern, the topic was never included in the book! I got very irritated with the book when week 30 included an entire section on "cord accidents" which are stated to be very rare, though seemed to get alot of space. Not worth the money....
Rating: Summary: My Pregnancy Bible Review: I absolutely love this book. A friend purchased it for me and made me promise to save and read each week...it was like opening a present every week! This was such a fun way to feel close to my baby and it was filled with lots of fun and valuable information. I now buy it for all of my friends who become pregnant.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful book! Review: This book was recommended to me by my sister-in-law, and I just love it. Now when I have a friend that is pregnant, I send her this book to read. Very informative, and if you are impatient like me, very nice as it leads you through week by week, instead of month by month. I loved telling my family and friends, "my baby has eyelashes this week" or " my baby is six pounds on average this week." I truely enjoyed this book, and recommend it to everyone. The end of the book did not have TONS of info on the baby, but instead had info on labor and delivery and the hospital stay. This book is wonderful!!! P.S. My husband liked the dad tips, too. Made him feel a part of the pregnancy.
Rating: Summary: What will go wrong week by week Review: This is a poorly organized, one-sided, incomplete, condescending guide to pregnancy. The whole focus, aside from a paragraph or two telling how big the baby is weekly, is on what goes wrong in pregnancy and how to be a good patient and do what your omnipotent doctor tells you. I don't mean to imply that all information about pregnancy should be rosy and positive. Bad things happen - but please - broken bones? Lyme disease?! This book is enough to make you think that these things are not only possible but likely. The condescending tone throughout the book makes me feel like the author thinks very little of the mental capacity of the reader. For example in a section on food it is suggested that if certain foods didn't agree with you before you were pregnant, you should probably continue to avoid them while pregnant. Do people really need a book to point that out to them? Even though the book is in a week-by-week format, the order of the information strikes me as odd. While one of the most common early pregnancy symptoms is breast tenderness, it's not listed in the book until week 12. The majority of women can feel fetal movement by approximately 20 weeks, but it's not mentioned until week 31. Whether you are interested in natural birth or not, it's not covered until the last page and a half of the book. The author suggests that one will need to educate oneself further if one wishes to attempt such a thing, but not to be surprised if it doesn't work out. The most telling information in this book can be found in the introduction to the third edition, where it states that Dr. Curtis is one of the best loved obstetricians in the world. It's clear to me that he loves himself. More acurate and balanced information can be found almost anywhere else.
Rating: Summary: Scary book for first timers Review: Every entry in this book starts off wonderfully with a description and a picture of what your baby looks like this week. But you should only buy this book if you promise to stop reading it after the first few paragraphs! Every single entry quickly deteriorates into some scary, tragic information about birth defects or pregnancy problems that happen to only a few people. Try reading Girlfriends' Guide by Vicki Iovine instead -- it's about real women having real children.
Rating: Summary: If I was a Dad, I would be insulted by the "Dad Tips" Review: The authors obviously threw in "Dad Tips" because it's the politically correct thing to do these days, but their "Dad Tips" contain completely insipid advice. For example: "Bring home flowers for no special occasion." I'd be insulted if I was a Dad being spoonfed this advice.
Rating: Summary: Not a stand alone book Review: I do agree that this is not a stand along book. However I loved having something to read with my husband every Sunday. Because they are very detailed in some of the "what ifs" I feel much more secure when I go to the doctors. I not only understand what he's talking about but I can also talk to him about what concerns I have from reading the chapter. I rather be more informed (and called an alarmist) then waiting for something major to happen then reading about it. This is a great book for first time mother and fathers. I espcially like the dad tips at the end of each chapter.
Rating: Summary: A Great ADDITION to your pregnancy library Review: I bought this book solely for being able to read about the changes happening to my baby and body each week. I love the fact that it has a picture of the actual size of my baby so I can see just how amazing this all is. And it blows my husband and I away each week as we see her grow. I bought this book after reading "The Mother of all Pregnancy Books" and "The unofficial guide to having a baby". I got this because the other two books really only touch a little on what happens to your baby each week and this one has so much more to it. To be honest I dont really read this book to get information on my health for my pregnancy. I let the other two books and my mid-wife take care of that. This is not a book to read on its own. This is a fabulous book to add to your ever growing collection of pregnancy books so you can get more information. I highly reccomend this book even if its just for the pictues. Its truly awesome!
Rating: Summary: My sanity saver.....I looked forward to reading this book! Review: I thought this book was GREAT! After starting to read another book about pregnancy which was horrible this book was a joy to read. I thought it was very informative and provided excellent details each week. I looked forward to reading about the changes each week. It gave information about the good things and also gave information on the problems that can occur while pregnant and what to look for. Overall I was so pleased that I bought the second book your baby's first year week by week. I wish they had a book on toddlers because I feel that it would also be a must have!
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