Rating: 
Summary: Best Pregancy Book Out There
Review: I loved this book!!! I read it from cover to cover! I was disapointed in other books that only covered what was happening during my pregnancy by month, or worse yet, by trimester. I found many of them were too general. Having a book that detailed information on how my baby was growing and how my body was changing weekly was wonderful. I cant recommend it enough for people who, like me, wanted to follow their pregnancys closer. I only wish I had found it right at the start because I was already about 4 months pregnant when I purchased it.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't let other reviewers scare you away !
Review: A friend recommended this book when I was expecting my first child. I enjoyed reading a chapter every Sunday night before bed and loved having a visual aide to "see" what my son looked like as he developed. Now expecting my second child, I have gotten back into the ritual. My cousin recently announced that she is pregnant and I wanted to send her a copy. Out of curiosity, I read some [amazon.com] customer reviews. More than one said, in so many words, that some of the information might 'scare' expectant mothers. I feel that if you are informed, and good relationship with her OBGYN or Midwife, you will take these things at face value and see them as things to be aware of, not fear. During my first pregnancy and my current one, seeing what could go wrong and reading about warning signs made me feel more secure about my pregnancy and the health of my baby. The majority of the book provides information on 'normal',healthy pregnancies. Some of the other reviewers made it seem like the book was a hypocondriac's nightmare. Every expectant mother is neurotic to a degree - myself included. If anything, I found that this book eased my fears and that it is a wonderful handbook for pregnancy.
Rating: 
Summary: Condescending tone
Review: One of my friends recommended this book to me. But she also wanted her doctor to "knock her out" as soon as possible and not wake her up till the baby was born. The impression this physician-author gave me was that he comes from that old school in which the mothers *were* knocked out and a pregnant woman didn't need to worry her pretty little head because the (male) doctor would take care of everything. Although it's fun to have a new section to read every week instead of only every month, I found the condescending tone so annoying that I stopped reading it with about twelve weeks to go. The actual information in this book can be a useful supplement to a more comprehensive book, but this is not a "stand-alone" pregnancy book.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book NOW for Everyone who's Pregnant!
Review: In my opinion this wonderful book is absolutely the BEST book on pregnancy you can buy! My copy is dog-eared and worn out through two (and a half) pregnancies! Dr. Curtis includes so much information and such wonderful illustrations that details what is going on within your body, and with the Baby each week! She includes so many questions and fears that every pregnant woman faces, even if it's not her first pregnancy, this book continues to be valuable again and again!I ALWAYS buy this for EVERY new friend who is pregnant, and You should too.....NOW!! It has a first chapter for getting ready for pregnancy, so it's even good for the women just catching "Baby Fever"! Good tips on how to prepare your body. Buy it! And then in a few months when you start thinking more about the Baby that's actually coming instead of just the pregnancy, buy Dr. William Sears "The Baby Book" !! Another indespensible Bible in the parenting world, and a wonderful gift to give an expectant mommy to be!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best pregnancy resources.
Review: I have an older edition of this book that was given to me by my aunt during my first pregnancy. I found it just as informative as What To Expect, but in a different way. I enjoyed "seeing" how my child was developing and changing weekly, instead of monthly. While I understand some others' opinions of the book providing "too much" information, I don't agree. I personally would rather know what to expect and how to deal with an issue before it arises. To each his own. For those who want an informative, detailed description of the fascinating development of your unborn child, this is the book to read!
Rating:
Summary: For the woman who wants to be prepared.
Review: Getting pregnant after grad school, I wanted to be thorough in my study of what I and my baby would go through during pregnancy. I was ultra inquisitive, and luckily I picked this book off the shelf first. This book in its last edition was my top choice and gave me something to look forward to each week. I would get impatient between ultrasounds and want to actually see what my baby might look like. The drawings that head each chapter are lovely. They make even the earliest stages look palatable and adorable. But this book is not just for those who wish for a cute picture of a fetus or baby. This book is heady with the ins and outs of pregnant life--and yet it is easy to read and accessible. No need to be a graduate student to enjoy and engage with this text. I loved it because I felt not only fully informed but reassured. The book was NOT full of scary sensationalism/scenarios except when necessary to educate/inform. Even then, I found the knowledge gained and tone of the book reassuring. It was information that could prepare a woman for any possible incident or discomfort. Rather than being taken by surprise, I knew what might be heading my way and more importantly, how to avoid catastrophe if possible. I felt like I had an OB/GYN next to me each time I looked up a symptom or item of curiousity in the index. It was easy to use and gave digestible amounts of information per week. The more exciting aspect of the book is finding out that your baby is the size of an apricot or a banana at this or that stage in your pregnancy. The connection with my baby grew through use of this book. Finally, having had time to talk with other mothers, even a 5th time mother-to-be, I've found that even their lack of knowledge about symptoms and problems in pregnancy was quickly corrected by a quick peak through my copy of this book. Out of the 20 titles I read through on this subject during my pregnancy, this was the only one I kept.
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
Review: I picked up this book at the library the other day and thought it looked informative, so I took it out. I liked the week-by-week format that I had not seen in other books. Boy, I made a mistake!
A lot of other people have said how negative this book is, and let me tell you without a doubt, they are right. Rather than simply telling you what's going on with the baby, they tell you EVERYTHING POSSIBLE that can go wrong, without giving much mention to normal symptoms. For example, they had a lovely paragraph on Umbilical cord knots. I have NEVER heard of such a condition before I read about it here, and they point out to you that it is very rare and there is nothing you can do to prevent it! So why worry you? Pregnant women are worried enough, there is absolutely no reason to worry them about everything that could possibliy happen.
So, in conclusion, for the sake of your sanity, DO NOT BUY OR EVEN READ A PAGE OF THIS BOOK. It will worry you for no reason. I highly recomend "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which has more than enough information to get you through anything. Also, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" is a great, humourous book that will allow you to look at the lighter side of things. This book, however, will only allow you to see the worst case senario. Please, spare yourself the NEEDLESS worry.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book - We both loved it!
Review: I loved the pics of showing how the baby was developing and all the info. My husband and I read each week together how our baby was changing and developing. I reccomend this book to all of my pregnant friends.
Rating:
Summary: Your pregnancy week by week
Review: I found this book on the over all too clinical and negative. While I wasn't looking for a book to be all peaches and cream, there was alot missing from this book. I don't know if I could actually find a positive and reassuring paragraph in the book. Had this been my first pregnancy I would be more frightened after reading it. Upon the first night looking at it I was offended at its contention that a pregnancy should be planned. I felt irresponsible, even though I became pregnant while using a reliable IUD. I don't even think one paragraph addressed that many happy and wanted pregnancies can be unplanned. Once I got passed the unpleadantness of the beginning I wasn't more impressed. Diet is stressed so often in the book, but with so little supporting info, I was tired of food. I have had horrible heartburn and nasea, and for all the importance of diet stressed in this book, I never found any info that suggested how to help these problems. Just reasons they may be happening,again making me feel as though I was doing something wrong. I had to spend hours on line looking for actual helpful info. I would like a book that can start and finish a topic. I gave it 2 stars because I do really like the info on the development of the baby. I have a 4 and 8 year old that really understand better how the baby changes every week because of the illustrations. If it weren't for seeing my 4 year old open the book to the current page and showing daddy, this book would have been a waste of time for me.
Rating:
Summary: Negative as can be
Review: While this book gives a week by week description of the development occurring within as well as tips on diet ,etc, it dedicates itself to purely clinical descriptions and the encouragement of fear by including a possible complication every week. I found myself becoming more paranoid with every chapter. Yes, it is wise to be aware of symptoms and possible complications but I was disgusted by its incessant references to what can go wrong and diseases and conditions that hardly pertain to a "normal" pregnancy. For example: It includes paragraphs on Lyme disease, breast lumps, cervica biopsies during pregnancy, appendicitis, sickle-cell anemia, seizures, systemic lupus, breast cancer, alcoholism, etc.. Week 33 begins by: 1. How big is your baby 2. How big are you 3. Placental Abruption (3 pages dedicated to this). Week 36: 1. How big is your baby 2. How big are you
3. Respiratory Distress Syndrome 4. Cesarean birth and its advantages- including if you are small and the baby is big or if you've had a previous Cesarean. It hardly encourages a woman to become an active participant in her birthing process. It maintains the fear and dependence on the medical status quo. Not a book to allay fears or to enlighten and encourage. It is focused on the banal and negative aspects of pregnancy.
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