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Summary: Helpful, but...
Review: ...not as helpful to future fathers as future mothers...
Rating: 
Summary: This book is fantastic
Review: An extremely well-written and carefully researched book, _Before Your Pregnancy_ provides comprehensive info on everything from choosing health providers to preexisting medical conditions to nutrition to exercise. They even have a chapter specifically geared toward men. And, the authors' tone is completely reassuring (especially nice for this 35-year old reader). I finished the book feeling confident and informed, and now that I'm pregnant (!), I find myself still turning to it as a resource. I highly recommend this book for anyone considering pregnancy -- it gives you the habits and the frame of mind to get ready for motherhood.
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Summary: A wealth of helpful information...
Review: As a hopeful father to be, all I can say is that I wish Before your Pregnancy had been available when my wife and I were planning to get pregnant. Someone gave it to us before we announced our pregnancy, and we found that it would have been wonderful to have beforehand. Looking through the book helped us to realize what we had done well in preparing for this moment; and we even learned a few things that we will make part of our preparations next time. Mostly, I have found it to be a tremendous resource. Despite the fact that my wife is 5 months pregnant, I continue to use Before your pregnancy as a guide for the health and fitness needs of our family to be.
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Summary: Great resource for first time moms!
Review: As my husband and I started seriously thinking about having a baby, we spent a great deal of time searching for books with advice. Unfortunately, many of the books are old and out-of-date. This book walks you step-by-step in preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy. The guides to proper eating and exercise are extremely helpful and definitely something you can use well into your pregnancy. This book is so helpful in putting your mind at ease and just focusing on what is necessary for a wonderful 9 months!!
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Summary: The Best Book On Pre-Conception and Pregnancy Too!
Review: I am usually too lazy to bother to type reviews. However, I HAD to write on on this book. If you are like me in that you want from a pre-pregnancy/pregnancy book:- thoroughness
- inclusiveness
- reliability
- readibility then you will not be disppointed by this book. I bought this first, before I conceived, to make sure that I was doing all I could/ should to prepare my body for pregnancy. This book addressed the whols range of issues related to this, and in a very clear, readable (lots of graphics to explain things) yet completely trustworthy manner. The authors have their credentials and this comes through clearly. I have very high expectations of books, especially when they are on such an important topic as pregnancy. Up-to-date info. is mandatory--not optional--and this books has it. After I became pregnant, I bought many other pregnancy books, but kept coming back to this one. The others are better for describing what is goig on month-by-month, etc., but NONE are better for medical info. For example, this is the only book I have found that breaks down herbs into 3 categories ("Safe During Pregnancy", "Herbs That Warrant Caution" and "Herbs to Avoid") and clasifies every major herb you are likely to encounter (in teas, body creams, etc.). They also describe common concerns/ probelms in a very user-friendly yet authoritative manner. I can't say enough about this book. It is my pregnancy bible.
Rating:
Summary: this book is great
Review: i checked this book out from the local library - along with many others about preconception and pregnancy. i ended up renewing this book so many times that i finally just bought it. it's a wonderful resource and is very up to date - even on herbal teas, supplements, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Information
Review: I first learned of this book when reading TIME magazine, my husband and I have been talking about trying to have a baby and this book couldn't have come along at a better time. The exercise and nutrition advise are excellent and realistic, which I appreciate. The medical sections helped prepare me with good questions to ask my doctor. Without the book, my visit to doctor would not have been as worthwhile. I will be buying more books for my friends for Christmas.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple can be good thing...
Review: I found the book to be a little too simplistic, but then again maybe making babies is a simple thing. The information is good and basic on taking care of yourself before conception but does not go too much further. Moral of the story...Eat right, Exercise...Don't drink, smoke or do drugs (over the counter included)
Rating:
Summary: Wide spectrum of information
Review: I found the book to be easy to read and motivating. It covers nutrician and specific vitamins and supplements, how much you need and what foods contain them, to using the food pyramid to make healthy changes in your diet. Also a good chapter on excercise before and during pregnancy which I found motivating. There were even a few specific excercises and illustrations to do to help strengthen muscles that will be challenged during pregnancy.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book. If you're looking for something to help you understand your cycle and when your best chances of conceiving are, read Understanding your Fertility or Dr. Shettle's How To Choose the Sex of Your Baby (even if you don't want to choose the sex or dont' believe in it!). This book doesn't give enough information to really grasp the method of charting your temperature.
Rating:
Summary: Best way to be prepared
Review: I found this book to be extremely helpful in planning for pregnancy. It was nice to feel some guidance and not go blindly into pregnancy without preparation. Not only was the book informative, but also humorous, which is always a bonus. There were several parts I skipped over (STDs, preexisting medical conditions, etc.), but I was glad they were there for those who need them and that they were easy to navigate past. I especially liked the chapters on realistic meal planning (even though realistically I will usually add on a dessert), and easy and beneficial stretching exercises. Thanks for humoring our silly superstitions and not completely discrediting old wives tales, but then giving us the real scientific facts.
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