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Rating: 
Summary: Pregnant Canadian women need this book
Review: As a woman, pregnant with my first child, I had a lot of questions. I have a bit of medical knowledge and wanted a reference that didn't "talk" to me as if I knew nothing. This book treats the reader as an intelligent being. I especially enjoyed the narrative style - felt that Ms. Douglas was chatting with me about my questions and concerns. I appreciated her not sugar-coating the likelihood of having aches and pains but, at the same time, encouraging the reader to fully live in the experience - she presents a very realistic picture. It was exciting to read the list of developmental milestones that the baby is going through and what to expect next on this journey. The list of relevant Canadian resources in the appendix is comprehensive and very useful. Thank you so much.
Rating:
Summary: This book lives up to its title
Review: As an expecting couple in canada this is the book to own. Its well written and gives you all the canadian facts. Our system and the american system are different and most books are geared to the american system leaving all the the hospital and ins information useless. This book has all the facts and more.
I highly recommend it to expecting canadian couples.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than "What to Expect"
Review: I bought "what to expect when you're expecting" and was disappointed with the patronizing style and lack of detailed information. A friend loaned me her copy of "the Mother of All Pregnancy Books" and it was much better. It is Canadian and touches on Canada specific information like midwifery and Canadian regulations. It also has a less patronizing style and a more positive tone, without shying away from the tough information. For a high-level, wide-scope book on pregnancy and birth, if you're trying to choose between this and "what to expect," I believe you'll be happier choosing "the Mother."
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Summary: Finally a Canadians View
Review: I loved the fact that the book was written for Canadians. Reading the book and knowing the places mentioned are close to home helped me to feel more relaxed.
The book was an excellent and easy read. I definitely plan on purchasing the rest of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: I was truly excited to see a Canadian pregnancy book available for women who want information specific to our country, a book I could recommend and refer to when working with my clients (I am a childbirth educator and doula). Sadly this book is not the definitive guide I was hoping for. It is wonderfully readable and very well written, yet important information is glossed over in many areas and I find it lacking when it comes to true benefits and risks for several options. One example is the cesarean section rate in Canada is high, yet there is almost no information on how to avoid an unnecessary cesarean in this book. Posterior babies (babies who are facing mother's front rather than the optimal position of facing mother's spine) are a huge reason unnecessary cesareans are performed - labeled failure to progress or cephalo-pelvic disproportion (baby to big to fit through mother's pelvis). Positioning prior to and during labour are an easy way to avoid or correct this, yet something this simple is not even mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: A book that really celebrates the joy of being pregnant
Review: The Mother of All Pregnancy Book provides objective, unbiased advice on all the hot topics associated with pregnancy and birth: episiotomy, avoiding unnecessary caesarean sections, weighing the pros and cons of circumcision, and so on. Ann Douglas treats her reader like an intelligent human being who is able to make up her own mind about these and other important issues if given the facts. Unlike some pregnancy and birth books that are so eager to promote a particular birthing agenda that they fail to provide readers with the facts on both side of an argument, this book is refreshingly unbiased and objective.
Rating:
Summary: General information yet topically comprehensive
Review: Unsurprisingly, reviews by men on pregnancy books are few. However, I did read this book, so thought I would share my thoughts with any other male readers out there!
This book is very comprehensive in that it covers all aspects of the baby-making process, from conception through to the first weeks at home with the baby. It also doesn't sugar-coat the process, which is useful for the un-pregnant partner to know! There is ample space given to potential health problems and what to do about them. Likewise, warning signs that things are not proceeding properly and lists of risk factors for certain conditions (e.g. pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, etc.). The author has written books on the subject of coping with miscarriage and other pregnancy-related traumas, and so includes some of the unfortunate possibilities as well as the good stuff.
The topics are broad and comprehensive. However, there's really very little detail on any given section - the author has chosen to give a good general overview of the whole process, and includes many useful tips like how much you're likely to spend on baby clothes in the first year. There is also a lot of information on changes to the mother's body and what she should expect (e.g. how much her breasts will swell, what aches and pains are likely to be related with a normal pregnancy, etc.). However, there is no "developmental biology" - no pictures of the size of the fetus at certain ages, no chronology of the development of organs, etc. As a scientist, I found the book to be a little vague and/or "touchy-feely" at times.
Overall, though, it's a good introduction about what to expect and what potential problems to watch out for. It's written entirely to the mother - she is refered to as "you" throughout the book, whereas the father is always "he". That's not to say that the father won't find the book useful - it'll certainly help in understanding the process of pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, informative, honest.
Review: What an important topic to research- the journey leading up to conceiving a child, and the fun and wild roller coaster ride of being pregnant! I was looking for information that was specifically Canadian, that was objective and "real" in its tone, and that provided me with useful, honest information learned from research and from fellow Moms and Dads. I have found this in Ann Douglas' The Mother of All Pregnancy Books- an ALL CANADIAN Guide to Conception, Birth & Everything in Between. If you are uniquely looking for a book about only one very specific topic related to pregnancy, then perhaps you will find you need additional info. from other resources on that topic. However if you, (like myself and many of my friends) are eager to have a fantastic overview of everything you wanted to know about this journey, then I think you will enjoy and benefit from the info. in this book! Good luck to you all!
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