| Announcing a brand new, cover-to-cover revision of America's pregnancy bible. What to Expect When You're Expecting is a perennial New York Times bestseller and one of USA Today's 25 most influential books of the past 25 years. It's read by more than 90% of pregnant women who read a pregnancy book--the most iconic, must-have book for parents-to-be, with over 14.5 million copies in print. Now comes the Fourth Edition, a new book for a new generation of expectant moms--featuring a new look, a fresh perspective, and a friendlier-than-ever voice. It's filled with the most up-to-date information reflecting not only what's new in pregnancy, but what's relevant to pregnant women. Heidi Murkoff has rewritten every section of the book, answering dozens of new questions and including loads of new asked-for material, such as a detailed week-by-week fetal development section in each of the monthly chapters, an expanded chapter on pre-conception, and a brand new one on carrying multiples. More comprehensive, reassuring, and empathetic than ever, the Fourth Edition incorporates the most recent developments in obstetrics and addresses the most current lifestyle trends (from tattooing and belly piercing to Botox and aromatherapy). There's more than ever on pregnancy matters practical (including an expanded section on workplace concerns), physical (with more symptoms, more solutions), emotional (more advice on riding the mood roller coaster), nutritional (from low-carb to vegan, from junk food–dependent to caffeine-addicted), and sexual (what's hot and what's not in pregnant lovemaking), as well as much more support for that very important partner in parenting, the dad-to-be. Overflowing with tips, helpful hints, and humor (a pregnant woman's best friend), this new edition is more accessible and easier to use than ever before. It's everything parents-to-be have come to expect from What to Expect... only better.
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An Essay from Heidi Murkoff
 What to Expect started with information--or, actually, lack of information. In fact, when I found out I was expecting for the first time--I didn't have the slightest idea of what to expect. And back then, it wasn't as easy to find out what to expect as you'd think. I created What to Expect When You're Expecting because I couldn't find the answers to my questions or the reassurance for my worries that I was searching for in the pregnancy books I read (and believe me, I read plenty). I was a mom on a mission--a mission to help other moms and dads worry less and enjoy their pregnancies (and their babies, and their toddlers) more. And I've been on that mission ever since. So what sent me back to recreate What to Expect--for a fourth time? Today, there's definitely no lack of information on pregnancy. In fact there's more information than ever before (a quick online search of pregnancy or a glance at pages and pages of pregnancy and parenting options right here on Amazon will clue you in on that). But often what's still hard to find is the right kind of information. Information that's accurate yet empathetic, reassuring yet realistic--that empowers you, but doesn't overwhelm or confuse you, that guides you but doesn't dictate to you. And it's not just about the right information, it's about information that's presented in the way that's most helpful--easy to access, easy to digest, easy to use. It's about information that makes your pregnant life less stressful--more enjoyable, and, well, easier. The fourth edition is a new What To Expect for a new generation of readers--you!--and I'm excited to say it's the best What To Expect yet. It's packed with all new information, of course (since things tend to change quickly in the baby-making and baby-delivering business--something you're probably all too aware of already if you've made more than one trip to the birthing room). But it doesn't only take into account what's new in obstetrics and what's new in pregnancy; it takes into account what's relevant to pregnant women now. Lifestyle. Working. Eating on the run. Juggling the pregnant life with real life. Keeping up with relationships. Birthing options that are family friendly and pregnancy care that incorporates the best that complimentary and alternative medicine has to offer. Managing multiples (which more and more moms are carrying). Sorting out the information from the misinformation--the reality from the hype, fact from Internet legend. The fourth edition also takes into account how you likely use books these days, so the format is even more accessible than ever. More geared to in-the-moment, find-it-in-a-flash reading. Most important of all, the fourth edition celebrates pregnancy. I have a passion for pregnancy, and always have. I love moms, I love dads, and I love babies. But everything about this fourth edition from the happy, excited mom-to-be on the cover, proudly caressing her beautiful belly and its even more beautiful contents, to the adorable week-by-week description of the making of your baby, to the positive (yet realistic), mom-to-mom tone throughout--this fourth edition is not just an explanation of those 9 amazing (though often bewildering) months you have ahead of you. It's a celebration of them. What to Expect When You're Expecting fourth edition is everything moms and dads have come to expect from What to Expect... only better. And I can't wait to start sharing it with you. I guess you can say--I'm a proud mama all over again. --Heidi Murkoff
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 The classic guide to pregnancy. |
| Review Date: April 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Heidi Dexter, Sunny Florida |
A MUST have: If you are looking for a thorough pregnancy book, this has to be it. When I got it from my doctor (he gives one out to each new, expectant mom) I was suprised at how big it was. Wow! A lot of reading material. However, this one covers just about everything you want to know about pregnacny and then some. There was also some stuff in here that I particularily didn't want to know!! However, it's a good, solid read and one of the best. A classic. I also liked Really Pregnant! Confessions of a New Mom-To-Be or Why I Couldn't Stop Eating Brownies.
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Not "alarmist" or "fear-mongering."
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| Review Date: December 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Miss Misery, Utah |
Luckily I purchased this book before reading the Amazon.com reviews. The reviewers that gave this book a poor rating, claiming it is "alarmist" and "fear-mongering," are using exactly the kind of hyperbolic language they accuse the authors of using. I am normally overly self-aware and concerned about every little pain or abnormal feeling I have; if anything, the book's month-to-month description of possible symptoms and conditions helped reassure me that all the things I went through were normal and easily explained. It made for a convenient reference to further research things that were pertinent to my situation. I didn't find the book frightening or agenda-pushing at all. In fact, I thought it was much less concerning than the book that the doctor's office gave me.
The section on birthing options seemed fairly diverse to me. It did not condone using medications or seem to favor hospital birthing in any way. It encourages you at around 7 months to start thinking about and preparing your birthing plan so you can make sure it is carried out in the way you want it to be.
There is a whole section, at the back of the book, SEPARATE from the month to month sections, which covers the various conditions that can potentially complicate pregnancies. I think this section is more for mothers who are pre-disposed to these conditions or have already been diagnosed with them. The book in no way made me feel like I was at risk for any and all complications or that I had to sleep with all eyes and ears open. I myself have been at-risk with a short cervix so I found that section, and the section on the signs of preterm labor, to be helpful, informative, and unbiased.
The best and first place you ought to go with a pregnancy concern is of course your doctor or midwife. But if you'd like some handy and concise information on the kinds of things you MAY encounter month-to-month, why these things happen, and some possible ways to deal with them, then this is a fine book. I did not find the tone threatening, condescending, or heavily prescriptive by any means. I'm not sure why anyone would give it one star. |
A great book!
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| Review Date: October 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: annac, NY USA |
I was a little hesitant before buying this book because I had read all the negative reviews on Amazon that were saying that the tone of the book is bad and that the book jumps from topic to topic. I still decided to go ahead and buy it because my doctor recommended it. Well, quite to the contrary of what many negative reviews had been saying, I found this book to be well written and with a great sense of humor! Honestly, I have no idea what all those people mean when they say that the tone of the book is condenscending and that the book is designed to scare you by pointing out everything that can go wrong... This is just not true! In fact, I thought the tone of the book was quite the opposite and I've been enjoying reading it so far.
I'll give you a specific example. One thing that was bothering me and that I was hoping to find answers to in this book was the fact that I had a few glasses of alcohol very early in my pregnancy (the first 2 weeks after conception) before I knew I was pregnant. I was expecting (after all those negative comments that I'd read!) the book to tell me what a bad mother I already am and how this has hurt my baby irreversibly. Well, to my surprise, the book said quite the opposite. Here are the exact words (4th edition, p.71, paperback): "Fortunately, it's a concern that you can cross off the list. There's no evidence that a couple of drinks on a couple of occasions very early in pregnancy, when you didn't even know you were pregnant, can harm a developing embryo. So you - and all the other moms who didn't get the message right away - can relax."
All in all, this book is very informative, written in a style that anyone can follow and understand, it's full of jokes, and so far has given me answers to 99% of my questions. I am still not done reading this book because I'm still pregnant ;-) and I highly recommend the book to anyone! |
A very handy reference guide
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| Review Date: March 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Gretchen, Sammamish, WA |
As much as I wanted to dislike this book, I found it to be a very valuable resource during my pregnancy and the few weeks following. Nothing I read in the book contradicted my doctor's advice or other information I read on reputable sites like [...] (the one website my OB recommended). And contrary to what other people have said, the book did not make me paranoid ... In fact, I felt like each time I referenced it, it confirmed that what I was experiencing was totally normal and expected.
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A very complete and reassuring book
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| Review Date: March 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: M. Brisson, Houston, TX |
I usually do not write reviews but I felt I had to do it for this book : when I read the bad reviews about it, I wonder if we really had the same book in hand ? For me it was a mine of information and above all, a mine of reassuring tips and advices. I'm the type of person who worries about all and everything. I got this book for my first pregnancy and it helped me getting started and understanding the pregnancy step by step.
It is much less a catalog of awful things than other books such as "your pregnancy week by week", for instance - that, in a funny way, readers that actually disliked "what to expect" preferred. In a funny way, because for each week, you have about three pages about you and the baby, and the rest for what can go wrong, full chart of what substances will do to your baby, money concerns, it even talks about tuberculosis !! Personnally, I realy disliked "week by week" as, after every chapter, I felt I had read more about problems than about the pregnancy. I did not have this impression with "what to expect".
I got very worried at the beginning of my pregnancy because I'm older (37) and was experiencing cramping and no morning sickness. In at least 4 places in "what to expect" they explain this is perfectly OK and normal and that this is not necessairly bad unless associated with other symptoms.
I also had a miscarriage - and the book helped me cope with it in a wonderful way. It told me more than my own doctor... I actually found that it is written in a way that leaves room for everyone, every taste, every reaction, without judging nor condescending as others have said.
Honestly I have few usage of a book that would NOT tell me the truth abouth what to expect : the various pregnancy symptoms, the procedures, what can go wrong. In other books I got they do not talk about "normal cramping" - and I would have begun to worry about not reading about it. This is the exact reason WHY I got this book - so that I can find most of the answers that I'm looking for. And if there is something to be looked at in more detail, there is always your practitioner, and the internet. And let's face it : pregnancy is not a piece of cake. I do not need a book enhancing how wonderful time it is... I need a book that is practical and matter-of-factly.
Actually I found strange all the reviews of hate - as if the readers had developped a personal relationship with the book itself. After reading the book, I find most of the reviews exagerated - this is of course my own take at it ;). I guess people find in there what they want to find... maybe the style in which it is written is not the cup of tea of everybody. Personnally it did not prevent me from getting the information that I was looking for without getting emotional over it.
A few excerpts of the book that answer some concerns of other reviewers :
Reader : "it was so discouraging to be reading the guilt-inducing message that I might be denying my baby something because I was gagging on my spinach". Extracts :
- page 89 : "there is a very important point to keep in mind as you embark on making a diet change for the better :what's presented in this chapter is the ideal, the best possible plan for eating when you're expecting. Something you should strive for, certainly, but nothing you should stress over (especially early in pregnancy) [...] "
- page 92 : a full "No more guilt" section...
Reader : "You know what it says in the index? "Mood swings: see depression."
This is absolutely not true. Tere are two pages on mood swings, one on panick attacks, and it explains why and how to cope with it and how your husband can cope with yours... the index actually says : mood swings : 162-164 ; and DHA/Omega 3 ; and thyroid condition; father's ; spouse coping with your ; see also : baby blues, depression, emotions
Reader : "This book is full of information unfortunately, it is all the scary information."
Well, I think the contrary. The scary information is actually regrouped at the end of the book, in a chapter called "managing a complicated pregnancy". The introduction to the chapter reads : "If you've had a problem-free pregnancy so far, though, this need-to-know chapter is not for you (you don't need to know any of it). Most women sail through pregnancy and childbirth without any complications. While information is definitey empowering when you need it, reading about all the things that could go wrong when they're not going wrong is only going to stress you out - and for no good reason. Skip it, and save yourself some unneeded worry."
By the way, this is the same disclaimer this reader is talking about here :
Reader : "I also hated that the miscarriage section had a big disclaimer warning pregnant women not to read it unless they actually had had a miscarriage, because the knowledge alone that miscarriage could happen would be so emotionally devastating to her that she couldn't handle it."
I call this an far-fetched interpretation of what is actually written.
Reader : "...was advised to have an amniocentesis. The language in "What to Expect" emphasizes: 1. The large size of the needle, 2. The risks of the procedure, and 3. Pain"
I think you read what you want to read. These facts were not "emphasized" but merely described. And these ARE the facts. Would you prefer a book stating that the needle is nothing to notice, that the procedure has no risks and there is no pain ? You would call that book a liar...
"Although it explains procedures, it does not emphasize a pregnant woman's rights to refuse those procedures if she chooses, and take ownership of her medical care during this crucial time."
Again I do not think this is true. Of course if you jump directly to the paragraph talking about amniocentesis, there is nothing there. But there are some caveats in a lot of other places, particularly in the few pages preceding the description of the invasive procedures. For instance :
- page 59 : "for those whose concerns represent more than normal expectant-parent jitters, the benefits of prenatal diagnosis can far outweigh the risks."
- page 63 : (talking about screening which is a blood test) : " once you have that information, you can decide, together with your practitioner, whether you want to undergo diagnostic testing". page 64 (same) : "the major risk of the test is that a positive result may lead to follow-up procedures that present greater risks. Before you consider taking any action on the basis of prenatal screening, be sre an experienced physician or genetic counselor has evaluated the results." (follow the descriptions of various procedures including amniocentesis)
Anyway, I will just stop here, it was just an illustration of what people disliked vs what was really written. Try to borrow the book or have a peak inside here or at a library to get an idea of whether it's right or wrong for you. It was definitely right for me. Every pregnancy is different... everybody is different.
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Tamara Mandasco is an enthusiast in health and nutrition. She has been working with many information products. She vows to only recommend quality information to her visitors and has helped hundreds of information seekers daily.
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