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189th out of 5,102 books
—
14,148 voters
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Incorporating everything that's new in pregnancy, childbirth, and the lifestyles of parents-to-be, complete with a preconception plan, information on choosing a practitioner, birthing alternatives, second pregnancies, twins, making love while pregnant, and coping with common and not so common pregnancy symptoms.
Paperback, Third edition, 597 pages
Published
February 1st 2002
by Workman Publishing
(first published February 15th 1969)
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If you have to read one book on pregnancy, do yourself a favor and pick a different one than What to Expect. If you have lots of time on your hands and want to read several books, go ahead and read this one too. The general tone of this book is alarmist and condescending. Unless, of course, you planned the conception perfectly (Why, you and your partner didn't even take Tylenol while trying to get pregnant!), your diet during pregnancy is a model that the USDA would be proud of, you wouldn't dre...more
When I was pregnant with my first child, I picked up nearly every book on the bookstore shelves having to do with pregnancy and childbirth. I wanted comfort, a friend in the form of a book, a companion to hold my hand and let me know everything was going to be okay.
This book was not that friend.
Instead, everytime I read this book, I found myself getting more and more agitated. It exposed me to almost TOO much information, verging on the point of overload. You know how medical students become c...more
This book was not that friend.
Instead, everytime I read this book, I found myself getting more and more agitated. It exposed me to almost TOO much information, verging on the point of overload. You know how medical students become c...more
How do I give this zero stars? This book should be called "What to Freak Out About When You're Expecting" and, unfortunately, goes hand-in-hand with TLC's "Baby Story" for gross negligence in maternity "infotainment." It addresses everything that could possibly "go wrong" or be of concern, emphasizing rare "high risk" complications that do NOT effect the VAST majority of women. Rather than explaining normal, healthy pregnancy in a positive and reassuring manner, it talks down to women and convin...more
It may be appropriate to read these books as an introduction to pregnancy and birth, but you must not stop here!
The books in this series may be helpful if you know absolutely nothing about how pregnancy and birth are managed in mainstream America, or if you hate asking questions from your doctor. But in my opinion, there are many, many books out there that educate and prepare women to understand, deal with and manage their pregnancies and births as partners with their health care providers, not...more
The books in this series may be helpful if you know absolutely nothing about how pregnancy and birth are managed in mainstream America, or if you hate asking questions from your doctor. But in my opinion, there are many, many books out there that educate and prepare women to understand, deal with and manage their pregnancies and births as partners with their health care providers, not...more
I seem to disagree with most of the reviews of this book.
This book got me through my pregnancy. Period.
I wasn't overwhelmed by the amount of information; instead I found it to be the only friendly, comforting book out there. While other books were telling me that if I'd had a glass of wine before I knew I was pregnant, my child would have extra limbs and no face, What to Expect... reminded me how minute the chances actually were. When the my overly clinical other books told me to panic if I hadn...more
This book got me through my pregnancy. Period.
I wasn't overwhelmed by the amount of information; instead I found it to be the only friendly, comforting book out there. While other books were telling me that if I'd had a glass of wine before I knew I was pregnant, my child would have extra limbs and no face, What to Expect... reminded me how minute the chances actually were. When the my overly clinical other books told me to panic if I hadn...more
I read this book when I was pregnant with my son (who's almost 10! Time flying, etc.) I know it's popular to slam this book, but it was a vast improvement over the books that came before it. As long as you ignore the diet advice (hey, I usually do!). Still, it had good solid advice and I liked it fine. It was a bit of a ground-breaker for books that came after it, so I don't know that I would say it is even close to the best information around now. Lots of better information available online, an...more
It felt to me like this book is out to scare moms-to-be. Instead of celebrating how normal many of our pregnancy changes are, this book makes you question any weight gain (hello, we're growing babies here! They weigh alot!)and can often take a hectoring tone. I don't think ladies need that. Check out any of the other fine pregnancy and labor books out there by Sears, Gaskin, Kitzinger, Simkin, England and others.
My pregnancy bible!
It is unfortunate that sometimes no one tells us we are bad at something, and then we bumble on through life thinking we are good at it. That's what's happened to Heidi Murkoff, who is a terrible writer laboring under the delusion that she is a good writer and comedic to boot. This book has somehow managed to attain status as some kind of pregnancy bible, but in reality it is an unbearable slog through every worst case scenario any expectant parents could ever hope to avoid. The author looks dow...more
This book has a mixed reaction from moms--some feel that it can be too strict at times in terms of diet and exercise. However, I really enjoyed the book and took the pregnancy diet tips as tips, not ultimatiums. As a first-time mom, this book had helpful question and answer sections for each month that encouraged me.
What to Expect answers questions such as what to watch out for when you are pregnant, tips for buying a layette set and how to help you and your husband bond with the newborn. In a...more
What to Expect answers questions such as what to watch out for when you are pregnant, tips for buying a layette set and how to help you and your husband bond with the newborn. In a...more
I found this book to be a good place to start. I greatly enjoy the research and information-gathering process, so this book presented a jumping-off point for me in my quest to arm myself with knowledge about my pregnancy and birthing options.
Overall, I found "Expecting" to be:
- user friendly
- easy to read
- clearly laid out
- thorough
- fairly moderate & inclusive in its opinions & advice
Was this book my only resource during pregnancy? Absolutely not! Was it my favorite resource? Nope! Was...more
Overall, I found "Expecting" to be:
- user friendly
- easy to read
- clearly laid out
- thorough
- fairly moderate & inclusive in its opinions & advice
Was this book my only resource during pregnancy? Absolutely not! Was it my favorite resource? Nope! Was...more
How can you complain about too much information? This book was great, practical and reassuring. The index had most every topic I could think of. However, the version I read needed an update on epidurals since it didn't recognize that many women today have them during childbirth.
It does have diet guidelines that are healthy goals. I personally didn't follow them but they might be useful for someone who thinks that it is ok to gorge on whatever you want just because of being pregnant.
It does have diet guidelines that are healthy goals. I personally didn't follow them but they might be useful for someone who thinks that it is ok to gorge on whatever you want just because of being pregnant.
I know there are a number of pregnant women who swear by this book series, but this book just opened up a whole lot of insecurities for me. During my two pregnancies, I found a lot more useful resources with a less condescending tone. When I read this book, I thought it was loaded with good information, but I also felt like I was the most irresponsible pregnant woman when I couldn't do what the authors mandated.
Jun 21, 2007
Needleroozer
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
NO ONE!
Shelves:
pregnancy-birth-abortion
Avoid this book at all costs!
It infantilizes pregnant women and tells them to just go along with whatever the doctor says they should do. I also remember it being very hetero-normative.
A much better book is The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger.
The only thing What to Expect When You're Expecting is good for is starting a fire to keep the expectant mother warm.
It infantilizes pregnant women and tells them to just go along with whatever the doctor says they should do. I also remember it being very hetero-normative.
A much better book is The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger.
The only thing What to Expect When You're Expecting is good for is starting a fire to keep the expectant mother warm.
Once I got past the terrible, frumpalicious Mom in loafers cover art, I found this book both helpful and horrifying in almost equal measures. Although the ending was totally predictable(9 months then baby? Yawn.), I was still shocked by it. They really had me hoping up til the very end that there was some other way for that baby to get out.
Talk about your guilt trips! I know this is a popular gift to give someone who is expecting a baby and it does contain some useful info. but it does seem like the Martha Stewart approach to child rearing. Inpractical for most of us mortals.
Too alarmist for my taste. According to this book pretty much everything you do while pregnant will hurt your baby. Not for me!
I read the first edition all the way through when I was pregnant with my first son in 1992-93. Since I don't really remember that far back, I don't know what the differences are between the first and third editions. But, the third is the one I own now and used during my third pregnancy in 2007.
It was fun to read the month-to-month chapters and figure out what the baby might look like and how big he was.
This is a wonderful reference guide to answer many questions you may have during your pregnanc...more
It was fun to read the month-to-month chapters and figure out what the baby might look like and how big he was.
This is a wonderful reference guide to answer many questions you may have during your pregnanc...more
This was not my favorite pregnancy book. I found the book to be overly concerned with a few pregnancy related problems (diet, gas, gaining too much weight). I had none of these problems or worries. The book didn't have nearly enough scientific information about the development of the growing baby. It was very focused on pregnancy related problems. In summary, if you feel you have to read it because everyone reads the "what to expect" books, fine, but, please don't make this the only book you rea...more
I was hoping this book would just give me a lot of knowledge about pregnancy so that I would approach everything with some understanding about what's happening to my body, and what I can expect during childbirth.
If you want these things, just ask your doctor. Don't read this book. It's full of benchmarks for "normal" pregnancies, and I met only about half of them. After spending the first 3 or 4 months worried about every discrepancy between my situation and the book, and then asking my doctor...more
If you want these things, just ask your doctor. Don't read this book. It's full of benchmarks for "normal" pregnancies, and I met only about half of them. After spending the first 3 or 4 months worried about every discrepancy between my situation and the book, and then asking my doctor...more
Apparently, not many people like this one. I think it's a great book! It does cover anything you'd want to know about pregnancy, the testing they do, etc. I know most people find the diet harsh, but honestly, with my second baby, I'm much more concerned with what I'm eating and I find it easy to follow. Yes, there is a lot of info, but you don't have to think "this is in the book, so it will happen to me!" In most cases, when they discuss odd things, they tell you who is most at risk. I like rea...more
There's much better out there, and I didn't appreciate the condescending tones present some of the time. Perhaps it was meant as reassuring. I was also annoyed by the author making sure to let you know it's called labor because it's hard work. Actually, labor isn't always about work. Mine wasn't until about 30 minutes of it. They said it was a mild discomfort (not in every case certainly) Labor isn't hard work, it's sometimes hard pain but there's nothing to be condescending about. Also, almost...more
I wish I read the postpartum section of this book before birthing the boy so that things like getting crazy night sweats didn't take me by such surprise...
I know that LDD is going to just love that I'm reading this book "written by fascists," but hear me out: first, it's been updated and revised so I don't think it's as preachy as you remember it being, and second, I'm reading "Exploiting My Baby" by Teresa Strasser to balance it out (Strasser calls Nancy O'Dell a "stupid c-word" because of how...more
I know that LDD is going to just love that I'm reading this book "written by fascists," but hear me out: first, it's been updated and revised so I don't think it's as preachy as you remember it being, and second, I'm reading "Exploiting My Baby" by Teresa Strasser to balance it out (Strasser calls Nancy O'Dell a "stupid c-word" because of how...more
This is the book everyone seems to grab when they are pregnant, and while it does have some good info on development for each month, it is definitely not my first choice for preparing a woman for what will happen in pregnancy and childbirth. It is very medically oriented, with plenty of material to scare an expecting mom. I would recommend books that lean toward natural options, preparing to have a peaceful and positive birthing experience, and helping the mother to gain confidence as she prepar...more
Apr 14, 2013
Chad Warner
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
expectant parents
Recommended to Chad by:
Kelly Warner
Based on the parts I read, this book is very informative and practical. The question and answer sections are quite helpful, and I found the tips for expectant dads useful. Each chapter describes the baby’s development, what the mother may be feeling, and what to expect at checkups, and includes common questions and answers.
The book’s layout could be better; the many sidebars make it difficult to read straight through a chapter without losing your place. I didn’t read the entire book; I only read...more
The book’s layout could be better; the many sidebars make it difficult to read straight through a chapter without losing your place. I didn’t read the entire book; I only read...more
I read this when pregnant with my first child and holy crap, did it scare me. This book should be called '10,000 Ways to Harm Your Fetus'. I'm paranoid, a hypochondriac, a worrier. I have anxiety. I was a thousand times worse back in 2008, compared to now, so this book made me anxious during most of my pregnancy, which ironically was probably more harmful to my unborn daughter than the deli meat I'd digested before discovering, from this book, that EVEN THE TINIEST BIT OF DELI MEAT WILL MAKE YOU...more
No lie--I bought this book the same day the pregnancy test was positive. Because books are a big part of my life! They teach you! Guide you through uncertain times! And what other pregnancy book is more famous than this one?
I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. At times it was helpful, but that was when I didn't let it scare me. Because the food part definitely scared me. Eating pumpkin seeds and drinking prune juice kind of scared. Now I know a lot of people slam this book for scaring women, espe...more
I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. At times it was helpful, but that was when I didn't let it scare me. Because the food part definitely scared me. Eating pumpkin seeds and drinking prune juice kind of scared. Now I know a lot of people slam this book for scaring women, espe...more
This book really puts the fear into you. I wasn't too concerned about gaining too much weight as I was 90- 93 pounds when I first got pregnant. I felt so guilty over the food guide though- I mean, I would love to eat as they suggest but how can you? It's so expensive to eat well and for the first three months I couldn't even stand the sight/ smell of meat or food in general. It makes me feel like I'm going to be a horrible mother, so I'm now only taking the word of my nurses/
Dietician/ professi...more
Dietician/ professi...more
Preachy, harping, self-righteous. I hated this book. Every other page has some guilt-tripping admonishment not to eat white flour ("Push the bread basket away at a restaurant if the bread isn't whole wheat," it said once, and oh, count the calories in the butter you do spread on your whole wheat bread). And avoid white sugar like the plauge - in favor of "juice-sweetened" cookies or desserts, which the authors seem to think is the ticket to health in every occasion. News flash: sugar is sugar, w...more
I was back and forth on rating this for a rating, but I'd generally give it between 3.5 and 4 stars. I rounded up due to agitation over a few of the hyper-negative reviews, to be quite honest. I don't feel that a book this valuable ought to be given a bad name because certain people didn't get out of it whatever it was they were expecting. (Please excuse the pun.)
This is an extensive reference guidebook covering the stages of pre-conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and post-postpartum--not somet...more
This is an extensive reference guidebook covering the stages of pre-conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and post-postpartum--not somet...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anyone else think this book is out to scare?? | 21 | 128 | Feb 18, 2013 06:52pm |
Heidi Murkoff is the author of the What to Expect® series and author of Eating Well When You're Expecting, The What to Expect Pregnancy Journal & Organizer, What to Expect the First Year, The What to Expect Baby-Sitter's Handbook, and the What to Expect Kids series from HarperCollins. Her interactive website is www.whattoexpect.com, and she lives with her family in Los Angeles, California.
More about Heidi Murkoff...
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