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170th out of 196 books
—
255 voters
What to Expect Before You're Expecting
Announcing the prequel. From Heidi Murkoff, author of America's bestselling pregnancy and parenting books, comes the must-have guide every expectant couple needs before they even conceive-the first step in "What to Expect: What to Expect Before You're Expecting."
An estimated 11 million couples in the U.S. are currently trying to conceive, and medical groups now recommend...more
An estimated 11 million couples in the U.S. are currently trying to conceive, and medical groups now recommend...more
Hardcover, 275 pages
Published
May 15th 2009
by Workman Publishing
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Completely useless. Most of the info contained within can be easily gleaned from the internet with a few cursory searches. If you don't know it's good for you to eat healthy food, be at a healthy weight and not smoke when you're trying to conceive you shouldn't be contributing to the human race anyway. She also assumes that every woman out there wants to make babies as fast as they can, but what about the people who have misgivings? No advice for them?
The author is not a doctor and she doesn't...more
The author is not a doctor and she doesn't...more
view all 26 comments
I didn’t totally hate this, even with all the mealy-mouthed cutesy bullshit (I say this solemnly and with purpose: if any of you ever catch me unironically using the phrase “baby dancing” instead of just saying sex, do us all a favor and insert bullet into brain post haste, please and thank you). I didn’t even hate her complete aversion to showing her work and, you know, citing like a fucking professional. I
didn’t even hate the entire 50 words she devoted to noticing that,
ohmygosh, there are peo...more
didn’t even hate the entire 50 words she devoted to noticing that,
ohmygosh, there are peo...more
First off, let me say I'm far from even expecting to expect. That said, I still love this book. For any woman who wants to get pregnant, thinks she might want to get pregnant or is just interested in learning all there is to know about pregnancy, then this is the book for you. WtEBYE covers everything from what vitamins to take and foods to eat to what possible problems you might face and what options there are if you have trouble conceiving. It has an in-depth fertility journal in the back so y...more
This book offers only a small section to preconception planning (first 70 pages) and the following 200 are about fertility issues. It would be better named "What to Expect When You Have Fertility Problems, With a Side Note on Preconception Planning." ::sigh::
There is a lot of valuable fertility information in here and I really feel that this was the motivating factor in writing this book. There are several, better books on preconception than this, but this is not a bad place to start. A springbo...more
There is a lot of valuable fertility information in here and I really feel that this was the motivating factor in writing this book. There are several, better books on preconception than this, but this is not a bad place to start. A springbo...more
I guess...maybe this book wasn't meant for me? I do plan to have a family in the next 3 years. My doctor did put me on prenatal pills to boost my calcium & folic acid while I'm still under 30. I've been working today a more active and healthy lifestyle for the past 14 months in the aim to "get fit for pregnancy down the road."
So, I thought this book would be useful.
There was a useful chapter. That's right, one chapter. The stuff about caffeine, and weight, and PCOS (which they make it sound...more
So, I thought this book would be useful.
There was a useful chapter. That's right, one chapter. The stuff about caffeine, and weight, and PCOS (which they make it sound...more
A few things I learned from this book:
1. You should totally quit smoking before trying to get pregnant
2. That drinking habit you have should probably go, too.
3. And that other little ah, habit you have? Ix-nay on the rugs-dray.
Ugh - the beginning of this was SO bad. It got a little better as it went on, but still nothing earth-shattering. And the author has an awful habit of putting at least one thing (sometimes two, sometimes three - I guess she likes to mix it up) per sentence in parantheses (...more
1. You should totally quit smoking before trying to get pregnant
2. That drinking habit you have should probably go, too.
3. And that other little ah, habit you have? Ix-nay on the rugs-dray.
Ugh - the beginning of this was SO bad. It got a little better as it went on, but still nothing earth-shattering. And the author has an awful habit of putting at least one thing (sometimes two, sometimes three - I guess she likes to mix it up) per sentence in parantheses (...more
Very informative book. Also loved the writing style: down to earth with a good balance of lightheartedness. Has pertinent info for men and women (though, of course, mainly geared towards women). I read Part 1 (Getting Ready to Make a Baby) and Part 2 (Making a Baby). The first section includes preparing yourself physically (losing weight, changing diet). The second section reviews all the basic bio stuff we all learned in middle school (and if you're like me, you'd forgotten a lot of the details...more
This book had some helpful information in it. It talked about BMI and how it can affect your pregnancy and the vitamins you should be taking to get your body in tip top shape. It mentioned how important it is to get any necessary dental work done before getting pregnant, and touched on finances. Then there was a lot of biological information, a lot of which I already knew and a lot of which I didn't. All very helpful, all in the first half of the book. The second half of the book deals mostly wi...more
It had some useful information, but a lot of it was common sense or specifically related to infertility issues, which seems like it should be a different book.
My biggest issue, though, is that I hate cutesy writing. I hate it all the time, but I especially hate it in books about science. The bad puns and euphemisms (sorry, but grown ass people should not be referring to sperm as a dude's "swim team") really got to me. I know that eventually I will be trying to get pregnant, and I will probably p...more
My biggest issue, though, is that I hate cutesy writing. I hate it all the time, but I especially hate it in books about science. The bad puns and euphemisms (sorry, but grown ass people should not be referring to sperm as a dude's "swim team") really got to me. I know that eventually I will be trying to get pregnant, and I will probably p...more
This book is aimed at women who aren't pregnant and haven't begun trying to conceive, and I found it very informative as a starting point. It informs the reader about all the things Mom and Dad -to-be need to do or be aware of prior to TTC, including both physical and mental health, and information about charting. The most useful information was about the biology of conception, charting fertility, and busting common myths. I also really liked that there were frequent sections for men, so your si...more
In addition to the terrible writing style and completely unnecessary cutesy list of terms ("baby-dancing" in exchange for sexual intercourse, or even just sex, followed by repetition of what they are being used to express, therefore rendering the jargon completely useless) this book had very little useful information, at least not what you would expect based on the title. Most of the book was dedicated to explaining options available to those having difficulty getting pregnant or experiencing in...more
I picked up this book while trying to conceive. The relevant advice for me was limited and pretty lame: eat well, exercise, don't smoke, take prenatal vitamins. All stuff that I was pretty well aware of going in to the process. About two-thirds of this book is dedicated to fertility problems which thankfully I did not have. Perhaps it would be a more useful book for some struggling to conceive. That said, I'm not really a fan of the overall tone of the "What to Expect" series/franchise in genera...more
I only gave this book two stars because it's an informational book in which you have to be a very selective reader. The writing itself is very friendly and everything is done in layman's terms to make it accessible to all readers. I only read a few select portions of the book, however, because most of the information does not relate to me. If I had picked up the book to become knowledgeable about every aspect of getting ready to conceive and trying to conceive then this book would be perfect. Th...more
We’ve been trying to have a baby for a couple of years now, and I thought it was time that I made sure that I was as educated as I thought I was about conception. I definitely learned a few things from this book. This is a book you can skip around in easily, because not all of the topics are going to apply to everyone. It’s informational without being dry and boring. There is also information here for the man you are trying to conceive with. I especially appreciated that the book acknowledged th...more
Probably because I've already done a lot of research on preconception preparation, I didn't learn as much from this book as I'd hoped. (It also didn't specifically address my concerns and questions, because it assumes you've got a partner on tap; I was not surprised by this, though. I realize I'm not the norm.)
However, it does offer more wide-ranging advice than many of my other resources -- everything from getting your finances in order to writing a will. So it is a fairly complete resource for...more
However, it does offer more wide-ranging advice than many of my other resources -- everything from getting your finances in order to writing a will. So it is a fairly complete resource for...more
I would def. recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about trying to get pregnant. A friend of mine gave me this book after she got pregnant. It gives you a lot of information you should know about what you need to take care of even before you start trying. Some things are common sense that most everyone already knows, but there is some other new information (or at least new to me). Pick this book up before you are even ready to start trying because it gives you information on things to do...more
Read during the time my husband and I were trying for our little one (now a reality), this book opened my eyes to eating better, exercising well and overall taking care of my body as I planned to prepare my womb for new life. Murkoff focuses on the stages prior to conception, delving slightly into post-conception for knowledge's sake. I found the dietary and menstrual trackers helpful, and the information was vital for anyone planning to be a mother. For the father-to-be, the grayed sections wer...more
The first twenty or so pages has a great wealth of information. The chapters after that kind of go over the same stuff in detail and weren't terribly interesting. There are helpful pages in the very back that you can copy and fill out.
Notes:
Get a full checkup-- weight check, thorough physical, medication overview, blood test (hemoglobin or hematocrit, RH factor, rubella titer, varicella titer, urine screen for diseases, TB, HepB, CMV, taxoplasmosis titer, thyroid, STD), PCOS, uterine fibroids cy...more
Notes:
Get a full checkup-- weight check, thorough physical, medication overview, blood test (hemoglobin or hematocrit, RH factor, rubella titer, varicella titer, urine screen for diseases, TB, HepB, CMV, taxoplasmosis titer, thyroid, STD), PCOS, uterine fibroids cy...more
Well, I'm not expecting, but I wanted a little overview of what I should consider, what I should do if I were to try to become, uh, expecting. This book gave me a little of that, but mostly a lot of random advice that I kind of already know. It also devotes a large section to miscarriage and fertility difficulties, which I think might be better suited for the What to Expect When You're Expecting than in this book, just because you'd probably purchase that book while pregnant or in anticipation o...more
A great book if you are having trouble getting pregnant, or are just super crazy (like myself) and want as much information as you can get upfront. There are a number of things that the book and your doctors suggest you start doing months before you even start trying to conceive, and this book does a great job of laying all of that out. However, this can feel extremely overwhelming and the majority of it is not entirely necessary unless you are under trying circumstances.
Rubbish.
From the ridiculously basic information (if you don't know enough to stop smoking and using recreational drugs while pregnant, you should be forbidden from reproducing), to the cringe-inducing writing style ("baby-dance" = sex; referring to testicles as "the boys" and "the jewels"), this book was a definite flop. It was also heavily geared toward women who are having trouble conceiving, with a long section on fertility problems.
From the ridiculously basic information (if you don't know enough to stop smoking and using recreational drugs while pregnant, you should be forbidden from reproducing), to the cringe-inducing writing style ("baby-dance" = sex; referring to testicles as "the boys" and "the jewels"), this book was a definite flop. It was also heavily geared toward women who are having trouble conceiving, with a long section on fertility problems.
Easy to read, good information. There is a lot of overlap between this book and What To Expect When You Are Expecting's preconception sections, but I suppose Murkoff can't assume everyone is going to read both. There are a few charts and graphics that don't show up so well on the kindle edition, but they are still legible. Just wish that publishers would improve how graphics look when they publish kindle editions.
Apr 10, 2011
Jenny
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jenny by:
Amanda
This is a helpful review of conception and what to do to make it happen. Which is great, since I sure enough could use a refresher of what I learned in freshman Biology! The annoying part is her use of alliteration and irritating peppy quotes to end each mini-section, such as "And while you're at it, stop by the salad bar for a folate fill-up." Aargh. So the style was annoying, but the content was useful.
I got a fourth of the way through this book before I realized there are ABSOLUTELY NO REFERENCES. That's pretty dumb for a reference book that's heavy on health, medicine, diet, and repeatedly says, "Studies show..." She has done her research, and maybe next to nothing she says is wrong, but probably most of it I could look up for myself on the internet. Or better yet, another more reputable reference book that HAS references, written by authors who are certified in some way. After some delibera...more
Informative book. This book got a lot of unfair reviews. If you are in the medical field, you'll probably hate this book. It is goofy, light hearted, and very informative. It is written with a forward by a doctor who agrees with the information that Heidi Murkoff shares with her reader, so, quite frankly, I didn't need an endnote reference for every fact that was shared with the reader. It helped me make a few lifestyle/vitamin alterations to boost my odds at conceiving. I enjoyed the silly phra...more
I'm glad that I borrowed this book instead of bought it. The information included can easily be found through a quick Google search and much of the content pertains to infertility procedures (which it actually covers quite well if you are looking for some information). This is a quick read - a scan, almost - but does have a few helpful tips on nutrition and my partner enjoyed the excerpts just for men.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot and I feel much better prepared for possibly starting a family someday. It was full of very good information which was presented in a friendly writing style making it easy to read and hold my attention. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering TTC (Trying to Conceive).
As my husband and I have decided to start trying to get pregnant at the end of this year, I picked up this book just to see what I could learn in preparation for that time. I can't say there was much that I learned in new information, but there was plenty that I had reinforced. Such as: healthy eating prior to trying to conceive, starting to take prenatal vitamins before you're pregnant, healthy weight ranges for better conception chances.
I liked the set-up of the book as well. Each chapter was...more
I liked the set-up of the book as well. Each chapter was...more
Though parts of this book were informational, most of it seemed like common sense to me. Don't smoke, drink or do drugs when you're trying to get or are already pregnant? Well, no kidding! Also, a good chunk of this book is about difficulty fertility issues. Since I'm currently not trying to get pregnant, I skimmed this section, but I guess it would be valuable info for those applicable.
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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.
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