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What to Expect When You're Expecting
(What to Expect)
by
,
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.
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Paperback, Third edition, 597 pages
Published
February 1st 2002
by Workman Publishing Company
(first published February 15th 1969)
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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
For obvious reasons, I am not going to rate this book. What I can say, however, is that while it kept me company, it also kept me well informed. I grant you, this kind of comprehensive infodump might not be for everyone. I can see that more neurotic and insecure person could feel overwhelmed and even anxious; for me, it was just OK. I like knowing things on the one hand, and on the other, the pregnancy was a wonderful broadening and deepening of our family life and not something akin to the revo
...more
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
I got about halfway through with this back in 1999 (when I was preggo with my 1st), before I chucked it. I'm getting pissed off just thinking about it right now. There I was, a brand-new mother-to-be, and this ridiculous book had me convinced that every time I farted there was something wrong with me! And believe me, I farted quite a bit.
Trust me, if you want to be a nervous wreck, run out and buy this book. Otherwise, relax. Babies are hearty little suckers. Just because you take Tylenol for h ...more
Trust me, if you want to be a nervous wreck, run out and buy this book. Otherwise, relax. Babies are hearty little suckers. Just because you take Tylenol for h ...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 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 is probably not the worst pregnancy book in the universe, but it is the worst one I've ever read. Unfortunately it's also the most popular, no doubt due to its admittedly catchy title and unavoidable ubiquity. I'm sure that many, many women, like me, zipped off to the library and grabbed this first thing after their positive pregnancy test.
I had zero ambivalence about being pregnant, but I imagine that for other thinking women less sure they want a baby, this book could do a lot to make the ...more
I had zero ambivalence about being pregnant, but I imagine that for other thinking women less sure they want a baby, this book could do a lot to make the ...more
Jun 21, 2007
HeavyReader
rated it
did not like it
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.
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
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.
Am I pregnant?
No.
Am I bored enough to read this book during quarantine?
Apparently, yes.
Am I now afraid of a baby's leg getting lodged in my birth canal?
Oh, you know it!
No.
Am I bored enough to read this book during quarantine?
Apparently, yes.
Am I now afraid of a baby's leg getting lodged in my birth canal?
Oh, you know it!
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
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.
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
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
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.
I was back and forth on rating this for a rating, but I'd generally give it 3.5 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 something I'd recom ...more
This is an extensive reference guidebook covering the stages of pre-conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and post-postpartum--not something I'd recom ...more
Well, some of my goodreads friends may think (and I wouldn't blame them) that pregnancy has made me completely illiterate, so it's about time I caught up with my updates. It's true, between doing baby registry research, diaper research, birth research, and driving to work for the past three months instead of taking public transit, I've had much less time to read than before, but I suppose that's just preparation for the busy time to come. In any case, on to the reviews...
Starting with this one, ...more
Starting with this one, ...more
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.
Too alarmist for my taste. According to this book pretty much everything you do while pregnant will hurt your baby. Not for me!
NOT PREGNANT!! I've just been following along with my sister-in-law's pregnancy, which is almost over! And I technically didn't read every chapter, just the month by month section, labor/delivery, and postpartum. It was really interesting to learn more, but I would have liked to learn even more about what's going on the baby. There were maybe four paragraphs in each chapter about baby's progress and the rest about possible symptoms (which were still really interesting). Overall I would have like
...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 it worth ...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 it worth ...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
Dec 20, 2015
Elaine Mullane || At Home in Books
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
babies-and-parenting,
2017
I have been going back to this book lately, now that I am expecting our second baby. This time around, I am not reading it from cover to cover but am dipping in and out depending on whatever I am thinking about at that time. And this is why I really like it. It's a great little pregnancy bible that literally covers every subject/issue/problem/topic you could ever wonder about while pregnant. There is an element of humour to Murkoff's writing too, which I love! Pregnancy can be serious and stress
...more
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.
This book should be burned. And banned. And quite possibly run over by a car beforehand. Nothing makes an expectant mother more terrified than the horror stories in this book, and the idiot who decided an appropriate "breakfast" for a pregnant woman is half a bagel with one tablespoon of non-fat cream cheese should be coated in butter and broiled.
Apr 11, 2017
Ashly
added it
Damn right I'm counting this.
This thing only terrifies mommies. Stay away and you'll be fine. Trust only trusted people in your life and your doctor.
4.5/5
This one is often thought of as the classic "pregnancy bible" and I can certainly see why. I was gifted a copy of this book when I was about a month and a half pregnant and started reading it immediately. I read it through my whole pregnancy from start to finish, following along with each week. I always looked forward to hitting a new week and reading up about it in the book throughout my pregnancy. I really enjoyed it and felt that it covered pretty much everything you could ever want to k ...more
This one is often thought of as the classic "pregnancy bible" and I can certainly see why. I was gifted a copy of this book when I was about a month and a half pregnant and started reading it immediately. I read it through my whole pregnancy from start to finish, following along with each week. I always looked forward to hitting a new week and reading up about it in the book throughout my pregnancy. I really enjoyed it and felt that it covered pretty much everything you could ever want to k ...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
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anyone else think this book is out to scare?? | 25 | 182 | Mar 28, 2015 12:41PM |
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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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