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The Babycenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth: Expert Advice and Real-World Wisdom from the Top Pregnancy and Parenting Resource
Millions of moms-to-be consult BabyCenter, the world's #1 pregnancy and parenting Web site, for the latest, most trustworthy advice. Now all that wisdom is gathered in The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Linda J. Murray, Leah Hennen, Jim Scott and the Editors of BabyCenter.
Combining expert advice with real-world mom-to-mom wisdom, the people at BabyCenter have been communicating through the contemporary medium of the Internet with new and expectant moms--intimately, reassuringly, effectively--for more than 7 years. They have helped an estimated 15 million mothers negotiate the often strange and scary but always miraculous worlds of pregnancy and parenting. And now the editors have put together all of this accumulated knowledge, including brand-new information that is not on the Web site, in a book that will immediately be recognized as the standout in the field.
Here expectant moms will
o Insights into the amazing changes they experience
o Practical advice from leading pregnancy experts
o Hundreds of great tips from experienced moms
o Breathtakingly detailed fetal-development illustrations
o Answers to all questions they are too embarrassed to ask, don't think to ask, or don't know whom to ask
Featuring many of the popular elements that distinguish the BabyCenter Web site--such as Is It Safe? and Just for Dad, plus worksheets, charts, quizzes, checklists, and more--this superb guide will only solidify BabyCenter's reputation as the world's #1 resource on pregnancy and parenting.
Combining expert advice with real-world mom-to-mom wisdom, the people at BabyCenter have been communicating through the contemporary medium of the Internet with new and expectant moms--intimately, reassuringly, effectively--for more than 7 years. They have helped an estimated 15 million mothers negotiate the often strange and scary but always miraculous worlds of pregnancy and parenting. And now the editors have put together all of this accumulated knowledge, including brand-new information that is not on the Web site, in a book that will immediately be recognized as the standout in the field.
Here expectant moms will
o Insights into the amazing changes they experience
o Practical advice from leading pregnancy experts
o Hundreds of great tips from experienced moms
o Breathtakingly detailed fetal-development illustrations
o Answers to all questions they are too embarrassed to ask, don't think to ask, or don't know whom to ask
Featuring many of the popular elements that distinguish the BabyCenter Web site--such as Is It Safe? and Just for Dad, plus worksheets, charts, quizzes, checklists, and more--this superb guide will only solidify BabyCenter's reputation as the world's #1 resource on pregnancy and parenting.
610 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 2005
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 4, 2013
I totally guessed the ending.
OK, so dumb joke. I thought there was nothing worse than wedding books. It turns out, I was wrong. Pregnancy books are even worse than wedding books because they combine all the same guilt over emotions and appearance and family with life or death consequences. So I'm a bad person because I haven't taken prenatal yoga, or been keeping a journal, and I didn't surprise Brian with a message in a fortune cookie to let him know I was pregnant, or send out copies of the sonogram pictures to all our relatives in cute personalized frames. Plus birth defects.
I had two prerequisites for a general pregnancy book: that it not be What to Expect When You're Expecting, just because I was feeling cranky that day, and that it be interpretation-free. Finding a book that is basically interpretation free was harder than I thought it would be. They mostly seem to want to suggest a vision for a pregnancy: that it will be a spiritual time, or an empowering time, or that it will affirm your womanhood, or inspire new levels of creativity. There's nothing bad about any of that, but it makes me bonkers. The bossy church lady who managed my wedding kept asking if I wanted the ceremony to be about trust. Or butterflies. I hate it when people tell me what the things I'm doing mean, or ought to mean, or suggest that they should mean anything at all. If I want the world's most meaningless pregnancy, that's my business. (Or it will mean whatever it ends up meaning, and is that really something a person can plan in advance? Or find in a Barnes and Noble?) Ergo, no spirituality, no empowerment, no affirmation, no creativity, and no butterflies. And this book basically fit the bill. The authors tried hard to represent a range of perspectives and experiences. They were technical while still being readable, comprehensive without being alarmist, and seemed to acknowledge and respect the diverse range of people who might be using their book.
I'm inclined to think the wedding book metaphor is the right one -- the person who wants a hemp gown and a drum circle probably shouldn't pick out Martha Stewart's guide to wedding planning -- and if your pregnancy vision involves lace draped prams, maybe the survivalists' guide to home birth is ultimately going to be more upsetting than it is helpful. And if you're cranky and vision-free like I am, this isn't a bad choice.
If there's one vision that all the books -- this one included -- seem to share, it's that pregnancy is hard and altering. And they mean it kindly. No one wants to be told to Lean In when they're still getting up to nurse every two hours, or made to feel ashamed because delivering their baby required two hours of grunting on all fours. So yes -- I get it. I now feel free to be tired and irrational and to let out strange noises if I feel moved to do so. On the other hand, pregnancy book writers of the world, would you throw us a bone? Please? A reassuring sentence or two about how I will eventually feel good again about something that DOESN'T have to do with my baby? I'm almost afraid to admit I feel fine -- according to the book, I should have swollen ankles and be unable to sleep at night -- "And that's OK!" How about feeling OK? Is that OK?
At this point, my favorite pregnancy advice came from Snooki. She suggested pregnant women bring an extra set of false eyelashes with them to the hospital, just in case. Is it shallow, useless, reality TV advice? Yes. Does it suggest a reassuring retention of self more than anything else I've read to date? Yes. I've never worn false eyelashes, but I may pack a set just for the principle of the thing.
OK, so dumb joke. I thought there was nothing worse than wedding books. It turns out, I was wrong. Pregnancy books are even worse than wedding books because they combine all the same guilt over emotions and appearance and family with life or death consequences. So I'm a bad person because I haven't taken prenatal yoga, or been keeping a journal, and I didn't surprise Brian with a message in a fortune cookie to let him know I was pregnant, or send out copies of the sonogram pictures to all our relatives in cute personalized frames. Plus birth defects.
I had two prerequisites for a general pregnancy book: that it not be What to Expect When You're Expecting, just because I was feeling cranky that day, and that it be interpretation-free. Finding a book that is basically interpretation free was harder than I thought it would be. They mostly seem to want to suggest a vision for a pregnancy: that it will be a spiritual time, or an empowering time, or that it will affirm your womanhood, or inspire new levels of creativity. There's nothing bad about any of that, but it makes me bonkers. The bossy church lady who managed my wedding kept asking if I wanted the ceremony to be about trust. Or butterflies. I hate it when people tell me what the things I'm doing mean, or ought to mean, or suggest that they should mean anything at all. If I want the world's most meaningless pregnancy, that's my business. (Or it will mean whatever it ends up meaning, and is that really something a person can plan in advance? Or find in a Barnes and Noble?) Ergo, no spirituality, no empowerment, no affirmation, no creativity, and no butterflies. And this book basically fit the bill. The authors tried hard to represent a range of perspectives and experiences. They were technical while still being readable, comprehensive without being alarmist, and seemed to acknowledge and respect the diverse range of people who might be using their book.
I'm inclined to think the wedding book metaphor is the right one -- the person who wants a hemp gown and a drum circle probably shouldn't pick out Martha Stewart's guide to wedding planning -- and if your pregnancy vision involves lace draped prams, maybe the survivalists' guide to home birth is ultimately going to be more upsetting than it is helpful. And if you're cranky and vision-free like I am, this isn't a bad choice.
If there's one vision that all the books -- this one included -- seem to share, it's that pregnancy is hard and altering. And they mean it kindly. No one wants to be told to Lean In when they're still getting up to nurse every two hours, or made to feel ashamed because delivering their baby required two hours of grunting on all fours. So yes -- I get it. I now feel free to be tired and irrational and to let out strange noises if I feel moved to do so. On the other hand, pregnancy book writers of the world, would you throw us a bone? Please? A reassuring sentence or two about how I will eventually feel good again about something that DOESN'T have to do with my baby? I'm almost afraid to admit I feel fine -- according to the book, I should have swollen ankles and be unable to sleep at night -- "And that's OK!" How about feeling OK? Is that OK?
At this point, my favorite pregnancy advice came from Snooki. She suggested pregnant women bring an extra set of false eyelashes with them to the hospital, just in case. Is it shallow, useless, reality TV advice? Yes. Does it suggest a reassuring retention of self more than anything else I've read to date? Yes. I've never worn false eyelashes, but I may pack a set just for the principle of the thing.
March 6, 2010
This book is a great guide for your first pregnancy. I found it more helpful than the What to Expect... series because it broke the pregnancy down week by week. Not only did it have all the essential information on my body, the baby's growth, and health-related issues, but it also tackled issues for dads and questions about what is safe and unsafe for you to do while you are pregnant. My favorite part though, was the "What other women are saying..." sections. Here, other mothers who have been through the same things you are going through share their experiences. Overall a fabulous book that has gotten me through, and helped me keep my sanity about my changing body.
January 10, 2009
This one is pretty good... pretty much the same info that's on babycenter.com but I like the book version so I can browse through at night before sleeping. I jumped on this whole baby center wagon a little later than most but have like it so far - weekly updates are great and the info is fairly thorough - only criticism is that it's a little on the 'beware - don't do this and that and this' side which I find annoying... the website (which allows for blogs/commentaries from professionals, other moms, etc) is much more balanced.
July 22, 2011
This book has been my go to book during my pregnancy. It's easy to reference specific topics or go through month by month. I liked that it covered the details about the pregnancy as well as dealing with your emotions and physical changes. I liked the quotes throughout the book and the fact that with most things it covered pros and cons and let you make your own decision on how certain topics could effect your pregnancy. There are also great worksheets that help you create things like your birth plan which was nice.
October 11, 2007
This is the book I referred to when I was pregnant. It tells you changes week by week. It's great and I always looked forward to reading it to see what was new with my growing baby. I liked the pictures of the real woman as she grew bigger with her pregnancy. She was so brave to pose for those pics!
January 6, 2008
Chock-full of excellent information. A week by week guide, with photos and references to different parts of the book made it quite informative. I found the photos reassuring to see that I was progressing "normally."
October 21, 2010
This is a run of the mill pre-pregnancy book. While good to have on hand for quick questions about common mild ailments and medications, it's not all that useful or inspiring for mom and dads to be on the less conventional route.
August 15, 2009
Really helpful. Much of the information is detailed on the babycenter website but the book is easier to grab from the shelf when you need an answer.
September 3, 2010
This book is an alternative (ie ripoff) of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Informative, but really no new information. Probably best for first time parents.
November 8, 2013
This book was my essential guide with both pregnancies. I found this book much more useful than the "What To Expect" series.
December 7, 2015
I used this book while pregnant and it's 100% better than the raved about "What To Expect When Your Expecting" which was a waste of money for me. I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews