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Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Because of the rapid rate of change to both mother and baby, doctors refer to a pregnancy in increments of weeks, not months or even trimesters; expectant mothers look for changes and compare the details of their pregnancies based on the same weekly schedule. The best-selling Your Pregnancy Week by Week doles out focused information in this medically appropriate way, making it the most mom-recommended pregnancy guide on the market.Now carefully brought up-to-date, this expanded Fifth Edition will also be the most medically current and comprehensive pregnancy guide available. Always reliable and now re-designed to be even more accessible, weekly chapters include illustrations, descriptions of baby's growth and developmental milestones, information about a mother's average weight gain and what she might be feeling or becoming aware of, and the medical testing that corresponds to the week in question. New features Information on cutting edge obstetric technologies-from 3D ultrasound to pre-natal genetic testing* The very latest diet, nutritional and fitness recommendations for expectant mothers* A new chapter devoted to overdue (post-term) pregnancies* An expanded 15-page glossary of pregnancy and childbirth terms* A handy Due Date Prediction Calendar.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
221 people are currently reading
1084 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews
August 2, 2019
I rely on this book twice for both of my kids. It’s informative. I read it each week to be informed about my baby and being pregnant. This book was given to me by my OBGYN clinic from 8 years ago. I use it again for my second baby. I do recommend everyone to read this book. I don’t read many pregnancy books, just this one and what my doctor tells me. I occasionally google search any additional information I may need but majority I rely on this book for information about baby, what foods to eat, what to avoid, how to prepare my body so baby can be healthy and etc.
October 27, 2007
This book was kinda fun at first because it shows you pictures of the baby's development every week. But the text made me sick to my stomach! As if I wasn't enough already... every week this doctor-author (a man, by the way) goes into everything that could possibly go wrong during a pregnancy - from the most rare complications on. It is ridiculous! It was scary and depressing at a time when you should be relishing in the amazing changes and visulizing nothing but the best outcomes. Pregnancy is full of aches and pains and strange feelings, and there's no reason to go and think that every pang is leading to something bad. This book is only good for the pictures - just don't read beyond that! Read Ina May Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery or her other books instead- and relax!
January 1, 2014
This book should be renamed "Pregnancy Can Kill You! Week by Week". The doctors who wrote this should not be practicing medicine. I didn't think it was possible to be more offended by a pregnancy book since I read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" but this one is just incredibly awful. The worst part was, my health insurance company sent me a copy of the 7th edition of this book when I became pregnant. If this was my first pregnancy, I would now be a terrified mess. Some of the grossly inaccurate information in here included:
Risk of gestational diabetes It states: "Gestational diabetes affects 10% of all pregnancies...if gestational diabetes occurs with one pregnancy, there's almost a 90% chance it will happen in future pregnancies." ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. Statistics are 4% of all pregnancies, and the risk of recurrence is around 30%. It also goes on to say that if you do have it, you're dooming your child to a life of obesity. Pure fear mongering.
Episiotomy: States that they are better for the patient than tearing naturally, which has been proven to be completely false. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new guidelines in 2005, saying that episiotomy during labor should be restricted because doctors had previously underestimated the risk of bad outcomes later on, such as painful sex and possible incontinence.
Homebirth: Dr. Curtis and the American College of Obstetricians say that's hazardous and you're putting your baby in danger if you have one! Except that's not true! The ACOG actually states that the absolute risk is low and they just want patients to be informed of all risks. In fact, you're at much higher risk of infection or having a c-section if you have a hospital birth, and they state this on their website.
Hot tubs and heating pads: You could cook your baby to death or fry them with low level eletromagnetic fields! BULLSHIT.
It also goes on about the most obscure of possible complications during pregnancy, like bird flu, laparoscopy, cancer and shingles, among other complications which *could* occur in less than 2% of pregnancies. Shingles? REALLY? Maybe if you miraculously became pregnant after menopause, sure. It's insane that these are thrown in on every week like it's something common to worry about. Also the layout of the book is odd. It doesn't discuss caffeine intake until the second trimester, placenta previa in the last month when in reality it's usually detected at the 20 week anatomy scan, restless leg syndrome in week 36, when in actuality if you do have it (I did) it shows up much earlier than that. Needless to say, I wanted to throw this book at the doctors who wrote it, and shame on my insurance company for handing this out when there are so many more helpful and accurate texts out there.
Risk of gestational diabetes It states: "Gestational diabetes affects 10% of all pregnancies...if gestational diabetes occurs with one pregnancy, there's almost a 90% chance it will happen in future pregnancies." ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. Statistics are 4% of all pregnancies, and the risk of recurrence is around 30%. It also goes on to say that if you do have it, you're dooming your child to a life of obesity. Pure fear mongering.
Episiotomy: States that they are better for the patient than tearing naturally, which has been proven to be completely false. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new guidelines in 2005, saying that episiotomy during labor should be restricted because doctors had previously underestimated the risk of bad outcomes later on, such as painful sex and possible incontinence.
Homebirth: Dr. Curtis and the American College of Obstetricians say that's hazardous and you're putting your baby in danger if you have one! Except that's not true! The ACOG actually states that the absolute risk is low and they just want patients to be informed of all risks. In fact, you're at much higher risk of infection or having a c-section if you have a hospital birth, and they state this on their website.
Hot tubs and heating pads: You could cook your baby to death or fry them with low level eletromagnetic fields! BULLSHIT.
It also goes on about the most obscure of possible complications during pregnancy, like bird flu, laparoscopy, cancer and shingles, among other complications which *could* occur in less than 2% of pregnancies. Shingles? REALLY? Maybe if you miraculously became pregnant after menopause, sure. It's insane that these are thrown in on every week like it's something common to worry about. Also the layout of the book is odd. It doesn't discuss caffeine intake until the second trimester, placenta previa in the last month when in reality it's usually detected at the 20 week anatomy scan, restless leg syndrome in week 36, when in actuality if you do have it (I did) it shows up much earlier than that. Needless to say, I wanted to throw this book at the doctors who wrote it, and shame on my insurance company for handing this out when there are so many more helpful and accurate texts out there.
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February 20, 2008Horrible Horrible Book! AVOID! AVOID! This man is a terrible writer and gives terrible advice. Stay away from this book. It won't help you in any way.
July 22, 2009
In the category of pregnancy reads, I would say this is one of my favorites and most useful books. In the category of weekly updates of what is most likely happening in your pregnancy, this is by far the best book of it's kind. I had so many recommendations to read a different book that has been around, but I am so glad that I found this one, in comparison the "other" book has nothing on this one. When curious about this book in it's republication, I found several negative reviews that talked about how it could cause a person to become neurotic knowing all the possible things that can go wrong. Really, what I can tell you from reading this cover to cover, is that it definitely has information on a bit of everything, most plausible diseases and complications. When I was reading this, if I came to a section on smoking mothers, it obviously did not apply to me, so I skipped over it. Same with other categories such as ethnic specific diseases and so on.
I find that this book is a wealth of information. Reading through can tell you plausible things to go wrong, but it also tells you all the miracles that are occurring step by step along the way. There are drawings that show about what the development looks like for your babies stage. There are fabulous exercise suggestions for each week and I would easily say that this is medically current and a comprehensive guide. With my background in nursing I would suggest this book highly.
I find that this book is a wealth of information. Reading through can tell you plausible things to go wrong, but it also tells you all the miracles that are occurring step by step along the way. There are drawings that show about what the development looks like for your babies stage. There are fabulous exercise suggestions for each week and I would easily say that this is medically current and a comprehensive guide. With my background in nursing I would suggest this book highly.
June 19, 2014
This book was okay until about halfway through, and then I abandoned it, for two reasons.
First, I got irked on the section regarding epidurals. I'm not anti-epidural. I'm pro educating yourself about the risks and the appropriate timing for having one if you want. But - the author points to anesthesiologists insisting epidurals are desirable because research has shown that there are lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in cord blood post epidural-birth than non-epidural birth. I'm a licensed massage therapist. I make it my business to know all about stress and cortisol and their effects on the body. I think about them everyday because I see them everyday. And while consistent, elevated cortisol levels wreck havoc on the human body in a myriad of ways, it is still necessary to have a certain level of cortisol, because it's what gets us out of bed in the morning. It is possible to not have enough cortisol and need treatment.
Human birth has been around far, far longer than anesthesiologists and epidurals, by tens of thousands of years. And the human race was able to successfully procreate that entire time. There is still so much about labor and delivery that is a mystery to modern science (no one can say for sure what begins labor, for example). And the exact interplay of hormones that goes on is nuanced and not completely understood. If there is a certain amount of cortisol in a newborn baby it is probably supposed to be there. It most likely serves an important purpose. Being born is stressful for the baby, too, not just mom. I mean, your skull folds over itself just so you can be squeezed through a tube like toothpaste.
Second, and this was what really did it for me, the author flat-out says that home-births are dangerous, and uses the position of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as support. Well, of course a bunch of OBs will tell you it's dangerous to have a baby in the comfort of your own home because it threatens their livelihood. Having babies in hospitals is the reason modern obstetrics exists. Research supports planned home births (this is just one study - http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7505/1...). OBs (who are surgeons and trained to view pregnant women as set of potential problems) in other developed countries might only see women who have an actual complication arise in her pregnancy or who might be high-risk for one. In the US, almost all women, even those who go throughout their pregnancies needing nothing more than prenatal vitamins, see these doctors whose specialty they don't need. So of course they discourage women from seeing anyone but themselves.
(I'm not anti-OB, either. I have an OB. She's great. She's not eager to cut anyone open at the first hint of everything ever. She supports my desired birth plan and wants to help me achieve it.)
First, I got irked on the section regarding epidurals. I'm not anti-epidural. I'm pro educating yourself about the risks and the appropriate timing for having one if you want. But - the author points to anesthesiologists insisting epidurals are desirable because research has shown that there are lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in cord blood post epidural-birth than non-epidural birth. I'm a licensed massage therapist. I make it my business to know all about stress and cortisol and their effects on the body. I think about them everyday because I see them everyday. And while consistent, elevated cortisol levels wreck havoc on the human body in a myriad of ways, it is still necessary to have a certain level of cortisol, because it's what gets us out of bed in the morning. It is possible to not have enough cortisol and need treatment.
Human birth has been around far, far longer than anesthesiologists and epidurals, by tens of thousands of years. And the human race was able to successfully procreate that entire time. There is still so much about labor and delivery that is a mystery to modern science (no one can say for sure what begins labor, for example). And the exact interplay of hormones that goes on is nuanced and not completely understood. If there is a certain amount of cortisol in a newborn baby it is probably supposed to be there. It most likely serves an important purpose. Being born is stressful for the baby, too, not just mom. I mean, your skull folds over itself just so you can be squeezed through a tube like toothpaste.
Second, and this was what really did it for me, the author flat-out says that home-births are dangerous, and uses the position of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as support. Well, of course a bunch of OBs will tell you it's dangerous to have a baby in the comfort of your own home because it threatens their livelihood. Having babies in hospitals is the reason modern obstetrics exists. Research supports planned home births (this is just one study - http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7505/1...). OBs (who are surgeons and trained to view pregnant women as set of potential problems) in other developed countries might only see women who have an actual complication arise in her pregnancy or who might be high-risk for one. In the US, almost all women, even those who go throughout their pregnancies needing nothing more than prenatal vitamins, see these doctors whose specialty they don't need. So of course they discourage women from seeing anyone but themselves.
(I'm not anti-OB, either. I have an OB. She's great. She's not eager to cut anyone open at the first hint of everything ever. She supports my desired birth plan and wants to help me achieve it.)
September 2, 2016
Really, this book is kinda dumb.
The best example of this I can think of is the repeated admonitions for the mother to cut back on the illegal drugs. I mean, yeah, I guess it makes sense to say once, but how many expectant mothers who take the time to read books on pregnancy are likely to still be nursing their crack habits? This book brings it up *at least* three times. It pretty much treats the reader (mother) as a rather simpleminded dear who needs to be led along carefully and patted on the head a lot. Unfortunately, this tone isn't at all uncommon in pregnancy books, but it's still distasteful.
The organization is awkward too. It's broken down into weeks, and each week talks about some random things, ranging from diet and exercise to possible genetic diseases to emotional or practical needs and all sorts of other random mumbo jumbo.
Reading straight through is a confusing hopscotch from topic to topic and back again, with frequent deja vu as things are repeated. Waiting to read each chapter on the appropriate week will leave you painfully uninformed on some things until it is really too late to bother. Attempting to look up specific topics is annoying enough to not be worth the time.
The rating is as high as it is because I do find myself coming back to this book (a gift) for the actual week-to-week information: the baby is so big, the uterus is so big, these physical changes happen around this time. It also has pretty decent drawings (often to scale) of fetal development. Most of this information is available online anymore, but it tends to require registration, which isn't my favorite thing. Having it in book form is nice, though having it in a much shorter book without all the extraneous drivel would have been preferable.
The best example of this I can think of is the repeated admonitions for the mother to cut back on the illegal drugs. I mean, yeah, I guess it makes sense to say once, but how many expectant mothers who take the time to read books on pregnancy are likely to still be nursing their crack habits? This book brings it up *at least* three times. It pretty much treats the reader (mother) as a rather simpleminded dear who needs to be led along carefully and patted on the head a lot. Unfortunately, this tone isn't at all uncommon in pregnancy books, but it's still distasteful.
The organization is awkward too. It's broken down into weeks, and each week talks about some random things, ranging from diet and exercise to possible genetic diseases to emotional or practical needs and all sorts of other random mumbo jumbo.
Reading straight through is a confusing hopscotch from topic to topic and back again, with frequent deja vu as things are repeated. Waiting to read each chapter on the appropriate week will leave you painfully uninformed on some things until it is really too late to bother. Attempting to look up specific topics is annoying enough to not be worth the time.
The rating is as high as it is because I do find myself coming back to this book (a gift) for the actual week-to-week information: the baby is so big, the uterus is so big, these physical changes happen around this time. It also has pretty decent drawings (often to scale) of fetal development. Most of this information is available online anymore, but it tends to require registration, which isn't my favorite thing. Having it in book form is nice, though having it in a much shorter book without all the extraneous drivel would have been preferable.
April 26, 2008
This was the least helpful of the pregnancy books I have used. It does have a chapter for each week, but the information is not entirely well dispersed, and the tone of the writing I found off-putting. The thing that bothered me the most was the author's attitude toward induction and other interventions. As if a 7 1/2 pound baby "may not fit" through a smaller mom's pelvis! I wouldn't recommend this one, especially for moms more interested in natural childbirth and encouragement.
April 3, 2021
Este o carte ușor de citit, unde înveți câte ceva despre cum se dezvoltă bebe in fiecare săptămână și despre cum evoluează corpul mamei în perioada sarcinii. Am învățat să îmi înțeleg corpul, să înțeleg de ce am anumite vise, să îmi elimin anumite temeri și să fac cateva exerciții simple în timpul sarcinii. Cartea nu înlocuiește discuția cu un specialist, nu o recomand pentru auto-diagnostic, are mai mult scop didactic.
Mi-am făcut o idee despre naștere și despre perioada imediat următoare. Anumite pasage nu se potrivesc viitoarelor mamici din România, este clar o carte pentru persoanele din America. Dar nu m-a deranjat, se poate sări peste acele pasaje.
Mi-am făcut o idee despre naștere și despre perioada imediat următoare. Anumite pasage nu se potrivesc viitoarelor mamici din România, este clar o carte pentru persoanele din America. Dar nu m-a deranjat, se poate sări peste acele pasaje.
April 16, 2020
I liked the week by week detail in this one -- it was better done than in "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Having these 2 books to read side-by-side was a good combination.
July 9, 2008
This should be titled, "What Can Go Wrong with Your Pregnancy, Week by Week". Every week had a new calamity. Cancer? Baby not thriving in utero? Placental abruption? It's in there!
I felt this book had an agenda, which was: Pregnancy is very dangerous, and something can go wrong at any moment. Only doctors are truly able to manage this perilous time, and little women like you cannot handle it.
While it is true you can get sick in pregnancy, reading a five-page chapter about cancer treatment options in week 19 really isn't helpful.
I felt this book had an agenda, which was: Pregnancy is very dangerous, and something can go wrong at any moment. Only doctors are truly able to manage this perilous time, and little women like you cannot handle it.
While it is true you can get sick in pregnancy, reading a five-page chapter about cancer treatment options in week 19 really isn't helpful.
May 3, 2009
I loved that each week is broken down into a few pages, which makes it easy to read for a few minutes before going to bed each night. I DIDN'T love that there were pages of rare illnesses and diseases that you or the baby had a one in a million chance of contracting each week. I think if they are going to include this in the book, they could put it all in one section rather than assault you with it each week. I still gave this 4 stars because I did otherwise enjoy the format and just learned to skip over the other stuff.
December 17, 2009
Generally good information, but focused too much on the negative. Each chapter would begin with approximate baby size, your size, and what kinds of things were happening in your body as well as how the baby was developing. This would be about one paragraph. The rest of the chapter would focus on everything (in great detail) that could possibly go wrong with you or your baby.
My advice: Skip this one and just go with the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting.
My advice: Skip this one and just go with the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting.
January 17, 2008
I thought this book was more informative than what to expect when you're expecting. It gives you a lot of information about the growth and development of the baby instead of just answering questions. It also made me slightly neurotic though.
July 6, 2025
Lots of good info
December 30, 2023
At first glance, this was exactly the type of book I was looking for when I found out I was pregnant - something that would outline what to expect each week as I progressed through the pregnancy.
Unfortunately, this book is so full of misogyny and fatphobia it is difficult to get through. The "dad tips" sound like they came from the 1950s, and the overly restrictive, shame-based nutrition recommendations (and weight gain fear mongering) make my dietitian skin crawl.
If you are able to look past all that, there are still organizational/editing issues that place topics haphazardly through the book. For example, tips for morning sickness popping up well into the third trimester chapters (that would've been helpful to know much earlier on) or random asides early on that aren't relevant until much later in pregnancy. It felt disjointed and poorly put together.
Do yourself a favor and check out books by less dated and judgmental authors. Pregnant people deserve so much better than this book.
Unfortunately, this book is so full of misogyny and fatphobia it is difficult to get through. The "dad tips" sound like they came from the 1950s, and the overly restrictive, shame-based nutrition recommendations (and weight gain fear mongering) make my dietitian skin crawl.
If you are able to look past all that, there are still organizational/editing issues that place topics haphazardly through the book. For example, tips for morning sickness popping up well into the third trimester chapters (that would've been helpful to know much earlier on) or random asides early on that aren't relevant until much later in pregnancy. It felt disjointed and poorly put together.
Do yourself a favor and check out books by less dated and judgmental authors. Pregnant people deserve so much better than this book.
May 17, 2014
I've had this book since 2006 when my first baby was due. I remember enjoying the content and I found the information in the book helpful and it answered a lot of questions I had. The authors include helpful hints for dads and each chapter covers how big your baby is and how your body is changing.
For my second baby, the book was a good reminder of things that happened from my first pregnancy. The information provided was educational, informative and helpful.
With this latest pregnancy, I found I referred to the book less. Several of the later chapters did not apply to me and I only referred to the book to see how big the baby was each week.
There are several websites now like babybump.com and apps that a lot of my friends use instead. I'm glad I had this book as a reference because the authors have several sections that talk about drugs, alcohol and all different types of birth defects. There is a small section about sugar substitutes and how pregnant woman should avoid them because it is unknown how they affect the baby. The authors voice is upfront and straight forward, which is helpful in understanding the changes in a woman's body.
Overall, this book is very informative and is good reminder for as many subsequent pregnancies a woman has. I would definitely recommend this book to women who are having their first pregnancy. Even though there are several informative websites, like I mentioned above, this book does ultimately offer more information. Talking with ones doctor about questions that arise is the best option and not just trusting what you read. The author does encourage women to discuss things that bother them with their doctor. As a previous reference book, this is a great tool. However,I think the reason why I wasn't into this book this time around is because I was familiar enough with the process that the book became less interesting to me.
For my second baby, the book was a good reminder of things that happened from my first pregnancy. The information provided was educational, informative and helpful.
With this latest pregnancy, I found I referred to the book less. Several of the later chapters did not apply to me and I only referred to the book to see how big the baby was each week.
There are several websites now like babybump.com and apps that a lot of my friends use instead. I'm glad I had this book as a reference because the authors have several sections that talk about drugs, alcohol and all different types of birth defects. There is a small section about sugar substitutes and how pregnant woman should avoid them because it is unknown how they affect the baby. The authors voice is upfront and straight forward, which is helpful in understanding the changes in a woman's body.
Overall, this book is very informative and is good reminder for as many subsequent pregnancies a woman has. I would definitely recommend this book to women who are having their first pregnancy. Even though there are several informative websites, like I mentioned above, this book does ultimately offer more information. Talking with ones doctor about questions that arise is the best option and not just trusting what you read. The author does encourage women to discuss things that bother them with their doctor. As a previous reference book, this is a great tool. However,I think the reason why I wasn't into this book this time around is because I was familiar enough with the process that the book became less interesting to me.
June 6, 2011
This book was recommended to me by a friend, but I didn't see the appeal. It was organized by week, but each week was written with a half page on your baby's growth, followed by 5 pages of the worst possible case scenario. When Week 30, which started with only two sentences on the baby's growth, continued with the promising topics of knots in the umbilical cord, premature rupture of membranes, mad cow disease, and what to do if you have or develop cancer during pregnancy, I had to set this book aside. (I did sneak a peek at Week 31, and the only topic under How Your Baby is Growing and Developing was Intrauterine growth restriction. This solidified my decision to put this book down). I was very disappointed by this book and would recommend What to Expect When You're Expecting as a much better alternative.
September 26, 2012
Many women wonder if this might be a helpful resource. (A dig at the author's attempt to reassuringly address some topics.) This lady says toss this one directly into the trash and find something better. The week-by-week format sounds helpful but doesn't work for this particular book; in fact, I think the week-by-week format is best for online resources that can include links. It continually refers to previous weeks, which I found to be more annoying than helpful.
I'm glad to see that many others agree with me with this book. I read through a few weeks and most of the information agrees with what I'm finding in other print and on-line resources. The tone and organization are really what made me put this one aside -- there are other friendlier and easier books that I like much better.
I'm glad to see that many others agree with me with this book. I read through a few weeks and most of the information agrees with what I'm finding in other print and on-line resources. The tone and organization are really what made me put this one aside -- there are other friendlier and easier books that I like much better.
November 19, 2013
This was obviously written by a doctor. I smile as I, former nurse, make that assessment.
I read this cover to cover up to week 25, then skimmed to the end. I like the weekly format, but found some of the information included within certain weeks to be random or confusing. Why are we talking about a late pregnancy issue in week 8, or an early pregnancy issue in week 24? There was also a fair amount of repetition, particularly regarding diet and nutrition. Organizationally, I found it to be lacking. It also barely addressed "natural" or "unconventional" approaches to pregnancy and childbirth.
Overall this was OK, good for someone with little understanding or experience. Quite one sided in the information. There are some black and white illustrations, not even pictures, and that's it. Lots of words, so it seems more like a text book.
I read this cover to cover up to week 25, then skimmed to the end. I like the weekly format, but found some of the information included within certain weeks to be random or confusing. Why are we talking about a late pregnancy issue in week 8, or an early pregnancy issue in week 24? There was also a fair amount of repetition, particularly regarding diet and nutrition. Organizationally, I found it to be lacking. It also barely addressed "natural" or "unconventional" approaches to pregnancy and childbirth.
Overall this was OK, good for someone with little understanding or experience. Quite one sided in the information. There are some black and white illustrations, not even pictures, and that's it. Lots of words, so it seems more like a text book.
September 29, 2009
I really liked the way this book was organized. I felt that some of the information at the very end was incorrect (i.e. saying that under no circumstances can you eat or drink while in labor when my hospital provides jello and other light snacks to laboring mamas). I also found myself at week 38 of my pregnancy and thinking "Geez, what if I go into labor now and I don't make it through weeks 39-41?" Needless to say I quickly finished the book, throwing the weekly routine to the wind. :) Overall, I felt that this book was really good and would recommend this book over the other standard book (What to Expect When You're Expecting) but feel that reading both is really the way to go.
February 20, 2013
I read most of this book . . . had to skip the last few weeks because Ms. Amelia decided to show up a little early. ;-) I enjoyed learning about what we were growing each week. Reading a chapter each week was something that I really looked forward to each Tuesday evening. Surprisingly, I must be a little more laid back than some of the other mothers who have read this, as it has gotten some quite harsh reviews.
It was kind of our joke that I didn't have a go bag packed because it was not listed until week 36. Okay . . . maybe we laughed about that afterwards, but that's more truth than a joke!
Maybe with the next pregnancy I will get to read weeks 36-40!
It was kind of our joke that I didn't have a go bag packed because it was not listed until week 36. Okay . . . maybe we laughed about that afterwards, but that's more truth than a joke!
Maybe with the next pregnancy I will get to read weeks 36-40!
June 12, 2013
I picked this us at the library since all my other babies were born in my 20s and after 35 you're considered "high risk". Thought I'd attempt to do some reading to see if my age is the reason I'm so worn out with this one. If you'd like a manual of scare tactics and horror stories about every single solitary thing that might could possibly go wrong because you decided to wait or have another baby at this age, then THIS is your read. Other than that it was the same as every other book. I was annoyed and recommend this to no one ever. Oh, and it didn't even tell me whether or not this exhaustion is the later pregnancy or what. Looks like I'm just gonna have to check with my doc.
October 20, 2017
Seriously just awful. I understand the need to go over things that can go wrong, that's not the issue. Do we really need to go into every obscure, unlikely thing possible IN DETAIL for three fourths of each chapter? Can we not go into actual info about what my baby is doing week by week as the title suggests? No? Well then.
Every time I pick this book up, I put it back down within five minutes after suffering what feels like a panic attack. I just can't. We're taking a big old trip down the Nope Rope here. I don't even want to donate it and risk similar anxiety in other moms.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
Every time I pick this book up, I put it back down within five minutes after suffering what feels like a panic attack. I just can't. We're taking a big old trip down the Nope Rope here. I don't even want to donate it and risk similar anxiety in other moms.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
July 19, 2013
DO NOT buy this book. It was terrible! At first it's fun because you get to see pictures of your baby as she/he gets bigger inside the womb but then every chapter becomes a narrative on diseases and problems that COULD happen to you during pregnancy. I would absolutely NOT recommend this book. If you have a problem, your doctor will inform you about it. Find a book that prepare you for onslaught of physical and emotional changes and provides you with a checklist of things to do throughout. You'll go to bed with much sweeter dreams, I promise you!
September 5, 2012
On par with "What to Expect..." Another book that offers insight into how your body is changing and how your baby is growing week by week. Nice exercises included if you can bring yourself to exercise with a fetus sitting on your bladder.
What I'll say about most of these books - you'll get a lot of this info from your doctor and from Doctor Google. The books aren't really essential, but a nice reference point.
What I'll say about most of these books - you'll get a lot of this info from your doctor and from Doctor Google. The books aren't really essential, but a nice reference point.
January 28, 2013
The organization of this book is bizarre. It will tell you about your development at whatever week you are at in your pregnancy, but then out of the blue it will spend the rest of the chapter discussing some random condition that may or may not be related to pregnancy and that few people experience, such as celiac's disease or Tuberculosis.
Just sign up for the weekly babycenter.com emails instead.
Just sign up for the weekly babycenter.com emails instead.
July 4, 2011
If you want to know every single thing that could go wrong during pregnancy, then read this book. I think he was just trying to find content, any content. But still it was unnecessary.
This book was scary and depressing. It also offered ideas for weekly exercises and I remember feeling really inadequate because most of the time I felt way to crappy to be able to do any of them.
This book was scary and depressing. It also offered ideas for weekly exercises and I remember feeling really inadequate because most of the time I felt way to crappy to be able to do any of them.
December 11, 2014
This book did not suit my style. After the mention of a statistic that had no source and that I could not find any truth to, followed by it scaring me into thinking that I'm harming my baby if I ever dare sleep on my back past 16 weeks, I have chosen to abandon it.
I enjoyed the weekly description of the state of the baby, but that's pretty much it.
I enjoyed the weekly description of the state of the baby, but that's pretty much it.
March 15, 2012
While most pregnancy books seem out to scare the crap out of a mother-to-be, this book is awesome in that it explains what is happening to both mom and baby each week! Not each month--that's forever in the world of an expecting mother. Pictures of the fetus/baby accompany as well as things to keep in mind. Highly recommend it for those who are curious about baby.
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