Product Description

Introducing a completely Revised & Updated Third Edition of America's bestselling pregnancy book, What to Expect When You're Expecting. Two years in the making, it's a cover-to-cover, chapter-by-chapter, line-by-line revision and update.

Incorporating the most recent developments in medicine, and responding to the many queries and letters received from readers, the book contains both the most accurate information available, and the most reader-friendly. The Third Edition includes more information on working while pregnant. It offers more in-depth coverage of complementary and alternative birthing. Greater attention is paid to pre-conception, alternative families, second pregnancies, HMOs, the role of the father, and lifestyle. There's a completely new look at the Best-Odds diet, which is better suited to the needs of busier women with less time. An updated cover and all-new black-and-white illustrations give the classic a fresher look.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28538 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Amazon.com
Eighteen years after it first hit the shelves and having sold more than 10 million copies, What to Expect When You're Expecting is still on nearly every mother-to-be's reading list. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents may have. The information is presented in a month-by-month format starting with planning a pregnancy and choosing a practitioner, and follows through to six weeks after delivery. Each chapter begins with an explanation of what to expect at a particular month's prenatal visit and a brief description of how mom and baby are growing and changing before getting to the heart of the matter: What You May Be Concerned About. Topics are presented as questions ranging from "Should I be taking vitamins?" to "What if I forget everything I learn in childbirth education class?" to "Will I be able to breastfeed?" The answers are generally reassuring and provide enough information to soothe a worried mom between prenatal visits. Despite the reassuring answers, however, the sheer volume of worries discussed may alarm an otherwise calm mom-to-be.

The book also features a complete nutrition plan (though many women may find it difficult to follow), a special chapter just for expectant dads, and extensive information about dealing with minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and pregnancy complications. What to Expect has guided countless women through their pregnancies and makes an informative addition to the mainstream pregnancy and childbirth bookshelf. --Jennifer Lindsay

From Publishers Weekly
This revised third edition of the popular pregnancy guide offers the authoritative yet reassuring advice that parents have come to rely on from all the titles in the What to Expect series. The book is arranged by month, from pregnancy test through labor and delivery. Each section offers answers to frequently asked questions, along with features such as "What You May Be Feeling" and "What You May Be Concerned About." Every imaginable issue is addressed, including the small but nagging subjects that women may not want to discuss with their doctors, such as how their bodies will look at seven months, or why some pregnant women "glow" while others have acne. While readers who already own this book won't have to rush to buy the new edition, the revised volume does offer a number of excellent expanded sections and illustrations, including a more detailed discussion of postpartum depression. There are also new illustrations and more text on breast-feeding, with diagrams showing different feeding positions. The travel section offers specific suggestions for "jettisoning jet lag" in addition to standard advice on traveling while pregnant. This book remains an indispensable guide for pregnant women and their partners.

From Library Journal
First published in 1984, this has become the favorite resource of pregnant women. Written by Arlene Eisenberg, who died last year, and her daughters Heidi Murkoff and Sandee Hathaway, this third edition is completely revised and updated. The woman on the cover still sits in a rocking chair, but she now wears pants, clogs, and a fashionable haircut. Inside, readers will find completely new illustrations and 175 additional pages. The most current information about birthing options, nutrition, changes in appearance, choosing healthcare practitioners, and multiple births is here, along with new in-depth coverage of complementary and alternative medical therapies, postpartum depression, dealing with managed care, and working while pregnant. The authors also discuss subsequent pregnancies and offer an expanded section on the father's role. The book retains its user-friendly accessible question-and-answer format. Planning for conception, a month-by month guide to pregnancy, the postpartum period, and special concerns such as illness, chronic conditions, complications and pregnancy loss receive thorough treatment. An appendix features common tests, nondrug treatments, calorie and fat requirements and resources. Better than ever, still a classic, and a fitting memorial to Eisenberg, this new edition is highly recommended for all collections (Not everyone is a fan: Naomi Wolfe's Misconceptions and Sandra Steingraber's Having Faith are a bit critical of the book's cheery attitude.
Ed.) Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Take it with a grain of salt
I read What To Expect (most of it) during my first pregnancy, and I subsequently sold it at a yard sale (both copies I had). Yes, there is a lot of good information in it, but it does come across making you feel like a bad mom if you don't do most of it's suggestions. Yes, they may be what's best for your baby, but I think what you need to take with you when you're done with this book is the general rule of trying to eat healthy when you can, don't smoke, don't chance it with alcohol even though most people say a glass of wine here and there is fine, and limit (you can have a little) caffeine (face it, with morning sickness, there are some things you just can't handle, and some of those things may be the healthiest things in the world). I did think it was pretty useful for info about what you definitely should avoid (although a little extreme). Also, it has good info about normal symptoms that you may experience (constipation, pains caused by your uterus stretching, etc.) that you don't normally know about in your first pregnancy. You just have to keep in mind that sometimes, a pain is just a pain and you shouldn't panic. Overall, OK, but you should always talk to your doctor about anything that concerns you.

Stay away from this book and the website
If you plan on having a natural birth this is possibly the worst book to ever hold in your hands. It creates much anxiety for the expectant mother and is not worth reading. It addresses common problems a mother may encounter during pregnancy but offers no simple solution. This is a medically biased book. It is more likely that a women will encounter the c-section knife after reading this book by being seduced by its many lures towards excessive trust in medical professionals. It gives absolutely no confidence in the mother to give birth the way mothers have done for thousands of years. Also the website is very demeaning. I visited the forums on the website and many of the women are conformist to the medical system and do not realize that doctors are hiding the truth about a women's ability to give birth naturally. The women in the forums who were advocates of What to Expect book and website were equally demeaning towards me and any mother who even considered natural home birth the old fashioned way. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK AND WEBSITE!!! It will save you a lot of problems in pregnancy, family living and future births.....

In the land of pregnancy books, there are much better books for your money and entertainment!
I picked up "What to Expect" the moment I found out I was expecting. At first, I thought I should read it cover-to-cover, and then realized how big it was. That quickly turned into reading the month-by-month scenarios, which gave me a little something to look forward to as I crossed into each month... until I figured out there was a world of websites out there that did the same thing, and they sent it to my email automatically! This book has very little sense of humor, and really is a worst-case-scenario synopsis. I have been using it lately as more of a guide book for a specific question (i.e. can I eat ____, etc.) but then I still turn around and look up the same question on the web. I would recommend Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, or Hello, My Name is Mommy over this book any day! My partner actually asked me, as his nose was in a Dad-To-Be book, what I was learning about how to take care of a baby, and I replied NOTHING! You have to get the next WTE book for that! He then took me to the bookstore to find a replacement. I'd join the website and save your money from the book. Same info a lot cheaper.