What to Expect When You're Expecting by Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee E. Hathaway and Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff (2002, Paperback, Revised)

First, you should understand that I am a physician, my husband is a physician and we have 2 children. Both of the pregnancies occurred during intensive training years and were complicated by hyperemesis for the duration of the pregnancies. My first was a frank breech which led to a C-section and my second was a vaginal delivery. I continue to work full time as a subspecialist and a clinical researcher.

I received a copy of this book during my pregnancy with my first child. Even though I was a physician, that didn't mean I had a clue about being pregnant so was eager to read and learn. The description of the development of the baby, my physical changes and what I might be experiencing...they were terrific. It was nice to know that much of what I was going through was normal.

But the good ended there. I found much of the rest of the advise to be either patronizing or overly-anxious. This isn't to say that pregnant women shouldn't be careful; however, they are not fragile glass figurines and neither is the baby. Nutrition should be emphasized from the standpoint of keeping a balanced diet, no binging and aiming for a weight gain as recommended by your doctor. The list of foods that a woman shouldn't eat was not even feasible for me. Whatever I could keep down was what I ate. The other tremendous lists of "what not to do" were overwhelming and depressing. If I had tried to follow every supposed guideline I would have been paralyzed by paranoia, and without a whole lot of evidence behind it. Out of frustration I brought my book to my OB, and then to numerous other OB's at the hospital where I work (not all women) and pointed out some of the recommendations and asked for an opinion. Almost universally they felt that they were filled with good intentions but extreme in presentation.

As for the books inclination to discount women who A)work through pregnancy and B) return to work after delivery....well, obviously I will have to agree to disagree.

Best advise? Find a book with good fetal development information, talk to your doctor...a lot...before limiting, adding or changing anything about how you behave....ask for their advise. Pregnancy should be an enjoyable, exhilarating experience - not one of severe limitations that leave you feeling worried, excluded or guilty.

This book is such a helpful read EVEN IF you are not pregnant yet. If you someday wish to become a mother, this is great for preparing yourself --- in terms of what symptoms to expect, what type of food you can or cannot have, what activities you should avoid doing, how to best deal with little irritations like morning sickness, etc.

It's a good survival tool especially for those of us who don't have a lot of friends or family around to reassure you that you're doing fine. It even has diagrams and illustrations of what types of exercises you can do even in the third trimester! It has a section that dispels a lot of myths and old wives' tales. It is extremely informative -- so much so that my husband is reading it as well!

I really liked that it was so easy to cross-reference the things I wanted to look up via the list of topics in the back, arranged in alphabetical order. One night I ate sushi by mistake, and I looked it up and it gave me immediate reassurance. The book is very good in terms of addressing concerns from the point of view of a pregnant, paranoid woman. You get the point immediately, no hemming, no hawing, no beating around the bush unlike some medical texts or self-help books.

I also loved that it had a list of food you're encouraged to eat, exercises you're allowed to perform, to ease your pregnancy pains. What I also liked about this book is that it reminds you that you're not alone, that no matter how fearful you are of the coming childbirth experience, others have done this before you and that most of your fears are unfounded.

This book is definitely worth its weight in gold. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!

This book is awesome! I'm pregnant with my first baby and there is a world of information about being pregnant out there. Other books tell you too much of "don't do this" but doesn't tell you what you can do. This book gives you ideas for healthy food, what to expect each month out of your changing body, and even what to expect at doctor's visits. Each section starts of with what you can expect out of the new month. It's written answering common questions about pregnancy with lengthy answers to follow. The section about diet is fantastic! I take it with me when I go grocery shopping or develop me list right from the book.There's also a section for Dad-to-be it's not very in depth and I wish they would add on to this section. Overall this book is for every new mom and dad-to-be!

I recieved this book from my doctor when I found out I was pregnant and since this is my first baby and I am almost 7 months pregnant I have found that this book is very helpful in alot of ways. Not only does it give you almost all the information you will need to guide you through pregnancy it also has spots where you can write notes for every month of your pregnancy and a weight chart where you can write down what you have lost or gained I would recommend every women get one of these book wether trying to have a baby or having one.

What to Expect When You're Expecting is a terrific resource for first-time expectant mothers! I admit I didn't use it as much with my second pregnancy, but you cannot go wrong buying this book if you're pregnant for the first time!