Customer Reviews

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to Conception, Birth and Everything in Between

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an expecting couple in canada this is the book to own. Its well written and gives you all the canadian facts. Our system and the american system are different and most books are geared to the american system leaving all the the hospital and ins information useless. This book has all the facts and more.
I highly recommend it to expecting canadian couples.

Unsurprisingly, reviews by men on pregnancy books are few. However, I did read this book, so thought I would share my thoughts with any other male readers out there!

This book is very comprehensive in that it covers all aspects of the baby-making process, from conception through to the first weeks at home with the baby. It also doesn't sugar-coat the process, which is useful for the un-pregnant partner to know! There is ample space given to potential health problems and what to do about them. Likewise, warning signs that things are not proceeding properly and lists of risk factors for certain conditions (e.g. pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, etc.). The author has written books on the subject of coping with miscarriage and other pregnancy-related traumas, and so includes some of the unfortunate possibilities as well as the good stuff.

The topics are broad and comprehensive. However, there's really very little detail on any given section - the author has chosen to give a good general overview of the whole process, and includes many useful tips like how much you're likely to spend on baby clothes in the first year. There is also a lot of information on changes to the mother's body and what she should expect (e.g. how much her breasts will swell, what aches and pains are likely to be related with a normal pregnancy, etc.). However, there is no "developmental biology" - no pictures of the size of the fetus at certain ages, no chronology of the development of organs, etc. As a scientist, I found the book to be a little vague and/or "touchy-feely" at times.

Overall, though, it's a good introduction about what to expect and what potential problems to watch out for. It's written entirely to the mother - she is refered to as "you" throughout the book, whereas the father is always "he". That's not to say that the father won't find the book useful - it'll certainly help in understanding the process of pregnancy.

As a woman, pregnant with my first child, I had a lot of questions. I have a bit of medical knowledge and wanted a reference that didn't "talk" to me as if I knew nothing. This book treats the reader as an intelligent being. I especially enjoyed the narrative style - felt that Ms. Douglas was chatting with me about my questions and concerns. I appreciated her not sugar-coating the likelihood of having aches and pains but, at the same time, encouraging the reader to fully live in the experience - she presents a very realistic picture. It was exciting to read the list of developmental milestones that the baby is going through and what to expect next on this journey. The list of relevant Canadian resources in the appendix is comprehensive and very useful. Thank you so much.

I bought "what to expect when you're expecting" and was disappointed with the patronizing style and lack of detailed information. A friend loaned me her copy of "the Mother of All Pregnancy Books" and it was much better. It is Canadian and touches on Canada specific information like midwifery and Canadian regulations. It also has a less patronizing style and a more positive tone, without shying away from the tough information. For a high-level, wide-scope book on pregnancy and birth, if you're trying to choose between this and "what to expect," I believe you'll be happier choosing "the Mother."

What an important topic to research- the journey leading up to conceiving a child, and the fun and wild roller coaster ride of being pregnant! I was looking for information that was specifically Canadian, that was objective and "real" in its tone, and that provided me with useful, honest information learned from research and from fellow Moms and Dads. I have found this in Ann Douglas' The Mother of All Pregnancy Books- an ALL CANADIAN Guide to Conception, Birth & Everything in Between. If you are uniquely looking for a book about only one very specific topic related to pregnancy, then perhaps you will find you need additional info. from other resources on that topic. However if you, (like myself and many of my friends) are eager to have a fantastic overview of everything you wanted to know about this journey, then I think you will enjoy and benefit from the info. in this book! Good luck to you all!

This is a good book, with very informative and helpful information. I especially appreciated the sections on financial readiness and how to specifically plan when you want to have a baby (of course, not too helpful if you're already there :-). Moreover, it was nice to read a book with a Canadian flair.
I read this book from cover to cover in two sittings - there are very few books that capture my attention that well. I would recommend this to anyone who wants good general information.

This book is extremely well researched, comprehensive and reassuring. I used this book during my second pregnancy and I wish it had been around during my first, since the book I was reading at the time made me paranoid about everything and left out all of the miraculous facts about pregnancy and babies that are in The Mother of All Pregnancy Books.

I highly recommend this book to all pregnant women. Make it your main pregnancy resource!

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books was given to me as a gift when I was first pregnant. What a godsend! I loved all the Canadian info and the personal insight from other moms was great. I now give it as gift to newly pregnant moms... and I know how much it's appreciated.

This book was great, very informative and comprehensive. It covered all the topics I was looking for and had testimonials from actual women which was nice. A recommend!

i find this book lacks information it mostly has other peoples experiences but it is not interesting and the set up of the book is not user friendly. also it is very vague with lack of information.