Customer Reviews

The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This pregnancy book is *much* better than the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book that is so often recommended to every pregnant woman out there. It is also much better than the other 'standard' pregnancy books you'll find.

This book is a complete and joyful guide to what happens during pregnancy - mentally, emotionally, and physically - to mom and baby. It has a great index; so if a specific symptom doesn't crop up in the exact month they cover it, you can easily look it up in the back and read about it. I found this guide very informative and supportive of everything I'm going through with my second pregnancy. [I wish I'd had this book for my first pregnancy, instead of that wretched "what to expect" book].

My one criticism of this book: the Sears' gloss over the pain that most women experience during labor. I didn't find the segment on labor very helpful or realistic. As a Childbirth Educator myself, I don't feel that anyone is doing pregnant women a favor by convicing them that labor doesn't hurt - that it is just 'pressure' or 'discomfort'. The reality is that for most women, labor IS painful - often extremely so. Women who seek an unmedicated birth need to prepare themselves to cope with and overcome this pain. And regardless of whether a woman expects to use medication or not, nobody is doing her any favors by misleading her about labor pain - she's not going to thank them when it hits her full on.

For preparing for labor and delivery, I *highly* recommend "Birthing From Within" by Pam England. It is much more realistic in preparing you for the "Real Thing" - and it is geared to help every woman work through her own issues and concerns about birthing. It is by far the most excellent book out there on labor and delivery.

Other than that small complaint - I think this is a *wonderful* guide to pregnancy - very supportive and comforting while being very honest.

If you're looking for a book that will treat you like an intelligent woman who deserves to be armed with the facts on important pregnancy-related issues, this is the book for you. Like The Unofficial Guide to Having A Baby (another book that I heartily recommend), it believes that pregnant women and their partners are capable of making their own decisions about breastfeeding and working, nutrition during pregnancy, and other issues that the authors of What To Expect tend to get very preachy about. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the month-by-month structure. Not all of the problems that the authors describe handily crop up during the month that they've arbitrarily slotted the topic into. Also, the coverage of certain topics is very sketchy: you won't find much helpful advice on coping with a urinary tract infection, for example. (The Unofficial Guide to Having A Baby, on the other hand, offers you a number of potential remedies: everything from drinking lots of cranberry juice to urinating right after intercourse to prevent your UTI from recurring.) Still, these are minor quibbles about an otherwise excellent book.

This book is the ONLY one I needed, although I had others including the terrible "What to Expect" book. This book is a treat to read. Dr. Sears takes a positive approach so there's none of that alarmist tone that tends to find its way into so many books and conversations around the pregnant woman.

By the time it was "D-Day" for me, I truly believed that my delivery would go well and that I was ready for it. As a first time mom, I needed the affirmations found throughout this book that my body would do what it was supposed to do, and that I would be strong enough to go with whatever the day brought. The emphasis is on non-intervention and "natural" childbirth, but all of the possible interventions are discussed as well. Dr. Sears also writes about how interventions happen to the unsuspecting mom, and how to avoid them. I found it very empowering to have some information to bring to my doctor when discussing issues such as epidurals and episiotomy. I felt my positions regarding these personal choices were more respected because I had the information to back up my feelings.

The monthly format of the book is great. It's one of the few books I've found which treats the ninth month as the 8 week "month" it really can be.

I highly recommend this book to others and think it would make a great gift, too, since it's not preachy.

Throw away or return "What to Expect When You're Expecting!" "What to Expect When You're Expecting", provides information on what to expect during your appointment and then goes on to tell you all the NEGATIVE things that can happen during your pregnancy. It really doesn't provide much information on what is happening (or what to expect for that matter) with your body during each month and what is happening with baby. Leg cramps in the 7th month and what to do about them? Buy The Pregnancy book and you'll find the answer!

The Pregnancy Book provides comprehensive information on questions to ask a potential OB/GYN, GP, and/or Midwife. The detailed descriptions of what is happening with your body during each month and potential "side affects" are invaluable, as well as the information on baby's development. The detailed birthing options are comprehensive and I believe, unbiased. The ninth month covers quite a bit of information on labor and delivery, but I do recommend The Birth Book as a detailed companion to The Pregnancy Book.

I found The Pregnancy Book when I was six months pregnant for the fourth time. Having been through the experience three times already, I had read many books on the subject and had a pretty good idea of what to expect. The Pregnancy Book was by far the best book on the subject that I read. It is full of useful information that can be used on a day to day basis during your pregnancy. I was able to find an answer to every question I could think of - Why do I have headaches? What causes my ankles to swell? What does the baby look like and do at three months? six months? eight? What I found to be the most useful was the detailed description of what happens inside of me during the delivery of the baby. After reading the section on labor and delivery, I had a much better understanding of how my body works with the baby during the delivery process. I was able to use some of the techniques described in the book during my own delivery and it made the delivery of my nine and a half pound son much easier. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the whole process - whether this is your first time or fourth. I also recommend We're Pregnant! for a couple's viewpoint on the whole pregnancy and delivery proces, and A Child Is Born for great pictures of the developing baby.

The Pregnancy Book is an excellent resource for anyone who is expecting - whether you're pregnant for the first time or the third time. The book walks you through each month of the pregnancy and describes what mom and baby should look like and feel like. Throughout the text, the actual thoughts and feelings of expectant moms appear in italics. I found these comments to be very comforting since many of them were similar to what I was feeling myself. At the end of each chapter, there are questions and answers. Again, I found myself relating to many of the questions that were asked. While providing a great deal of factual information, The Pregnancy Book also comes across as very personal and caring. It is a great companion book to We're Pregnant! which focuses on a real life couple as they experience life as expectant parents. The two books together give a true picture of what a woman goes through during a pregnancy. I found it reassuring to know I was in good company when it came to my thoughts, feelings and concerns.

I am four months pregnant with my first, and my husband is a family practice physician. Needless to say, that gives me the luxury of bombarding him with questions instead of looking them up in the book. I do like to read each month's chapter to get ideas about how the baby is developing, the physical changes I can expect, etc. There's also some good information on nutrition and exercise (haven't read the labor part yet, I think it's good not to read too far ahead). It's detailed, without being overwhelming. And, it's not candy-coated like a lot of books out there.

My one complaint is that they order the weeks from conception instead of from your LMP. Since the doctors (and the general public) use LMP to date your pregnancy, it's slightly confusing to always have to add two weeks to whatever stage the book is describing. Their 12 weeks is really your doctor's 14 weeks. Highly annoying. And they never tell you that's what they're doing, so it made me confused for quite awhile.

There's nothing about fertility or "getting ready" for pregnancy in the book. For that, I would highly recommend Toni Weschler's "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It's awesome. And it's what I credit for getting pregnant after only two months of "trying".

Overall, the Sears' book is definitely one of the better ones out there.

Much better than the pregnancy "bible," What to Expect When You're Expecting. This is the one I refer to when I have questions. Gives very complete information for each month of pregnancy without being cutesy or condescending like so many other pregnancy books. This isn't advice from "girlfriends," it's facts you can use, from doctors.

I just happened to stumble upon this book during my search through hundreds of pregnancy books for the ultimate pregnancy reference guide with a personal touch.

Once I discovered that I was pregnant, everyone recommended that I read "What to Expect...," but I really wanted to check out "The Pregnancy Book" too because of all the great reviews I had read, so I read both of them at the same time. It didn't take long before "The Pregnancy Book" became my new favorite reference and "What to Expect..." just became something I read when I'm bored.

Dr. & Mrs. Sears explain just about every possible symptom you could have. (I was so happy to find out that all of my symptoms were actually normal, and I wasn't the med-school case study I thought I was.) The Sears also recognize that every pregnancy is different and explain the many choices you have during pregnancy. Plus, I also noticed that they seem to have faith in the mother's ability to make decisions, unlike many authors who insist that you must follow their instructions exactly or you're a bad mother. They even added a section on what to do if you don't make it to the hospital/birthing center in time and how to deliver your baby yourself if necessary.

If you're looking for information on fertility, specific birthing methods, or taking care of your new child, try taking a look at some of the other, more specific books related to your topic (some are also written by the Sears), but if you're already pregnant or expect to be pregnant, this is a MUST HAVE book (and feel free to skip the "What to Expect..." book because this one really out does it).

I bought this book just before my first appointment with an OB/GYN and didn't stop using it until after my baby was more than a month old. I read it cover to cover in a week and then each month I reviewed the month.

This book, unlike "What to Expect When You're Expecting," does everything it can to lay your fears to rest. Sears and Sears describe what can go wrong, but they also make sure to emphasize that most women are likely to have normal pregnancies.

I was able to find descriptions and reasons for all of the odd sensations I experienced with my first pregnancy, and I was able to share with a friend exerpts that described different things she was experiencing. After the third time I read something to her from "The Pregnancy Book" that exactly fit her symptoms, she decided that she needed her own copy and was completely won over from "What to Expect."

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!