Customer Reviews

What to Expect When You're Expecting: Revised Edition

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Unlike so many of the other readers offering reviews of "WTEWYE," I actually found the book VERY helpful. Maybe, if you've had previous pregnancies and births (as the majority of the negative reviewers had), this book may seem too simplistic or condescending but, having never been pregnant and with no family nearby, I found it incredibly helpful for the very reason that it doesn't assume that the reader knows all the little details about pregnancy. For me, the authors answered many of those "stupid" questions I was too embarassed to ask even my girlfriends because I thought everyone knew the answer but me, and I didn't want to seem naive.

I liked the easy question-and-answer format and simply skipped over questions I wasn't interested in at the time or to which I already knew the answer. Personally, when doctors and nurses all too often don't take the time to thoroughly explain medical issues to their patients, I really appreciated the fact that this book covered even the most commonplace issues that first-timers like myself didn't know and often didn't think to ask during a doctor visit.

I may not refer to it as much during my second pregnancy, but I found "WTEWYE" invaluable during my first!

Please do yourself a favor and stay away from this book. Pregnancy has the potential to be an amazing time in which you can connect to the power and effectiveness of your own body. These authors seem determined to frighten and pathologize you for the normal, healthy, and miraculous event taking place in your life. Having read literally hundreds of medical studies, I can attest that the "doctor knows all" philosophy which is so rampant in the United States (although not in the 22 countries with better birth outcomes) is misguided. Do yourself the favor of doing a little research of your own, and steer clear of this fear-based book. Better-educated authors include Sheila Kitzinger, Penny Simkin, and Gayle Peterson. (Hint: if you're interested in the pregnancy and childbirth literature, look up books by Henci Goer. She summarizes the literature clearly and accurately.)

For anyone experiencing a less than perfect pregnancy, this is a horrible and upsetting book. I shared passages with my OB/GYN during my high risk pregnacy and she was befuddled regarding some of the advice offered -- particularly the comment about needing magnesium sulfate to prevent CP in pre-term births.

It's informative, I'll give you that.
HOWEVER..
This book has scared the living daylights out of me. Is this twinge I'm feeling the onset of eclampsia?!! Is the fact I was overweight when I conceived REALLY going to be the end of both me and my unborn child?!!??
Honestly, some of the things written here are akin to scare-monger tactics... maybe I should just kill myself now?
some of the info is good, plain and simple.. but it's a bit hard when you're having a sleepless, seasick night, and decide to enlighten yourself on your symptoms and come away even more freaked out than when you began.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. And neither does my sleep-deprived husband.

Yes, everyone should have this book, if only as a detailed reference resource for everything that could conceivably go wrong with a pregnancy. However, the tone is condescending, the "facts" are tempered with neither reason nor perspective, and the overall attitude seems to be: 'If something goes wrong, it's ALL YOUR FAULT' (e.g. the "best odds" diet).

By all means, use this book. But unless you feel the need to take orders, or have the confidence to read without immediate self-doubt, do yourself a favor and get a book that will support you as a prospective parent and human being (e.g. The Hip Mama's Guide, or Dr. Sears' book).

I really didn't like the book, it didn't give the tecnical medical info that I want to read. I felt like they were writing for a child and that being pregnet is an illness. I also didn't like how repitious it was,I only recomend this book for people that are wealthy and can afford to sit in the grany's rocking chair and make every one do every thing for you. (also if you don't want to know every thing that's going on in your body during theise long and exsiting 9 months)

I bought this book on the morning I took my HPT test, and gave it back to the book-store the morning after. I felt as if the most exciting thing in my life has turend out to be a very dangerous and frightening one. This book describes each and every problem that can occur during the pregnancy, and it is certainly not the welcome I was expecting. This book really frightened me, and since it didn't contain much useful medical information, I decided to give it right back to the bookstore. I suggest not to buy it, especially if this is your first pregnancy.

I did not like the way the book seemed focus on problems that can occur - for example, there was a brief discussion about a problem that occurs in 2% of pregnancies. Well, if there is a 98% chance that it won't happen to me, I don't want to start worrying about it now! Also, I have always had a relatively healthy diet but when I read the following quote I had to laugh - "Before you close your mouth on a forkful of food, consider: 'Is this the best bite I can give my baby?' If it will benefit your baby, chew away. If it'll only benefit your sweet tooth or appease your appetite, put your fork down.'" Talk about pressure! If you stress yourself about about every forkful of food, I believe that the stress is probably worse on the baby than if you had allowed yourself to have that handful of M&M's! I enjoyed the 'Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy' by Vicki Iovine much more, and supplemented it with informative web-sites, my Doctor, and childbirth classes.

Although I read this so called "reference" over six years ago, I was just remembering how very over-rated this book actually is. I also see that I am far from alone in this assessment.

I remember getting quite disgusted when I read "What To Expect..." for not having ANY reference to perfectly normal symptoms I was experiencing. This panicked me of course. I'd visit the OB, and be told, "It's very common", "It's Nothing" ect. So why didn't these highly reknowned so called "experts" mention a single WORD in reference to highly commonplace discomforts of pregnancy?

When it came to my ninth month, and I began labor, MY symptoms were once AGAIN missing. NOT GOOD! It seems that this book is making money on a reputation it doesn't deserve whatsoever. Sure, there has to be SOME relevant info within all these pages, but for the most part, I found this book full of conflicted, or missing information instead. The author is WAY more concerned about what your eating, and that you keep your weight down, than what you're feeling. We KNOW what's good for us. We don't need a lecture, we need questions answered, right? I paid 50 cents for mine at a library sale, so I guess I got my moneys worth.

There IS one more book that is more confusing, and full of conflicting information."What To Expect The First Year." I made many mistakes due to advice from this companion book, but that's ANOTHER review.

When it comes to pregnancy books, this one is good for your second and subsequent pregnancies. That's because you won't NEED it anymore, and YOU can write your own. If you STILL want to try it, you can "expect" less. Good luck!

Not my favorite pregnancy book. Yes, there's a lot of practical pregnany info, but there's a lot of filler and unrealistic expectations. They advise mothers-to-be to forego sugar for the entire pregnancy. They also present a host of genetic diseases that will convince you you're baby is doomed. Go for the Girlfriend's Guide instead.