Your Pregnancy Week by Week, 6th Edition [Paperback]

Glade B. Curtis (Author), Judith Schuler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2007 | Series: Week by Week

Your Pregnancy Week by Week is the most medically current and comprehensive pregnancy guide available. Doctors recommend it. Reviewers praise it. Pregnant couples rely on it. With over 70 new topics covered, and completely updated throughout to keep up with trends, new products, and safety recommendations, this comprehensive, authoritative, and easy-to-use guide includes: Detailed descriptions of baby’s developmental milestones each week Clear illustrations of how both mother and baby are changing and growing Up-to-date information about medical tests and procedures Tips on nutrition and lifestyle and the ways actions affect baby Safe weekly exercises to help mother stay in shape and comfortable Helpful hints for the father-to-be and information on how a pregnancy affects a couple

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When you're pregnant, there is nothing more exciting than keeping up with the drastic changes your body undergoes on a weekly basis. In Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Glade B. Curtis, M.D. (Your Pregnancy Questions and Answers, Your Pregnancy After Thirty) has written a clear, easy to follow guidebook. Each "week" includes information on: How Big Is Your Baby?, How Big Are You?, How Your Baby Is Growing and Developing, Changes in You, How Your Actions Affect Your Baby's Development, You Should Also Know, and a Tip of the Week. With the exception of the You Should Also Know sections (which sometimes focus on rare problems and concerns), the tone of the book is informative, chatty and reassuring. An extensive, excellent glossary adds value. Your Pregnancy Week by Week seems intended to both simplify and expand on the information an inexperienced or first-time mother-to-be receives from her medical provider. It is especially ideal for very young pregnant women seeking to better understand the changes in their bodies. --Ericka Lutz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This book is a worthy addition in this subject area. Its format, information, and language are both highly accessible and current. As the title states, pregnancy is followed week by week. A chapter is devoted to each week, covering six basic areas: baby size; mother's size; baby's growth and development; changes in the mother; how the mother's behavior affects development; and things "you should also know." A vast range of material is included, making this a bargain for the price. Similar to but more comprehensive (and up to date) than When You're Expecting by Arlene Eisenberg & others (Workman, 1984), this would be an excellent complement to the more recent The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Guide to Pregnancy ( LJ 4/15/89).
- Kathleen L. Atwood, Pomfret Sch. Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 664 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Sixth Edition, Sixth Edition edition (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738211095
• ISBN-13: 978-0738211091
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (481 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than all the rest January 6, 2002

By First-timer

Format:Paperback

This is my first pregnancy, so I had lots of questions. I went overboard on the books - I own 3. The other 2 are informative, and I am glad I had a chance to read them, but if a woman wants one book that will answer her pregnancy questions, "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" is the one I recommend. This book explains the stages of the pregnancy, both for the mom and baby, at a nice pace, weekly. I own "What to Expect When You Are Expecting", which goes month by month, but that seems too general because I want to know what is going on with my body and my baby now, not "sometime this month". "The Pregnancy Journal" goes day by day, which seems to be a bit much - nobody's pregnancy is going to follow the book exactly. With this book, I can read about what will be happening the following week and share the information with my husband, which makes him feel more involved. I love the fact that it explains how I am changing, how the baby is changing, and what I should be expecting (it's very reasuring when a book tells you that the crazy things you are doing and feeling are normal). I recommend this book over any of the others I have seen.

70 of 79 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excllent reference for my first pregnancy! May 31, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Originally I bought What to Expect When You're Expecting because that's all I heard about. When a friend recommended this book I was really excited. I think the week by week illustrations are great. Unlike What to Expect, with this book I actually felt I was learning about my baby's development as the weeks went on, i.e. the size, changes in my body etc.

For those who have critisized this book by saying it puts too many worry and unnecessary information in your head, what you would you prefer: knowing what could go wrong or being totally ignorant throughout your whole pregnancy?!?! Of course not everyone will get vericose veins or have dizzy spells, but wouldn't you want to know about it if you did? I don't smoke but every pregnancy book I read had a huge section devoted to the dangers of smoking - should I therefore think the book provides me with useless information? No, instead I glanced over it and moved on. I bet these people would also complain if the book wasn't comprehensive enough when they actually did have a problem with their pregnancy.

This book, combined with what to Expect (and of course my doctor) is more than enough information for me to feel educated and prepared for my pregnancy.

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars OK but it should not be your only pregnancy book June 19, 2006

By Chick lit fan

Format:Paperback

You can get this info on many pregnancy/ birth websites, like Baby Center, pregnancy.about.com, and sheknows.com (some have even more info and pictures than this book). Those sites all provide week by week information. Before the internet became so accessible this book probably made more sense and was more relevant. For the very best pictures of the developing baby, in book form, go with "A Child is Born" by Nilsson. It is beautiful and informative (though, again, not the only pregancy book you should buy).

I should note that I have the 4th edition. I hope that it has been updated, especially with regards to episiotomies. It erroneously states that an episiotomy heals better than a tear. The American College of OB/Gyns came out against routine episiotomies in May 2005. They now know that episiotomies increase the chances of bigger lacerations and that they do not heal faster or easier. (They may take a bit less work and time for them to sew up but I would rather them have to take longer to sew up a 1 degree tear that wouldn't be that hard to recover from!). So, if the episiotomy info has been updated just ignore this part of the review. I'll check out the new edition next time I am at the bookstore. (Updated, I checked and they have not revised their episiotomy info).

Like almost every pg/ birth book it touches on baby's size and birth but pays only a smidge of lip service to baby's position. If more moms knew about malpositioned babies (like posterior ones that can cause slow, back labors) then more c-sections could be prevented. Some c-sections that are done because baby is "too big" are really the result of a poorly positioned baby. However, there are things you can do during pregnancy to increase your odds of a well positioned baby (see [......]) as well as things you can do in labor to rotate baby to a better position (try all 4s for 10-15 minutes with periodic back arches towards the ceiling).

I think that this book tries to do too much. It has such short blurbs on important topics. These include labor induction, pain meds in labor, birthing options (as you can tell I am a birth junkie...I even have a Listmania list on good pg books). I worry that some moms only read this book and think they know all that they really need to know. So, this book can not be your only resource.

It also seems like sections of this book were written by several different people. In some parts they back track on earlier advice. For example, they say at one point that breech babies must be delivered by c-section but later they discuss it a bit further (though they leave out excellent tips that may help turn baby like the webster technique, heat pads, visualizations, certain positions...). This lack of consistency can be a bit confusing.

I feel this book is too one sided (medically oriented) in that it tells you things in shades of black and white only (like why you need to have X but not why or what all your other options are). I feel like this book does not help you make informed choices about aspects of pregnancy and especially not of birth. Informed consent should inlude being told the risks, benefits, reasons and options. Since this kind of information may not be passed on in easy to understand, unrushed ways by your care provider you need to know where to turn for the complete picture on your own. You need other books to do that. "Your Pregancy Week by Week" will not do that.

What books will do that? Number one pick is "The Pregnancy Book" by Dr. Sears. After that would be "Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn" by Penny Simkin. You can't go wrong with books by Sears, Simkin and Kitzinger. I would definetly choose one of those over "What to Expect...," "The Girlfriends' Guide...," or this book. You don't have to want a more naturally oriented pregnancy and birth to appreciate my recommendations. They still offer all the basics of the medical model but they do a better job considering all sides.

There are so many better pregnancy/ birth books out there than the standards (WTE...) but because they aren't as well known people don't buy them. I bet if more people got Sears' book instead of those it would catch on since it really is better!

For the ultimate informed consent birth books get "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer. Some people may think Goer is too radical but she backs up all her recommendations with great studies and explanations.

I did have this book and I did read it. But I found it pretty lacking in terms of pregnancy and birth info. I mainly read it for the week by week updates on me and baby rather than as a comprehensive guide. I did not find it scary. Maybe I entered into my pregnancy knowing a bit more about it than the average mom but I already knew what conditions were rare, odds of the others and all that stuff. It was nice to have the info on complications, imo. I think if you worry easily that you would be better off with one of the books I mentioned earlier. Read more ›

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I USE THIS EVERY PREGNANCY! November 13, 2000

By Marni Hall

Format:Paperback

I'm pregnant with my 3rd baby now, and I still go to this to read what's going on every week. "What to Expect" is good as well, but after you read your info for the month, that's it. (The two together are a great pair.) Week-by-Week gives you something to read every week, and I know we all want to know what's going on right then!! I have fun talking to friends and family about the baby, and being able to tell them just how big he/she is each week.

I believe that knowledge alleviates fear, so being told what problems could happen in pregnancy is great. I would rather be informed with what could happen than know nothing. Other books I've seen have a "when something goes wrong" chapter or something else to that effect. I would rather read about possible problems a little at a time, since most women don't have real problems with pregnancy, than getting the full blow of it all at once and then feeling overwhelmed and REALLY worried.

As for other reviews I read about Dr. Curtis arbitrarily placing topics with different weeks, is it that hard to look in the index and find what you're looking for? Would any book on pregnancy be able to properly place every person's symptoms and problems exactly when they experience them?

I love this book, and always recommend it to friends I hear are pregnant!