Customer Reviews

Your Pregnancy Week by Week (Your Pregnancy Series)

5 star:		(235)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(63)
1 star:		(86)

 

 

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.

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 www.motherspirit.net) 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.

A friend gave me this book when I learned I was expecting. Being someone who wants to be well-informed of what I might expect, I welcomed it. However, when I'd sit down every week, counting week by week, and read what joys, yes, and risks, exist, I found this book HIGHLY unnecessarily negative and focused on what seems will probably go wrong. Glade Curtis, ending each weekly chapter (and reading each weekly chapter started out as a joyous ritual to me) with subjects like hydrocephalic babies, chlamydia, teratogens, whatever could POSSIBLY go wrong, has caused my husband to hide the book to keep me from reading what charming thoughts Dr. Curtis might have for me, in what should be a positive and hopeful experience. I am NO pollyanna, wanting only hugs & good news. BUT this author has created a book highlighting your worst nightmares about pregnancy, and particularly effective, he chooses to end each chapter with the most horrible news you could be looking forward to hearing each week.

Anyone who finds this book just "telling it like it is" must enjoy wallowing in her own paranoia. Find another book, written in an honest, truthful manner, but one that allows you to keep whatever positive thoughts and energies you might enjoy.

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.

Although I am a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree, my specialty is telemetry and not maternal/child, so I sought a book by an expert that would supply me with vital information I didn't have concerning my pregnancy.

After reading the reviews here, I decided to buy this book over others. I was very disappointed after reading through the first half of the book, and not being able to continue because the book is so awful. It was really inaccurate, for example the grossly exaggerated claims about body temperature, the timelime for alpha fetoprotien tests ... and certain pieces of information that were actually true and important were in oddly misplaced sections. For instance, the discussion of caffiene, the advice on shopping for a new bra, the discussion on breast tenderness... all of those things were discussed way too late in the book. Caffiene should be avoided or cut to a minimum extremely early, not in the fourth month.

My physician, who is a board certified OB/GYN and chief of staff of that dept. at the hospital, has instructed me that it is healthy to get exercise if you are a healthy person with a normal, healthy pregnancy. Doing exercise would certainly raise body temperature, and according to this physician's brief discussion of body temperature, you would be putting your fetus at risk. That's just one example, there's more that I can't get into with the limited space available.

If I could, I would get a refund on this book. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. You're better off reading literature that your physician supplies to you, such as the magazines and pamphlets.

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!

The greatest strength of this book is the week-by-week format. It outlines specific changes that are pretty close to exactly as predicted. We noticed many of the things and then read them that week, ie. phlegmyness, inability to travel more than an hour and dryness at night just to name a few. This book is very well balanced and it tends to focuses more on the positives of pregnancy and not the possible complications. This is the 5th Edition of this book with millions of copies sold. Overall it is a great help. I definitely recommend it to all expectant couples. These authors also wrote a number of supporting or complimentary books:

Bouncing Back From Your Pregnancy

Your Pregnancy Journal Week by Week

Your Pregnancy for the Father to Be

Your Pregnancy After 35

Your Pregnancy Questions and Answers

Your Pregnancy Every Woman's Guide

Your Baby's First Year Week by Week

As a midwife, I was very disappointed in this book, mainly because of the negative, fear-based undertones throughout the entire text. "Week by week" a woman is educated about every tiny, rare complication or problem that could occur for her and her baby. I believe in education, but this is ridiculous.

I bought this book when I found out I was pregnant and the first weeks were interesting. Lately, though, the book has really gone downhill and I wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE. It should be called "Problems in Pregnancy, Week by Week." And the tone is very condescending and doctor-centric.

In these later weeks it describes very rare problems as if they are going to be an issue for everyone. For example, in week 33, there's a small section for how big the baby and mother might be, on average. That's fun. Then there's a section called "How Your Baby Is Growing and Developing" and it goes right into a description of Placental Abruption, complete with a drawing of that unfortunate and unlikely event. No description of how most women and babies will be growing and changing this week - just this rare problem.

Then there's a section called "Changes in You", but in a similar way, no description of what happens in a normal pregnancy at this stage, they just describe what happens if your water breaks, which would be very unusual and troubling at this time.

Oh brother, and then there's a section called "You Should Also Know" that describes how necessary episiotomies are, and how beneficial they are, which is complete bunk. It's almost always better to tear than to be cut, and it's better to do research and be educated than to sheepishly follow a doctor's every whim.

And all this is only one week! Lately, they're all like this! Week 31 it was all about Intrauterine Growth Retardation, Week 30 featured a big drawing and description of umbilical cord knots. It's good to have some knowledge about these problems, but it should be in a book about problems in pregnancy, and the information should be more thorough and accurate. To have a little week by week guide of everything that can go wrong in a pregnancy is not fun, or helpful, and I'm putting this book away today.

This is an excellent book for pregnant women to have either for a first time pregnancy or tenth pregnancy. It is loaded with reference information. Of course this is just a reference book and any problems or questions need to be directed to your own doctor. I read about everything I could find during my 1st pregnancy and this was my favorite book.I found this book a great reference book for my 1st pregnancy.I loved being able to see how our child was developing week by week, like how big she was, when she could blink her eyes, when she developed finger nails. I compared other books to this one and nothing compared. Although I did purchuse other top selling pregnancy books. This was my top choice. I am now about three weeks pregnant again with our 2nd child. I loaned this book to another family member and I can't wait to get it back!