The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth: Expert Advice and Real-World Wisdom from the Top Pregnancy and Parenting Resource (Paperback)

~ Linda J. Murray (Author), Leah Hennen (Author), Jim Scott (Author), BabyCenter Editorial Team (Author) "Strange as it may seem, your doctor or midwife calculates your pregnancy starting from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP)..." (more)
Key Phrases: pharmacist clinical specialist, call your caregiver, teratogen specialist, Braxton Hicks, United States, Ann Linden (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Millions of moms-to-be consult BabyCenter, the world's #1 pregnancy and parenting Web site, for the latest, most trustworthy advice. Now all that wisdom is gathered in one superlative guide.
Combining expert advice with real-world mom-to-mom wisdom, the people at BabyCenter have been communicating through the contemporary medium of the Internet with new and expectant moms--intimately, reassuringly, effectively--for more than 7 years. They have helped an estimated 15 million mothers negotiate the often strange and scary but always miraculous worlds of pregnancy and parenting. And now the editors have put together all of this accumulated knowledge, including brand-new information that is not on the Web site, in a book that will immediately be recognized as the standout in the field.

Here expectant moms will find:
o Insights into the amazing changes they experience
o Practical advice from leading pregnancy experts
o Hundreds of great tips from experienced moms
o Breathtakingly detailed fetal-development illustrations
o Answers to all questions they are too embarrassed to ask, don't think to ask, or don't know whom to ask

Featuring many of the popular elements that distinguish the BabyCenter Web site--such as Is It Safe? and Just for Dad, plus worksheets, charts, quizzes, checklists, and more--this superb guide will only solidify BabyCenter's reputation as the world's #1 resource on pregnancy and parenting.

About the Author

LINDA MURRAY, BabyCenter's executive editor, has been a senior editor at Child magazine and has also worked at Redbook, Self, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Oakland, California.

LEAH HENNEN is a senior editor at BabyCenter and the mother of two young children. She lives in Oakland, California.

JIM SCOTT, editor-in-chief of BabyCenter, has been managing editor of the online site Thrive and senior editor of Health magazine. He is also a coauthor of Six Months Off. He currently resides in Northern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 610 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594862117
• ISBN-13: 978-1594862113
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,261 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EVERYTHING You wanted to know about pregnancy, June 24, 2005

By	1practicalgal (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This book covers everything you could ever need to decide during your pregnancy. You can either read through week by week, or look for information on specific issues. There is a great reference section in the back of "is it safe" questions that help you know the risks of various foods and activities - now you don't have to wonder if sushi is safe, you can still color your hair, etc.

Other things I like:
* they have "babycenter buzz" with comments from real parents - they tell it like it really is. (even things you don't want to know)
* there is a lot of information for dads in this book. My dh and I can read the same information and decide on things together.
* cool pictures that show what your baby looks like during each month of growth and "revealing" pictures of a pregnant mom throughout her pregnancy - watch her grow with you.

Since i love the babycenter.com website and already get their weekly pregnancy newsletter, the quality of the book matched my expectations since everything they do is great. I like that I can take this with me and look things up easily without having to get on the computer all the time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book even for seasoned preggos!, September 7, 2005

By	Momma Mimi (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This is not my first pregnancy so I honestly felt that I knew it all and wouldn't benefit from a book about pregnancy--wrong! This is an informative and well-organized book that holds the interest of even this veteran preggo. I passed it along to one of my girlfriends who is pregnant with her first and she loves the book. It is a much better read than the old girlfriends guide or what to expect series--out with the old and in with the new!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Moms-to-Be, July 9, 2005

By	G. Robb "gc_robb" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even dads-to-be can get a lot out of this book! Very well written with great information that can be shared between mom and dad!

With everything from checklists of things to know to what is safe for mothers and forming children and what to ask the doctor this book is loaded with great information and insights into what is going on!

Make sure you visit babycenter.com as well to get the full experience of this one!