The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to Conception, Birth and Everything in Between (Paperback)

by Ann Douglas (Author) "SO YOU'RE THINKING of having a baby-of trading your relatively sane and orderly life for the chance to hop on board what can best be..." (more)
Key Phrases: labour support person, preconception checkup, loth week, Mother Nature, Sidelines Canada Prenatal Support Network, Braxton Hicks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
If you're looking for the inside scoop on what it's really like to have a baby, you've come to the right place. The Mother of All Pregnancy Books takes on tough topics most pregnancy books shy away from. It's a totally comprehensive guide that features a non-bossy, fresh, and fun approach to the greatest adventure life has to offer. Based on the best advice from over 100 Canadian parents, this information is served up with a uniquely Canadian spin.

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books includes:

• the straight goods on preparing your body for pregnancy
• practical advice on how to increase your chances of conceiving quickly
• the top ten worries for each trimester presented with a hefty dose of reassurance
• useful tips on choosing a caregiver and a place to give birth
• the facts you need to make up your mind about such important issues as circumcision and breastfeeding
• helpful insights on how your relationship with your partner may change during pregnancy and after
• a glossary of pregnancy- and birth-related terms
• a directory of Canadian organizations for new and expectant parents
• a comprehensive listing of Internet resources of interest to Canadian parents
• a sneak peek at life after baby
• a frank look at copy with pregnancy-related aches and pains

About the Author
Ann Douglas is the co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby and Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss, and author of Before You Were Born: The Inside Story and Baby Science: How Babies Really Work, a recent Book of the Month Club selection for both Canada and the U.S. A regular contributor to Canadian Living and CANOE.ca, Ann is the mother of four young children. She has been through a variety of pregnancy-related experiences, including infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 555 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (October 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771577206
• ISBN-13: 978-0771577208
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #996,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book lives up to its title, September 17, 2001

By	Melanie Mcleod (Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an expecting couple in canada this is the book to own. Its well written and gives you all the canadian facts. Our system and the american system are different and most books are geared to the american system leaving all the the hospital and ins information useless. This book has all the facts and more.
I highly recommend it to expecting canadian couples.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars General information yet topically comprehensive, November 15, 2004

By	Craig MACKINNON (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Unsurprisingly, reviews by men on pregnancy books are few. However, I did read this book, so thought I would share my thoughts with any other male readers out there!

This book is very comprehensive in that it covers all aspects of the baby-making process, from conception through to the first weeks at home with the baby. It also doesn't sugar-coat the process, which is useful for the un-pregnant partner to know! There is ample space given to potential health problems and what to do about them. Likewise, warning signs that things are not proceeding properly and lists of risk factors for certain conditions (e.g. pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, etc.). The author has written books on the subject of coping with miscarriage and other pregnancy-related traumas, and so includes some of the unfortunate possibilities as well as the good stuff.

The topics are broad and comprehensive. However, there's really very little detail on any given section - the author has chosen to give a good general overview of the whole process, and includes many useful tips like how much you're likely to spend on baby clothes in the first year. There is also a lot of information on changes to the mother's body and what she should expect (e.g. how much her breasts will swell, what aches and pains are likely to be related with a normal pregnancy, etc.). However, there is no "developmental biology" - no pictures of the size of the fetus at certain ages, no chronology of the development of organs, etc. As a scientist, I found the book to be a little vague and/or "touchy-feely" at times.

Overall, though, it's a good introduction about what to expect and what potential problems to watch out for. It's written entirely to the mother - she is refered to as "you" throughout the book, whereas the father is always "he". That's not to say that the father won't find the book useful - it'll certainly help in understanding the process of pregnancy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pregnant Canadian women need this book, September 30, 2003

By	Christine Logan (Saskatchewan) - See all my reviews

As a woman, pregnant with my first child, I had a lot of questions. I have a bit of medical knowledge and wanted a reference that didn't "talk" to me as if I knew nothing. This book treats the reader as an intelligent being. I especially enjoyed the narrative style - felt that Ms. Douglas was chatting with me about my questions and concerns. I appreciated her not sugar-coating the likelihood of having aches and pains but, at the same time, encouraging the reader to fully live in the experience - she presents a very realistic picture. It was exciting to read the list of developmental milestones that the baby is going through and what to expect next on this journey. The list of relevant Canadian resources in the appendix is comprehensive and very useful. Thank you so much.