I am a working mom - physician to be exact - with two healthy kids. Both my pregnancies occurred during the rigors of my training and proved to be full of challenges. I got this book as a gift during my first pregnancy. I read through sections of it and then threw it away.

The good:

The detail it gives about the development of your baby is very nice. You need this....however, you can get it elsewhere with less BAD

The Bad:

The diet section...really...these women are Nazi's. I agree that too many women "eat for two" which is inappropriate. You reallly should only gain up to 30 pounds. However, this book will make you think that if you eat a slice of pizza or buy non-organic food your child will be born with some horrible genetic deformity. I practically survived on cereal, pudding and sweets because it was the ONLY stuff I could keep down (hyperemesis). I didn't need to be made to feel guilty about it.

The other listed "NO, NO's"...I went gray very early in life. Pregnancy made me sick...really sick...I felt tired, threw up all the time, needed IV fluids...I got my hair colored once during my pregnancy. This is a "MUST NOT DO" according to the book because you may absorb something toxic through your scalp. I assure you, I breathed more toxins walking around downtown than I ever did during that hair coloring.

Working....While there is a section about working, the tone is "IF you absolutely MUST go back to work...(but you really won't want to and you shouldn't)....I love my job, I'm good at my job, I need my job...my husband and I work hard to limit nanny hours, spend free time playing with the kids...I will not abide by a book that attempts to make me feel like a bad person because I like my work.

There are better books out there. Take care of yourself, listen to your OB, be happy. That cookie won't hurt you or the baby (unless you eat the whole bag!) :)

This book helped me a lot throughout my pregnancy! I bought one for my sister who became pregnant a few months ago, and she loves the book as well. It helps expectant mom's with questions/concerns throughout the pregnancy so you won't have to call your doctor 24/7! :)

I'm only writing to counter some of the bad reviews written about this book. Really, out of all the pregnancy books I read, this book and _Your Pregnancy Week by Week_ by Glade Curtis helped me get through a miscarriage and a full term pregnancy without fear. I have read reviews and even had one midwife tell me, "Don't read _What to Expect"; it'll just scare you." Nothing could be farther from the truth! The book frankly discusses the weird, beautiful, scary, funny things that the body goes through during pregnancy.

Examples: During the first trimester, I read most of the book. Then, I went back and focused, month by month, on what I was going through vs. what was written. There were a lot of symptoms listed that I never had, but that didn't frighten me. There were a lot of suggestions about diet that sounded really hard to do, so I compromised, using the book as a guideline.

If i couldn't do what the book said, I didn't panic. If I slept on my back, I didn't feel guilty! The book is a guideline, and questions or concerns that it raises should be discussed with your medical provider. What the book tries to do is head a lot of questions off at the pass, and, if that means that there are weird or scary examples included, it's because there is a significant proportion of women who have them. If you aren't experiencing such symptoms, count yourself lucky!!!!

Overall, this was a great resource for my husband and I. We appreciated it's candor, depth, and user friendliness. It's not a difinitive work- I used it side by side with the Curtis Book- but I really believe that it explains well for women and men what the heck is going on mentally and physicall during pregnancy.

I would like to recommend this book especially to first time mothers because it has wonderful month by month pictures and information detailing the monthly changes in your body. The author has presented "everything" in a step-by-step format, which is very useful and easy to follow. This book will answer most of your questions. It provides also a lot of information about what may go wrong. I guess that this specific information could be presented in a milder way because more anxious mothers-to-be may get worried.

I want to advise you to do your best to avoid any stress during the pregnancy because it will raise the levels of Adrenalin in your body. This will cause an aggressive/depressive mood swings and higher blood pressure. That's why whenever you read something potentially disturbing in this book take it easy and if there are any complications consult with your health care provider.

Being a sexual therapist as well, I advised my daughter to buy in addition to this book "Scientifically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex" by Alan Ritz. Pregnancy is a tough period for sex no matter how much you strive to be intimate with your husband. That's why he most probably will feel bad or even rejected from the serious decrease in your intimate contacts. Scientist Alan Ritz has made a breakthrough with the discovery of "The VIP Muscle", which generates multiple orgasms in men with or without a partner. That's' why my daughter's husband was very happy and calmed from this book (a proof that she thinks for him). Now she reads "What to expect when you are expecting" while he reads Ritz' book and prepares for "ultimate sex" after the delivery. I recommend both books!
Dr. Joyce O'Holleran

I'm probably breaking all kinds of professional ethics rules but here goes: What to Expect When You're Expecting is the Queen of the pregnancy books.

I was surprised when I clicked over here to find so many totally negative 1-star reviews, so I read several of those to see why others wouldn't like this book.

Here's what I found: For those who didn't like it, the information is too honest. Murkoff tells the truth about the fact that Mothers who take better care of themselves in terms of nutrition, exercise, smoking, alcohol, etc are more likely, statistically, to have a healthy pregnancy. It also mentions several of the rare disorders that can't be prevented, making the point that the expecting parents can do everything perfectly, along with their OB providers, and a bad outcome can still occur. To specifically NOT seek to become educated is a "head in the sand" approach to pregnancy. The truth is that most pregnancies that make it far enough to "show" are going to be "successful" anyway, but what harm is done in becoming educated?

Education is never a bad thing. Knowing not only "what to expect" but especially "what to do" can actually help the mom to AVOID some of these bad things. For patients who are prone to irrational anxieties, I can see how this book may fuel the fire - but it's not the fault of the author.

The book takes a quite comprehensive look at a broad field - Obstetrics - and breaks it down into plain language with little short sections on the various topics. The book should be a starting place - if something you read in the book scares you, the expectant parents should bring it up with their OB provider. Your obstetrician (or Family Physician or Midwife) should be able to answer your questions and perform the necessary tests or, if required, to refer you to a High Risk specialist - if you need it.

Again - a little education is never a bad thing. Enjoy, and best wishes for your pregnancies!