Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week

"This book does not say your baby is going to die, that you are a horrible person, or any of that stuff the previous reviewer wrote. This book simply keeps it real. I am an expectant first-time mother who will be 35 in about 2 weeks. I am at the dreaded 'advanced maternal age'. Most folks will still have very good pregnancies at my age, but I'd rather not be ignorant about the increase in complications that exist due to my age, race, etc. Those first six to eight weeks that you are sitting around just trying to see a doctor you will need something to do, you may as well read up and at least find out you should be taking pre-natal vitamins and you might not want that cocktail. I need all the information I can get. THANK YOU DR.CURTIS!"
~ Written on 2010-03-04

"A friend lent me this book (with the warning to take everything with a grain of salt) when I found out I was pregnant. At first, I just flipped through it looking at the "Actual size!" pictures of the embryo and then fetus, which were really neat. I also enjoyed the information about how big the baby was that week, what new skill or appendage it had gained, where my uterus was likely to be...

HOWEVER. That's just the first page of each chapter. The rest of the chapter is all about how 1) Your baby is going to die or come out horribly malformed, 2) You are a horrible pregnant person, 3) Your doctor knows better than you do and everything done at the hospital is for the benefit of you and your baby and has nothing to do with money, so just don't worry your pretty little head about it, sweetheart, 4) Your partner is an idiot, 5) By the way, did we already mention your baby is going to die?

Some examples:

- In other pregnancy books I read, nutrition in the first trimester is covered, but there is a little disclaimer that says it's totally okay if all you can keep down is Goldfish crackers and apple cider. Even my midwives said not to worry too much about what I'm eating during the morning sickness phase. How can you worry about getting a balanced diet if you're too busy vomiting at the first scent of cooking meat, or just walking by the movie theater in the mall makes you nauseous (popcorn - yuck!!!)? THIS BOOK, however, says that absolutely not can you just eat whatever makes you feel better! You'd better make sure your embryo is getting every nutrient it needs during this important time, or dire consequences are in your future!

- My jaw dropped open when I read one sentence, which read "If you miscarry this week, it may be possible to tell what sex your baby would have been!" OH MY GOD. Why don't we just start every sentence that way? If you miscarry this week, you'll see your baby had eyelashes! If you miscarry this week, you'll see your baby has lost its little hamster butt! Thanks for bringing something to the forefront of my mind that was already a worry. We already know it's quite possible to miscarry during the first trimester, is it necessary to remind us at every available opportunity?

- The dad tips. Ohhh, the dad tips. One tells your partner that if he goes out of town for a few days on a business trip, to call you at least once a day to let you know he's thinking of you. OH REALLY? I don't want to meet the guy who had to be told to call his wife when he's out of town.

- The big paragraph that gives a resounding NO!!! when the question "Is home birth safe?" is asked. The only source they cite is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, whose livelihood is on the line with this question. This is the only instance I've come across where the answer to this question has not been "For low-risk pregnancies, a planned home birth with a trained birth professional is just as safe, and sometimes safer, than birth in a hospital." This book needs to read a book sometime.

I think I'm going to give this book back to my friend. My husband asks me why I keep flipping through it if I always end up yelling at it.

Here are some books I've enjoyed that both inform AND empower:

From the Hips: A Comprehensive, Open-Minded, Uncensored, Totally Honest Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and Becoming a Parent by Rebecca Odes and Ceridwen Morris

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth: Week by Week, Month by Month, the Most Comprehensive and Authoritative Guide for Expectant Parents, Beloved by More Than 2 Million Readers by Sheila Kitzinger

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Perhaps needless to say, I haven't read What to Expect when You're Expecting, and don't plan to."
~ Written on 2010-03-02

"This book offers a lot of information. We noticed that the early weeks of the pregnancy kind of dwell on all of the "what ifs" that go through all of our heads, but we really don't want to think about that sort of stuff, right? We want to think our baby is going to be 100% healthy. That was a sort of scary put-off...quickly lost interest in the book.

This book seems to offer a lot of information about different syndromes, or possible birth defects, or race-specific known issues, or even general health issues that seem to go on for pages. For us, we're more interested in our growing baby - what's changing/occurring with the baby, what's changing/occurring with me (the mom).

If you're looking for a lot of information about any/everything that could come up - this is the book for you. If you're looking for a book that is more geared towards you and your growing baby only (without added, sometimes unnecessary, information), this is not the book for you."
~ Written on 2010-03-01

"This was the main pregnancy book I used. It suit me well because I am not a big reader and I just read each week as my pregnancy progressed. I had about 4 other pregnancy books and the information in this book had the same information as the others, but in easier organized fashion. "
~ Written on 2010-02-15

"This book gives a good explanation of what is happening inside your body each week. The book also gives a lot of information on different diseases, problems and solutions and tips but if they don't pertain to you, you can just skip over them. I do wish it had some more tips for dad though!"
~ Written on 2010-02-07