I feel like this is the classic pregnancy book, and the cover advertises that it's "the #1 bestselling pregnancy book". However, my overall thoughts are lukewarm.
This book is full of information presented in a question-and-answer format and organized by month of pregnancy. It has a much more clinical tone compared to the conversational Baby 411 or the humorous Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy. This makes for a slightly drier read. I did not succeed in reading What to Expect cover-to-cover, and I didn't always even peruse the current month's chapter while pregnant.
That said, I found this to be a wonderful reference book. Whenever I had a question or symptom that didn't merit a call to my doctor, I would check the index of this book and flip to a few different pages. With over 500 pages of text, I could usually find a good explanation.
The general content is broad in scope. Each of the main nine chapters (for months 1-9 of pregnancy) talk about "your baby this month" with the classic compare-the-baby's-size-to-a-piece-of-fruit analogy and information about its physical development. These chapters then go on to discuss "what you may be feeling", both physically and emotionally, and "what you can expect at this month's checkup". Finally, the "what you may be wondering about" provides the bulk of the chapter with Q&A on various topics that may or may not occur during the month in question.
Aside from these nine chapters, there are also chapters on eating well while expecting, labor and delivery, fathers, and the first six weeks postpartum, as well as info on managing illness (both chronic and otherwise), complicated pregnancies, and loss.
This brings me to my one "beef" about this book. The very last chapter of the book deals with loss of a pregnancy. While unfortunately some expecting moms will need this information, each and every one of us hopes we never will. I take no issue with the chapter's inclusion in the book. However, as the very last chapter it falls just before the index. As I mentioned above, I used this book mostly as a reference, and more often than not would start by flipping to the index. I often times would open the book a few pages too early and find myself in the midst of the pregnancy loss chapter. I'd usually end up reading a bit (due to morbid curiosity or who knows what), and thanks to my pregnancy-induced heightened emotional state I would often end up pretty depressed. Not the state of mind the authors probably had in mind for their readers. So just consider yourself forewarned.
This book is straightforward, helpful, and informative. It is also a bit dry and clinical. Information is detailed, though at times the detail made me squirm (I admit to being slightly squeamish about some of this stuff!). It's not the most engaging read, but it is a handy book to have around.
Final Rating:: Borrow on long-term loan
