What to Expect When You're Expecting: 4th Edition

I have the older version and that one was also excellent, but this new version is even better!! I love it!

I got two copies of this book in my first month of pregnancy. This is supposed to be the holy grail of pregnancy that everyone carries with them for 9 months, so I dutifully read my chapter each month and didn't read ahead. Then I bought the Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy and realized how much time I'd been wasting.

The way this book is set up is a little ridiculous, with the question- answer format. It makes it really difficult to find things if you have a question, and it leads to some information being jammed in odd places. One of the monthly chapters was almost completely about how to deal with STDs during pregnancy and childbirth. A large segment of the population skipped about 20 pages there and didn't learn anything much about that month of their child's development.

Aside from that little issue, there's the freakout I had every month thinking that something was going to be wrong with my child or myself, or that I was going to perish in a bloody c-section mistake. This book is really pretty alarmist in that regard, filling you in (but just a paragraph or so, just enough to scare you and then move on) on just about everything that could go wrong along the way. Never diagnose yourself because you read something in this book. Go to the doctor.

I actually stopped reading this around my 4th month, and just read the first page of each chapter now to see what their description of the developing baby is compared to the other books I own. If you're looking for a comprehensive medical guide to pregnancy, try the Mayo Clinic book. It's laid out better and has way more information than this one has.

My wife and I have found the book very helpful. Recommend to any expecting parents.

This is a really great book and a must for all expectant mothers. Unfortunately, the book I received from Amazon was missing the entire fifth month of pregnancy so I'm going to have to go out and buy a new book since it was a gift for someone newly pregnant.

I think every pregnant person should at least have a copy of this around for reference.