User's manual for pregnancySeptember 5, 2008 Unlike some other reviewers, when I was pregnant I found WTEWYE to be a great resource to figure out what on earth was happening inside and throughout my pregnant body. The book is well-indexed and the format of following the chronology of the pregnancy let me access the information I wanted as it pertained. I am a biologist, so I know that my body is made for pregnancy, etc., but I also have a relative who had a very difficult birth and now has a severely handicapped child, so I wanted all the information I could get my hands on to give my baby the "best odds". Almost every time something new happened (like my first Braxton-Hicks practice contraction!), WTEWYE had a reassuring--to me at least-- explanation. Those reviewers who felt that this book made them paranoid and anxious and guilty, well, perhaps that just means that they learned something! I do like that this edition has a different cover design; after about a week, we made a paper-bag cover for it like we used to do with our textbooks in elementary school.
Excellent all-around pregnancy bookSeptember 5, 2008 Carries information about pretty much everything you'll want to know about. Written in a straight-forward, often funny way. Includes stuff for the father too. This book used to be given out at my doctor's office to all expectant moms. They switched to a different book when they discovered just about all of them already purchased the book.
DisappointingSeptember 5, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book because it's supposed to be the pregnancy 'Bible'. It's pretty complete, but I found the tone way too cutesy and patronizing. It gets a bit annoying after a couple of paragraphs.
Great Book to Have!September 2, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a great book to have when you're expecting! I used a former edition with my other pregnancies so I was already familiar with the series. I needed an updated version to use especially with all the changes there are now. This book should not be used as a substitute for a doctor but it's terrific when your doctor refers to something and you can reference it in the book. As to the comments that this book will scare a pregnant woman - it has a wealth of information in it, which not all of it applies to every pregnancy. I would rather be informed and knowledgeable than never have known. I highly recommend the book!
Depends on where you are emotionally . . .September 1, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
During my first pregnancy, I received three copies of this book from friends who had had babies. I consumed it, reading every word on every page. And then I WORRIED. What if I wasn't eating right? What if one of the complications listed happened to me? What if my placenta is in the wrong place?! I was a neurotic mess. The more I knew of the various possibilities within my pregnancy, the more worried and neurotic I became. I eventually passed the three books on to a thrift store. Five years later I was pregnant again. No one gave me the book. I missed it--I wanted to know how big my baby was each week, what I should be doing, what I should be watchful for. I couldn't remember anything I had read last time. I went out and bought the book. I no longer worried. I read it all again. It was a wonderful way to focus on the pregnancy, my body, the baby. It was just what I needed.
