The Mother of All Pregnancy Books. The Ultimate Guide to Conception, Birth, and Everything In Between U.S. Edition

Customer Reviews

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth

2008-03-15
I was excited to receive this book based on the glowing reviews when I learned that I was in fact pregnant. Now I am telling anyone who will listen to NOT buy this book (they can have mine if they really want it). Ann Douglas is so very negative throughout this book. If you are overweight or over the age of 35, certainly DO NOT BUY this book. Under the guise of being realistic, I believe Ann Douglas lets her own distaste for such individuals attempting to have a baby shine through (although, judging from her author's photo - she is no spring chicken herself).

She is so negative when approaching pregnancy complications, that simply reading her "advice" may exacerbate any complications you are having as a result of added stress. She thinly veils her distaste for "What to Expect when you are Expecting", but that is the book (I have 6 pregnancy books) that I turn to FIRST everytime I have a question. If I feel guilty about something that I may have done to have caused concern during my pregnancy, I turn to Ann Douglas for a good scolding or to find out immediately that my babies could die. Did she not have an editor or publisher to recommend that she approach concerns with a positive attitude/solution first and then discuss what MIGHT happen.

I am concerned this

loving this book

2008-02-26
I am still trying to concieve and I have been reading the first few chapters of this book over and over! There is just so much information! Now I know how my body actually works to have a baby! I've been charting my temperature which I find exciting :) I can't wait to get that possitive test back and delve into the rest of the book!

Very thorough!

2008-02-13
I have been reading this book prior to conception and it has been very useful. Right now, I'm skipping some of the parts about "When a pregnancy goes wrong", because I don't want to scare myself, but other than that, this book talks about everything you could possibly want to know, and them some! Easy to read, focuses on emotional, physical, and physiological...very thorough book.

Baby book

2008-02-08
This book was okay. It of course is a "pregnancy" book. It touched on several subjects, but alot of the information I was already aware of. This book is okay if you have NO clue about pregnancy or how to prepare for it. It does however have an excellent section on multiple pregnancy or abnormal pregnancy, but that doesn't apply to the average mom-to-be. My husband wanted to read the book with me, but he didn't like it. It was about the yucky parts of pregnancy that he didn't want to know. Husbands need a book about after baby gets here and how their lives will change. That is what a man needs to know.

Informative

2008-01-14
This book is very informative. It has good material and answers quite a few questions. It would be nice if it had a more detailed section about the progression of your pregnancy though. But overall a good read.

It really is the mother of all pregrancy books

2008-06-15
After reading several other pregnancy books, although reading over the same topics, Ann Douglas provides more helpful information. Her writing style is easy to read, funny at times and not biased. You feel as if you are listening to a friend sometimes. This book covers everything from preconception to delivery. This book provides excellent questions for interviewing doctors/midwives. She provides helpful charts. I would recommend the purchase of this book.

Style Match for Pregnancy

2008-05-26
My wife is in her twelfth week of pregnancy and this book was read but not used as a reference for her pregnancy. We tried to figure this out since it got some outstanding reviews. I concluded the style (breezy) appeals to certain people and the reason for the good reviews. We ended up using The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy as the cover to cover and everyday reference book for her pregnancy. The Mayo was a power pack book of information that was organized exceptionally. If you like a breezy, casual girlfriend chatty type book then the "Mother" book is for you. Otherwise stick to the Mayo.

Very helpful information for pre-conception

2008-04-23
I bought this book to figure out what I should be doing prior to getting pregnant. I did not know how to alter my diet, exercise, when the best time was to try to get pregnant, how to best 'interview' my doctor. This book was very helpful in providing answers to those questions. Although I am not pregnant yet, I did go for my "preconception check up" at the doctor's and am taking the steps toward a healthy, planned pregnancy.

just good

2008-03-19
I got this based on the reviews, expecting something really awesome. I honestly just found it OK. It seems extremely basic, which can be good for an overview type of book, but I thought it would be much better. I wish I had flipped through it at the bookstore before deciding to purchase it. One of the things I like about it, opposed to many other pregnancy books, is that it has a little section on pre-conception, which is what I was looking for. It talks about some things you can do to prepare before getting pregnant, but it doesn't go into as much detail as I was hoping. I will keep it to have on hand, but would definitely not consider it "the best pregnancy book."

It's not the Mother!

2008-03-17
I just bought this book amongst others and it is average, not "the mother". Ironically, the book I was most hesitant to buy "What to expect when your expecting" had more information about DHA, supplements, etc. than this one did.