Are You Reading What to Expect?

on April 2, 2009 at 4:10 PM

What to Expect When You're Expecting,

When my partner got pregnant with our first baby, we bought a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting. It's so commonly referred to as the "pregnancy Bible," I guess we thought it was practically obligatory.

I read it. But when I got pregnant, I began to read it more closely in those first couple of months. It made me nervous -- more worried about what could go wrong than I already was -- and eventually I put it down for Your Pregnancy Week by Week.

What about you? What are you reading while pregnant, or are you getting most if not all of your info from other moms online?

Filed Under: 1st trimester, 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, pregnancy health, the pregnant life

Comments (20)

katzmeow726

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:25 PM

I love my copy. I absolutely enjoy going throught the week by week pregnancy parts, and reading about development. Not to mention I often go to it when I have a twinge or something that has me concerned and it often helps me decide to call the doc or not. Despite the face it mentions all the bad things that can happen, its been a life saver.

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Rachelou

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:28 PM

This is the most overrated pregnancy book in existance. I hate it. It is written completely from the perspective of "what could go wrong" which only perpetuates the fear that our society associates with pregnancy and birth.

seposte

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:29 PM

There are better sources of accurate information than this book.

celticreverie

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:33 PM

I really dislike this book. It gave zero insight on what birth should be, just the *what ifs*. The women sounded like she was getting paid by OB's for a biased and innacurate account of pregnancy to scare women. It's a terrible book.

Someong gave it to me when I was pregnant with Becka. I read it while pregnant, and looking back it was just an annoying uninformative read and should NOT be where women get any information from. Same with her *what to expect the first year* book.

Butterfly872

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:37 PM

I use it as a reference. I don't read it "religiously," but I do use it if I have questions or concerns. It's not the only book, however. I try to find balanced infomation from many sources -- including my OB.

kbates1208

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:53 PM

I read it and I am pregnant with my third child. LOL. I still have my other two copies and its interesting to see the changes and additions in the newest edition. I'm disappointed that this one doesn't have a journal in the back, but everyone has a random thought or question now and then, and its nice to have it there to look at.

ThaMCE

on Apr 2, 2009 at 4:57 PM

There should be an option for "I've never read it." I have never read it. Nope, not interested.

justanotherjen

on Apr 2, 2009 at 5:01 PM

I had it with my first and read bits and pieces of it because I was bored. I never take those kind of books at face value and, like someone else said, I mostly used it if I thought I was having an issue. Really I barely looked at it. I don't think I touched it with my subsequent pregnancies and have no clue where it is now.