Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Complete + Professional + Non-Judgemental = All You Need
When we decided to get pregnant, we read something like 25 books. One year and one baby later, I kind of feel like an expert in baby books. So let me say that this book is far and away the best pregnancy book and it is no surprise that it has been a bestseller for many years.This book is a complete, professional, non-judgemental reference. A lot of books try too hard to be funny or cute. WTE is not humorless, but it deals with subject matter in a refreshingly straightforward way. The advice and help given echoes what our doctors have said and answered most of our questions before we even saw our Obstetritian (no, it's not a substitute). This book covered EVERYTHING. It answered all our questions about diet, medication, flu shots, cat ownership, false labor, vitamin supplements, cramps, ultrasound, breastfeeding or how to judge your OB/GYN. All the answers were in here, along with tons of other stuff we didn't think about until we came across it here. Most importantly, this book isn't judgemental. There are a ton of controversial issues associated with pregnancy (medication, breast feeding, circumcision). Lots of books out make a lot of assumptions about religion, single parents, "modern times" or they just avoid some issues entirely. This book assumes you can make up your own mind once you're presented with all the information. This book wasn't a replacement for our doctors, but it gave us a lot of really useful information without taking a side. If the book has a flaw, it is the diet section. Do yourself a favor and skip that section. In all fairness, this is a flaw of a lot of the books we read (some of them reading like 1950s "Keep Young And Beautiful" rants). Our doctor gave us a 10 page handout that gave us all the information we needed. Like I say, we read a lot of pregnancy books. It's pretty shocking how many we found to be completly WORTHLESS! I don't want to name names, and I've already written a couple of negative reviews, but I'm thinking particularly of the ones full of Erma Bombeck-esque anecdotes about La Maz classes, the "staying chic while you're pregnant" fashion mag type, the old-fashioned preachy church-lady books, or--worst of all--the "nutrition" books that focused almost entirely on weight. Some of these books are written by people with no medical qualifications at all! A good rule of thumb: if the author has no medical qualifications, the book will be useless from a medical standpoint. Would you allow a fashion magazine editor to make up your mind about having an epidural? Just about every pregnancy book uses the "What Nobody Will Tell You" tagline. Once you've read this book, there will be very few surprises left. There isn't a topic that isn't touched on and just about everything you need is covered in depth. That's not to say this is the only book you need, but it goes a long, long way. I'm only harping on this because I was pretty shocked to read some of the negative reviews that complained about WTE containing a lot of information on rare pregnancy situations, saying that such information was "scary" and "unnecessary". WTE gives plenty of information on what is serious as opposed to what is a false alarm. Nobody PLANS on having a troubled pregnancy! Aren't you better off knowing what's involved and how to detect and prevent such things? I suppose for some people ignorance is bliss, but we were MUCH happier being prepared. When we went into labor 5 weeks early, we felt at least somewhat prepared for it because it was extensively covered in the book! If you're looking for entertainment, pick up something else or rent a movie. But if you're looking for a complete, professional, and useful reference book, What To Expect While You're Expecting is THE BEST and it will be the standard for years to come.
Rating:  - Marginally useful, too judgmental
Everyone I know who has gotten pregnant in the last year, including myself, has not liked this book. My OB/GYN told me to take everything with a grain of salt. If you buy it, my advice would be to avoid reading the section concerning the rare complications that possibly could arise in pregnancy. If something goes wrong, you and your doctor will know and he/she will advise you. Also, avoid reading the diet section, unless you like diets and enjoy strict guidelines on what to eat. We all know what makes a healthy diet. You know better than to eat a box of cookies or a pint of ice cream a day, and if you do, so what. You don't need to constantly read that excessive weight gain is hard to lose. You know that too, and you're pregnant. I did like to look at this book on a monthly basis to get an idea of "what to expect." There are some helpful Q&As. Some, of course, are insipid and/or judgmental--remember that grain of salt. Also, don't pack everything for the hospital that this book suggests. Think about what you personally need. For example, do you really need a copy of "What to Expect in the First Year"?
Rating: - Expect to feel GUILTY if you read this book
Although this book is somewhat informative, for the first four months of my pregnancy I felt like a failure! My husband hid this book from me because I constantly worried about miscarriage, diet, etc. I am a very healthy woman who has gained "more than my share". I think the diet advice and weight restrictions are totally ridiculous and unrealistic and I would not recommend this patronizing excuse for a pregnancy guide to anyone who is having a baby. This book has sent me in tears more than once to my OB/GYN because as a normal, working, first-time expectant mother I simply cannot live up to these rigid guidelines. Only when I stopped reading "What to expect..." did I feel more relaxed and confident in my role as an expectant mother, and I stopped obsessing over my baby's well-being. My advice? Trash it and get Dr. Miriam Stoppard's "Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth".
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