John R. Sussman

As comprehensive as What to Expect but less stressful to read, this is the pregnancy book I've been coming back to every week as my pregnancy progresses. I skipped the long first part about getting pregnant and caught up with the week-by-week guide. Following the weekly guide is a section about prenatal testing that I found more helpful than anything else--not so much for the descriptions of the tests, but for its frank discussion of how to evaluate what tests you would like to have. The show more birth section is open-minded about all the options and, like the other sections, features quotes from mothers who had a variety of different experiences--those who said labor was excruciatingly painful, those who loved it, those who loved their epidurals, those who loved going natural. I have an interest in natural childbirth but am not quite a mothering.com type, and I'm finding this book quite balanced. Interspersed with the week-by-week guide is advice on exercise, work, travel, and more (so skim the whole guide ahead of time, or use index), and special chapters late in the book address high-risk pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and the postpartum period. While the new What to Expect is improved, this book is a great alternative. show less