...answers the most common questions women ask before, during, & after pregnancy...discusses birth control, immunizations, when to call the doctor, how to breastfeed, exercise, & much more....interactive charts & checklists.

Labor chapter reads like a HOSPITAL PAMPHLET! (1.0)

More complete and factual information that What to Expect, which is a joke.

While I realize that this book was published by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and not Midwives Alliance of North America, it is pretty despicable to focus on a completely medicalized birth situation. It doesn't glorify doctor friendly methods of birth such as c-sections per se, but there seems to be no mention of how a birth with minimal medical intervention would actually work in the hospital. It repeatedly uses the phrase "if you choose pain relief..." and covers the following events. It never points to what happens or what methods can be used for one avoiding medical pain relief and other types of intervention.

If you go into labor and all you have read is this book, you will be familiar with the medical procedure facts and risks (i.e. an epidural can slow down labor, risks of general anesthesia, anesthesia procedures, etc.) but does NOT give any advice about making informed choices about the direction of the birth. It does not say how any of these interventions can be avoided. It barely indicates that you will be making ANY specific choices aside from accepting the vague notion of "pain relief". It's like you are totally on board for the whole slew of possible interventions or you are not.

I do not believe obstetricians are simply medical technicians. They should be familiar with the idea of a woman giving birth without numerous drugs and tools to regulate the mechanical and biochemical functions of her body like some kind of machine.

My favorite part of the book:

"Some fathers do not want to be in the delivery room during labor and birth. Even if your partner's not there for the big event he can still give you support in other ways. He can come with you to prenatal checkups and take you to the hospital when you are in labor, for instance"

Gee, that's super nice of Dad to cart you off to the hospital when you are about to give birth! That's even better than taking a taxi!

But seriously, pease look at The Whole Pregnancy Handbook by Dr. Joel Evans, an OB.

It is great because it gives you the same objective factual information about pregnancy and labor Planning your Pregnancy does, while also offering information for those who embrace alternative medicine. If you plan on having a scheduled c-section or an epidural, don't worry about this book making you feel guilty. It won't. The excellent and practical advice about dealing with the many symptoms of pregnancy that has helped me a lot. It is about integrating natural methods and choices into conventional medicine, not rejecting it wholesale. The books subtitle says it all and separates it from other natural birth-aware books: "An Obstetrician's Guide to Integrating Conventional and Alternative Medicine Before, During and After Pregnancy"

Better than "what to expect" (5.0)

I got this book and "what to expect..." and the other one was so negative and discouraging that i almost always put it down and it literally drove me to tears a few times. =I found this book to be more useful. This book covers all the essentials and doesn't dwell on all the catastrophes that can strike. It is encouraging, very educational and covered just about every question or concern i had. I don't know why "what to expect" is such a hit but i'm so glad my doctor's office gave out this one instead.

Wonderful book (5.0)

I received this book from my ob-gyn at my first pregnancy appointment. I had been reading the What to expect book and wasn't that fond of it. This book is so easy to read and understand. I have learned so much from it and would highly recommend it to other expectant moms.

A great book (5.0)

By a friend's recommendation, I bought "what to expect when you are expecting". As she said, this is a "pregnancy bible". But I actually like this book -- "planning your pregnancy and birth" much better.

This book is clear, well-organized, and practical. I have a busy schedule. Also my reading speed is fairly slow since English is not my native language. So I appreciate the conciseness and yet still completeness of "planning ...". On the other hand, "What to expect ..." book has 130 more pages with smaller prints. It's also hard for me to find related topics in "what to expect" book, which according to my very personal opinion, has too much information and has too much useless talk.

Perfect (5.0)

This book is perfect for expecting moms. It is free of the ideology of the books by Sears and the "what to expect" crowd. Instead, it is a simple, "just the facts" look at pregnancy, birth, and newborn infancy. If you get only one pregnancy book, this is absolutely the one I recommend. It will put your mind at ease.