What to Expect When You're Expecting

What to Expect When You're Expecting is a pregnancy guide, now in its third edition, written by Arlene Eisenberg and Heidi Murkoff and published by Workman Publishing. The book consistently tops the New York Times Best Seller list in the paperback advice category^[1] and has been described as "the bible of American pregnancy".^[2] As of 2005, over 13 million copies were in print.^[2]

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Format

The book presents advice in a question-and-answer format, using a folksy, woman-to-woman tone. It proceeds chronologically from the time a woman first begins to suspect pregnancy, through each of the nine months (with one chapter devoted to each), and into the postpartum period. The beginning of each chapter succinctly lists normal physical and emotional changes and symptoms a woman may be experiencing, and gives information on what a woman can expect when visiting her doctor or nurse midwife during that month.

Following these chapters is a section on nutrition during pregnancy, called the "Best Odds Diet" in the first two editions. The second and third editions also include information on potential complications of pregnancy.^[2]

Controversy

What to Expect When You're Expecting has been criticized for promoting paranoia and fear among pregnant women for focusing on complications and for its extremely strict dietary guidelines. The book's popularity is one reason it is considered problematic by some; although wording is revised with each new printing to respond to critiques, older copies are passed down by women to their pregnant peers.^[2]

Related titles

A number of follow-up titles have been published, including the following:

• What to Eat When You're Expecting (1986)
• What to Expect: The First Year (1989)
• What to Expect: The Toddler Years (1994)
• What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting (2005; follow-up to What to Eat When You're Expecting)

References

1. ^ Donadio, Rachel. "Inside the List", The New York Times, August 27, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-15. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Kantor, Jodi. "Expecting Trouble: The Book They Love to Hate", The New York Times, September 17, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.