WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING

by Arlene; Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff & Sandee Eisenberg Hathaway Eisenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 24, 1984

An undistinguished if pleasant addition to the legions of pregnancy guides. The authors--a medical writer, an editor for Jewish Living, and a nurse (also, mother and daughters)--do a competent job of informing readers about current thinking: they present the status quo, without arguing any particular stand or point of view. The volume is arranged chronologically, from determining pregnancy and choosing and working with a practitioner (there is sound help on deciding according to age and risk among various physician types and nurse midwives), through the stages of pregnancy, to the postpartum period, new father concerns, and planning for the next child. The authors are thoroughly up to date (including meatless diets); they present the wide range of possibilities (offering point-by-point discussion of Read, Lamaze, and Bradley methods of preparing for childbirth); and they go into significant detail on every topic. But all this information, and those choices, can be overwhelming. Readers may do better with a real guide, rather than a survey of the field. Simkin et al.'s Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (p. 144) is still the standout: the work of knowledgeable practitioners who are squarely on the consumers' side, and give advice.

Pub Date: Dec. 24, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Workman

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1984

Categories: NONFICTION