What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Sharon Mazel, Heidi Murkoff  is one such book on pregnancy which doesn’t need any introduction or review and is highly recommended by experts but also by experienced moms who have read it. Even I came to know about this book while reading Spiritual Pregnancy by Gopika Kapoor. She has some very good words about the book and after reading What To Expect When You’re Expecting, I think she did not overstated.

One’s pregnancy will be incomplete without reading What To Expect… It is an ultimate guide which could be your constant partner throughout the nine months journey to motherhood. Pregnancy experience is different for each woman. So it is difficult to just pin point some common problems and give best advice to combat it. So what the authors has tried to do is to cover almost all the situation which a mother-to-be could find herself facing and best possible ways to overcome it. I face the problem of leg cramping throughout my pregnancy but the tips given in the book always came to my rescue.

The book gives week by week information of fetal development which really enabled me to imagine what’s going inside the womb and how the baby is exactly shaping. Next is, what we as to-be mothers could expect in the every month both physically and emotionally. This is followed by the most important part of the book. Various problems and doubts one can face in each month and their answers. It is given in question and answer format.  Not all the problems could be faced by a single woman but authors have tried to cover everything so that there is something for everyone.

There are some very good and easy exercises given in the book with illustrations and the breastfeeding chapters are very good with some valuable tips.

It is written with American pregnant women kept in mind so there are many things which are not applicable for Indians. Even I skip some initial chapters of the book which were about per-pregnancy and selecting doctor etc. but still for this one reason one just cannot overlook the kind of information which it brings to us.  Information about nine months are very valuable. This book is many a time referred as bible of pregnancy and Wikipedia of pregnancy  but if you still wan tot read a book with an Indian touch then you can go for Pregnancy by Nutan Pandit. In spite of it What to Expect… is a must read.

The Verdict: Whether Indian or not, a few things are same for everyone. Go for it. It is an ultimate book on Pregnancy. Instead of reading 10 books on pregnancy and confusing yourself, read one good book and stick to it.