What to Expect Before You’re Expecting

Must listen before TTC

It's really well written and easy to follow even if you don't know what TTC is.

I enjoyed how they made it easy to follow the abbreviated words and that it covers everything including infertility and how to cope with miscarriage.

I will also be reading /listening to the rest of this series.

Thank you

1 person found this helpful

Better as a physical book, most is common sense

There's nothing like the excitement of planning a baby with your partner to get your need for information and to-do's in gear (at least, if you're a Type A personality). Knowing the great reputation for this book's sequel, What to Expect When You're Expecting, I figured this would be the endless fountain of the information every uterus-owning person planning on a baby would want and need to know. What I got was a textbook, read by someone whose tone is less gal-pal and more slightly condescending nurse with bad attempts at humor and slightly sexist jokes. It's all a bit eyeroll-inducing. The first few chapters are all things anyone could guess at without even trying, followed by information that comes up after a quick Google search. "Planning a baby? Eat healthy, get your weight where the doctors tell you it should be, and stop drinking, smoking, or taking recreational drugs." That's literally the summary of the first third of the book, without the condescending tone.

The audiobook might have been better if you knew easily what sections you could skip, or if the narrator's tone weren't the same up-down pitch that sounds like the lady at the office who is fake-nice. It doesn't sound natural or conversational at all, but rather like someone who is the audio version of a motivational poster. I downloaded this on the first of the month and still haven't finished listening to it - it's that much of a chore.

The rest of the book does have some good information, but honestly would be more useful as a tangible book that you can take a highlighter to and just notate the stuff that's relevant to you personally. It's also still information that you can just as easily Google or ask your GP/Nurse Prac. Also, if you have anxiety, this might not be a good book since every symptom of conception and pregnancy is summarized as "It could be pregnancy, PMS, or -insert horrible medical thing here.-" Almost everything just says to ask your doctor. Um, thanks?

Find the book used cheap at Half Price Books and just mark up what you need with a highlighter, and save your monthly credit for something more entertaining.