By Heidi Murkoff
This is one of those odd times that I review a non-fiction title. And to be honest, this is not the typical non-fiction book, so it will also probably not be a typical review. I’m not going to go through chapter by chapter or section by section. But I digress…
What To Expect When You’re Expecting was first published in 1984 by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, and Sandee Hathaway. It is now in its fifth edition. The title is touted to be the “bible of American pregnancy” by the New York Times and has topped the paperback bestseller list on multiple occasions. What to Expect can now boast a website, mobile app, and fictionalized feature film. Not bad for a pregnancy guide.
When I found out I was pregnant, this is literally the first thing I purchased. I had every intention of reading this book cover to cover, absorbing every iota of knowledge thrown at me. I’m sure some soon-to-be mothers are able to tackle this task, but I was not. This book was BIG and the print was small, and there were columns, and sections that referenced other sections, and to be honest, I got very overwhelmed very quickly. This book might be a great guide, but for me, it was a useful reference book rather than an informational non-fiction designed to be read cover to cover.
My plan was to be a chapter ahead (reading month 3 while in month 2). But I found myself regularly skimming through to see if the aches and pains I was feeling were normal pregnancy changes or something else. It didn’t help that I needed to stop my ADHD medication, which made focusing on the sheer amount of information substantially more difficult. It also didn’t help that the entire book was in black and white, and most of it was text. Because there were no colors or images to break things up, staring at page after page was tiring.
But was it helpful? I guess this is the important question right? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but no. To me, this book was more overwhelming than it was helpful. That being said, I’m still glad I purchased it. I do appreciate that it was written as a single book because I think multiple books would become cost prohibitive, but I also feel like purchasing it by trimester might have been more manageable for me-especially since my doctor didn’t even see me until after I was 8 weeks pregnant and the first trimester was essentially over.
The information was semi-useful most of the time, but Murkoff is not an OB/GYN, she’s not a Labor & Delivery Nurse, and she’s not even a medical professional of any kind. She’s just an author. So I felt like a lot of the book was anecdotal, and while I’m sure there was medical science behind the book, there were too many stories for me. I also am concerned that the book did recommend some alternative medical practices like acupuncture and reflexology. There is no scientific basis for either of these practices and encouraging them alongside standard medical practices can be confusing to many people.
One thing that I think we also need to be careful of is the history of this book. It has been around for a LONG time and has become a classic in its own right. However, it is also full of medical information which can go out of date. Buying used copies of this book, or taking hand-me-downs of anything other than the most recent edition could be problematic. This is especially true as things have changed drastically in regard to obstetrics in the past 20 years. Also, it is important to remember that this book should never replace the care of a board-certified OB/GYN or Registered Nurse Midwife. It is a good supplement to help understand your pregnancy but is by no means a replacement.
All in all, I’m glad I purchased this book because it gave me peace of mind to have the resource available to me whenever I wanted it. Looking back though, I probably would have purchased a kindle edition because it takes up less space and is more easily searchable. I agree that it is the most well-known pregnancy book in the United States and for good reason. But I also found the book very overwhelming at times and when you’re already pregnant, being more overwhelmed is probably not the best of situations.
Jenn V. Reads 