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As someone who's been trying for a while, I was really excited to get into this book and find out what I was missing/doing wrong. I really wish I hadn't. Unless you REALLY love horrible puns (just god-awful, honestly), this book will make you want to throw it at a wall... Every other page is some horrendous attempt at humor that will leave you unable to focus on the rest of the content (what little there is) and just wondering who the heck edited this thing, and why they didn't explain to the author that her target audience wasn't full of idiots and that such horribly force puns like these are just not funny. This was not levity, it was water-boarding with words.

Aside from the authors tone (another reviewer nailed it when they likened it to Cosmo-style writing) and very off-putting sense of humor (my partner begged me to stop reading before page 100 as I would read aloud every awful pun I came upon), I also found the book a little lacking in content (considering the size, it seemed there should have been more, and it should have come before I was halfway through the book). By page 80 I felt I had only learned 1 page worth of information, most of the new knowledge being random little factoids that were interesting, but not going to help me or provide me new direction in the process.

On validity of content, there is definitely some out-of-date info, which is the nature of the beast when writing about policy/medicine/health/science. Not the author's fault by any means, but I say it as a reader beware: if you are reading this, and it is your primary source of info on pre-conception/pregnancy, some of this info may have changed. (For example, the insurance section contains a few statements that are no longer accurate).

The formatting was also frustrating, and I often found myself having to flip back and forth through pages as a diagram would be on one page, with the text referencing it 1-3 pages later. They also added some little boxes of text (and some 2 page blocks) that breaks up the reading. Unfortunately, due to the sloppy formatting, this means you'd have to break off mid-sentence to read the box, or flip on (sometimes another 2 pages) to finish the sentence you're in the middle of before flipping back to get the box of info.

I also took issue with some of the nutrition advice in the book. Many of the options continually referenced (especially for those looking to lose weight) are just packed with sugar, and are foods that are often given a health-halo, though they are likely to do more harm than good to those seeking to lose weight. Pushing yogurt and whole-grain cereal just doesn't seem like the best advice, at least not without further instructing people to look at the sugar content. Yogurt and whole-grain products can (and most commonly are) PACKED with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Lots of folks following the advise in this book might be frustrated by the results they get, because the author provides just enough information to get folks into trouble, without the details they need to make truly informed decisions (which--hello--is why they are reading a book like this).
I definitely would not recommend anyone use this book's nutritional section as an authoritative or sole source. It covers the basics that anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 10 years would know, but falls short of providing anything of any substance or value.

On the plus side, there is some content, and some of it is valuable. Due to the book being written at a somewhat low reading level, you can get through it pretty fast, so there's not too much time wasted. The style reveals itself right away, so if it bothers you enough to stop, you won't have gone so far you feel like you just need to push through. Unfortunately, as I feel somewhat desperate for information on the subject (as I imagine many readers will), I felt I had to push through, less I miss all the good information that--no matter how far I read--I was always worried might be on the next page.

I purchased this book because when I was in the military, the base Ob-Gyn's recommended the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" to mom's-to-be, and lots of the ladies seemed to find it a great resource. So I figured another book in the series would be a good place for me to start my book reading (having been doing other reading online for some time).

I would not recommend this book (especially to anyone who's read any other book on the subject).

This is a very informative book with a lot of helpful tips and information for parents to be. I did not find the book to have information that is not already readily available online but it was a good resource to have on hand while planning to conceive.

An excellent book, a lot of information I already knew, but also some good advice for both men and women. As we are trying to conceive, the book offered many helpful insights with examples and statistics. The book puts some of your fears at bay in a humorous and amusing context. It also tells you when and why you should go seek professional help. I enjoyed the read and learned some new trips, but often found the Kindle format difficult to follow. Sections that are supposed to be grayed for men randomly intermix with those for women and graphs and charts are not located where they are supposed to be with their captions placed in inappropriate places breaking up the flow of chapters and at times confusing the reader. Pictures often required changing font size down to nearly as small as you could make the in order to make the entire picture visible, which then required resizing to go back to reading. I gave the book a three rating, had the formatting for Kindle been better, it would have deserved four and a half stars. I am looking forward to and will buy What to Expect When You're Expecting once we make it to that step!

Plenty of myths that have been proven untrue, but overall my wife likes it. Read with an open mind, but do not take everything as doctrine.

Every pregnant woman needs this in their library. Easy to follow, broken up into nice sections, and full of great information. The month sections are all by themselves, and the other chapters after and before take care of all the other stuff, so you're not flipping around often. Chances are you're either going to read up on csections or month 8, not both at the same time, so it's nice that it's broken up like that.

Honestly I found this book to be really boring. Each chapter just drags on and on. I also wonder if they get paid by doctors to recommend every test under the sun?
Maybe I was confused at why people buy this book? I wasn't expecting page after page about which doctor to see and why to see them.
Maybe you'll find this to be the most helpful book out there but it's not for me. Good luck.

I didn't get to finish this book because I found out that I was pregnant midway through and moved onto What to Expect When You're Expecting, but I found both easy to read and highly informative. These books are not written for a clinical audience which is nice, but also aren't trying to be funny. A lot of these books, especially those for expectant fathers, seem to make a lot of jokes at the woman's expense, it was nice for us to find something we could both read that was clear and concise so we just go the facts and no filler!

I am not currently TTC, but I am someone who wants all the facts and research before they start something. I think that this is comprehensive, and realistic about the preparation for TTC. As an RN I skipped much of the A&P, so I can't say whether it was confusing to a layperson, but the what to increase/decrease, initiate and avoid before trying for a baby way clear. I liked that they had a section in each chapter for Dad's part. I also like that they had a section for gay and lesbian couples who might try In-Vitro or surrogacy.