Healthy Pregnancy Book (Sears Parenting Library)

My mom gave me this book when I got pregnant. I ordered one on her behalf when my sister got pregnant. I found it useful during my pregnancy. Easy to read and concise information.

This book is very informative and discusses important things you should know without instilling fear, as some of the other books out there are accused of. It is unbiased and discusses all sides of subject. There are side notes that explain if the authors lean towards one side or another: they explain why so you can understand and leave you with enough information to then make your own decision. I only gave it 4 stars because I purchased the kindle version and there are quick links to other points in the book that don't take you where they should. That is really annoying but it would have been a wonderful feature, had it worked. (Oh, and I also wish someone would add a chapter to their books from the point of view of a short person. I feel physically like I am 2 months ahead of all you tall lanky ladies out there. Ie: "Around month seven you will feel your uterus start to expand over your naval"... Really? Because I am in month five and I'm pretty sure my uterus is up in my throat. Thats all lol.)

This is a reboot of The Pregnancy Book. I really enjoy Dr. and Martha Sears' presentation. Their website is also great for FAQ. This book is laid out logically and easy to read. It's never condescending and has a great soothing tone, just want the pregnant woman needs. This is the book to buy the paper copy and keep as an indispensable resource.Edit - After reading quite a few books, I think there is no perfect resource book for pregnancy. I was a little disappointed in this book after I found out my baby turned breech at 37 weeks. I ended up with a scheduled c-section and they really do not address medically necessary c-sections in this book. The focus is all on natural labor, which I initially thought was really nice, I even took the "natural" birthing class...but apparently my son didn't get the memo. But on the other hand, I also read a lot of "What to Expect..." and I found that book to be overwhelming in it's contents!

I read the preview pages of this book and sent it as a gift to my niece, expecting a baby in the Spring. I like the fact that Harvard doctors, both male & female, wrote this book with the newest advice, keeping the horror stories out of it that scare expectant Moms needlessly. I agreed with the nutrition info I read so far in it. Eating for two means good food in small snack/meals throughout the day not pigging out or eating junk food in the name of cravings. I think it will be helpful to her and look forward to a healthy new grand-niece or nephew in 2014.

Goodness, this book is a gold mine of important information that every pregnant person, or better yet, any person thinking about becoming pregnant, should read! In fact, a lot of information focuses on any person’s health in general. We should be living by these standards regardless of pregnancy. The book was written in 2013, I believe, so it would be awesome if a newer version was available that included the latest research. Nevertheless, most of the information seems to be relevant to this day. I highly highly recommend if you are interested in health and giving your baby or future child the best start to life you possibly can. Knowledge is empowering.

This book is written in a more engaging style, and follows a more intuitive structure than other standard pregnancy books (e.g., WTEWYE, Mayo Clinic, etc). However, I have three big complaints: (1) the authors have a strong, borderline dogmatic bias toward keeping things as "natural" as possible-- (e.g., non-organic foods and soaps, minimal medication-based pain relief)-- while taking it upon themselves to define what counts as "natural" and without always contextualizing their arguments in a properly scientific fact base. (2) They also come across as a bit dismissive of women's careers at times-- the book includes scattered offhand remarks which seem to imply that it's self-evident that every pregnant woman should be willing (not to mention financially able) to make various professional sacrifices once she becomes a mom. (3) The book is written in language which directly, explictly addresses an imagined reader who is (a) female (b) married and (c) heterosexual. Why write a pregnancy book which is only addressed to women? And why exclude single moms-to-be, and women in single-sex partnerships? Overall the authors come off as belonging to a socially conservative variant on a dogmatic back-to-nature philosophy. Take the book with a grain of (conservative Christian, Organic-Himalayan) salt.

Love this book!Updated from The Pregnancy Book, this has a different layout and twice as much info. I found it more user-friendly, and full of helpful and timely information, advice, and even a great smoothie recipe (still use it as a base two years later!).I just ordered three more for gifts; this is the best pregnancy book I’ve seen! Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy. :-)

It drives me crazy that Sears doesn't cite ANYTHING. They refer to all these wonderful research studies but don't even give the name. No work cited, no bibliography, no foot notes. WHAT THE HELL? BUT now that I have said my two cents, it is a very good book. I enjoyed it and will recommend it to other families.

Una vez más un buen libro del Dr. Sears acerca de la maternidad. Excelente Libro, habla claro sin idealizar el período de gestación. Los comentarios de su esposa y de la otra autora son muy buenos y sirve de referencia de mujeres que han vivido exactamente lo mismo en cuanto a sintomatología. El libro es fácil de consultar, es una ayuda práctica con consejo acerca de la dieta diaria, tips para minimizar síntomas y ejercicios.Excelente libro lo recomiendo, lamentablemente no se si existe una versión en español.Very good book, excellent reference if you need tips for you daily diet or to minimize pregnancy syntoms. Easy to read, very reader friendly. It has been the great help during my second pregnancy, I wish I would've had it during my first.

I liked the older version from the 90s, but I have to say that the way the book is done now things are much easier to find. I love the focus on pregnancy health and diet in the first part, seperated from the month by month part. The book is well researched yet very personal, not too scientific. I like that there is a focus on the positive side of pregnancy, and an optional chapter right at the back for any problems that might occur. Very reassuring, encouraging and positive. If you want to enjoy your 9 months, I would recommend this book above all others I have read.

Wife loves it

This is a pretty basic book. It has chapters on nutrition, physiology, going "green" and staying healthy, as well as chapters for each month of the pregnancy. It is pretty focussed on your "husband", so if you're not straight and married you'll have to let your eyes slide over some sections. All in all I'm not sorry I bought it; I'd recommend it if you haven't read any other pregnancy books. It would make a good foundation.

Informative but also quite repetitive. The Mayo Clinic book is better in my opinion.