The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to Conception, Birth and Everything in Between [Paperback]

The advice is very practical. I did not at all like the "What to Expect" books because I found every page was laden with worry about things that could go wrong (in what tiny percentage of cases??) or guilt - what pregnant woman really needs to be told to think carefully about how every bite of food you eat affects your baby? Mother of All Pregnancy Books gives you the facts, but does it without scaring the heck out of you.

Another nice thing about this book is that it shows tips and advice from real people. I liked the variety of perspectives. It was also nice to see a thoroughly Canadian perspective, especially when dealing with the health care system.

After going through a few years of infertility and two miscarriages, I thought I had read everything on the subject and that knew pretty much all I needed to know about conception and pregnancy - but I still learned a lot from this book! I even went back and read it a second time when I got pregnant the second time.

Highly recommended!

The book is extremely detailed and anticipates any question you might have during pregnancy. It features a frank discussion of what it’s really like to have a baby (the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy, the career and financial costs of starting a family, and other important issues that most pregnancy books don’t touch upon), a concise summary of what you need to know about preparing your body for pregnancy (including a discussion of the latest research about the father’s role in ensuring a healthy conception), practical advice on what you can do to increase your chances of conceiving quickly, the latest news about treatments for infertility and what it takes to successfully make your way through the Canadian fertility treatment maze, useful tips on choosing a caregiver and a place to birth (assuming, of course, that you have the luxury of choice), detailed information about making the healthiest possible choices for your baby, the top ten worries for each trimester, the inside scoop on coping with a smorgasbord of pregnancy-related aches and pains, fascinating facts about fetal development and how your body changes during pregnancy, helpful advice on coping with a high-risk pregnancy, detailed information on what it’s like to give birth vaginally and through cesarean section, the facts you need to make up your mind about such important issues as circumcision and breastfeeding, practical advice on weathering the highs and lows of the postpartum period, helpful insights on how your relationship with your partner may change both during pregnancy or after the birth, a sneak peak at "life after baby", a frank discussion of the joys and challenges of welcoming a baby who has special needs, a detailed look at the latest research concerning miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss, a glossary of pregnancy- and birth-related terms, a sample birth plan, emergency childbirth instructions, a directory of Canadian organizations of interest to new or expectant parents
- a directory of Internet resources of interest to Canadian parents, a summary of important pregnancy-related statistics, and a list of recommended readings. As the author puts it, this book is essential reading for anyone who is planning to have a baby in the Great White North!