Customer Reviews

The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-to-Be

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I'm a guy and actually bought this book for myself (rather than getting it as a gift or bought for me by my wife). Was this book really written by a guy? Facts are wrong, information is dated, and the guy is an over sensitive neurotic. Freeze your placenta? Jealousy? Extramarital affairs? I did this...I did that...look at me...look at me.... Yikes.

Can I get my money back? Can I swear?

It's hard to describe this book without insulting the author for this ridiculous and shallow work; indeed, I often felt my intelligence insulted when I read it. It adopts the most demeaning and infantile attitude towards the men who are supposed to read it: as if we need to be continuously reminded that pregnancy and birth are life-changing events, and the book often stupidly reminds its supposed audience that our wives' experiences are physiological and emotional or that we men have roles to play.
The book's least-common-intelligence tone can be appreciated in 3 minutes by leafing through the stupid and unnecessary cartoons that provide filler to expand the book. They aptly appeal to an audience with short attention spans and a hunger for pointless diversion--and they rarely have anything to do with the book!

I bought this book for my husband, thinking 'aww' a book especially for him. My husband hated it. And on reading so did I. The author obviously has a very usual relationship with his wife as he often talks about feelings of jealously between them. Its very unusual. For example "when you feel the baby kicks your wife might feel jealous as so far its been her private pregnancy"! How ridiculous how would jealousy ever come into it! The book assumes all men are concerned about is finances - it has pages and pages on money, insurance etc. there is nothing much about the joys you feel as a father. If your husband is kind hearted, honest and is truly looking forward to pregnancy and the birth of his child I would advise not to buy this book. The tone is very negative and some of the statements and assumptions about what "men" and "women", are very generalised bordering on ridiculous ie "your partner might be worried that you're going to leave her" what the heck?. It seems very personally related to the authors experience, and is simply selling because it is one of the only books packaged to be directly aimed at men. I would suggest the book "the birth partner" it is for men/the partner and is written in a matter of fact and open way (the author is not overly emotionally involved) - getting you to ask questions about how you would feel about certain situations rather than dictating how you do feel. READ THE OTHER 1 STAR REVIEWS FOR THIS BOOK AND YOU'LL SEE EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

So far my husband has enjoyed reading it. He will be taking it on a business trip this week and hopes to finish it on the plane.

I like this book; very good quality, good tricks! I recommend this book to all new parents or people that want to have kids.

The Expectant Father is one of those books every soon to be father should read. I enjoyed it immensely. It covers the topic of fatherhood in a very competent and insightful manner. I had a several how and why question lingering in my mind after completing "The Expectant Father." I do not think a single book on such an important and often times complicated topic can answer all questions. I read "Systemic Parenting: An Exploration of the Parenting Big Picture" (Gaskill) after completing The Expectant Father. These books are very complimentarily of the other. Brott cover the subject of fatherhood pretty well, Gaskill (Systemic Parenting) covers the topic of parenthood exceptionally well. These texts have helped me be a father that I only which I had while growing up! I will certainly keep them in my library for that time when my son informs me that I am going to be a grand father. I do not believe these two books will ever become dated.

I found this book interesting for new fathers like me. Some things may be obvious and repetitive, but learning that many of the feelings experienced for the first time during pregnancy are actually quite common helps you better to deal with them.
The book is well organized so you can quickly skip sections that you don't need to read about (for example, twins, second birth, etc.). Overall, I like and do not consider it to be offensive for women at all.

I was given this book by two different people during my wife's pregnancy. Of all the books stacked on our shelves, I found this one by far the most helpful. It provides both fantastic logistical information - everything from financial to-dos to checklists for the hospital - and emotional/psychological guidance... what to expect for your wife and for yourself. I was relieved to know that I wasn't the first father ever to be experiencing an unbelievable swirl of emotions... We have a wonderful, healthy baby, and we have this book to thank for it.

I read this book after receiving it for Father's Day from my wife, soon after we learned we were expecting for the first time. The book's consistent format and logical sequence made it easy to read and to re-read as necessary. I read it as the generalized description of the pre-natal fatherly (and motherly) experience that it was meant to be. I felt special to have a book that was written for me, an expectant father, and I often referred to "my book" when my wife and I would talk expectant parents talk. If you want thoughtful and sensitive (empathetic) information from an expectant father's perspective, I recommend this book. Several of the critisms / one-star ratings that I have read here are bizzare over-reactions and are, in my opinion, unfounded.

As a first time father I found this book easy to read and well laid out. I read a chapter a month and it was very helpful to me. Now that the baby is born I am buying "The New Father: A guide tot eh First Year" today.