What To Expect When You're Expecting

During the seven straight years of my being a full-time career woman, I've gone through inconsistent lines of job in different and totally unrelated industries. This means learning the process from scratch every time. Unfortunately, I have this academic notion that in order for me to fully understand what I will be doing and be able to do it right, I need to go back to the very basic (read every material I can get my hands on) and a classroom training is a must (of course this is not always the case in most companies I've worked for). 

So imagine me being pregnant for the first time. The only reference I had available was my Mom who have been in this situation 24 long years prior. I'm not saying she wasn't any help at all, I couldn't ask for a better support and only Moms can give that. But as always, what I needed was something to read, something I can bookmark and go back to in the very likely event that my "pregnancy brain" takes over. So a trip to the bookstore was in order to look for the best pregnancy book, and off we went. Boy were there so much to choose from! And most of them a bit pricey, mind you. Until I came across the fourth edition of What To Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff

Now I wasn't very impressed the first time I opened it as it was printed in two columns per page. Didn't bother to actually read a few lines before passing on judgement. I thought it more like the textbooks medical students use and would be such a bore for me to read all 586 pages. So it more or less did not make the shortlist. Not until I've made a few more scouting (both here in Malaysia and in the Philippines), saw it in a Facebook friend's album, saw the very timely movie (I'm not sure I can call it an adaptation), and gave it a short read did I decide that it's probably the best one available. Well, I was not disappointed.

A line from the foreword by Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, MD pretty much describes it the best:

"In a way, my job is a lot like your pregnancy will probably be--every day will bring a little adventure, but most of them will be fun. What To Expect When You're Expecting is like having a personal obstetrician to guide you through that adventure."

And it is!

Reading it equips every soon-to-be-mom with all the information she needs to make it through nine months of pregnancy and beyond. It is presented in such a way that it's very easy to understand with a touch of humor to make reading it enjoyable.

Not only does it guide you from the onset of conception but even before if you are only in the planning stage. It provides details on preconception preparations for both the mom and the dad, how to eat properly, what kinds of supplements are best to take, as well as pointers in choosing the right prenatal practitioner. I had half a mind planning our next baby as early as now while reading it!

Each pregnancy symptom is described. What you may be going through each month that are perfectly normal and certainly saves you the worry and unscheduled trips to the doctor (bleeding nose and gums, heartburn, nausea--name it, I think I got all in the list). And those that you need to take care not to get as it could be a symptom of a complication.

Of course, this doesn't mean that all symptoms stated in the book are applicable to every pregnant woman. As the author is always careful to remind the readers, every pregnancy is unique and when in doubt, calling and discussing your concerns with your obstetrician is still the best.

Separate chapters are also available tackling multiple pregnancies ("Twins, Triplets and More"), postpartum, managing a complicated pregnancy as well as one specially dedicated for dads (they're expectant too!). I couldn't have found a more complete reference than this.

Just like when starting a new job, reading What To Expect When You're Expecting gave me the confidence that I will not only be doing my first pregnancy right, but also when we're ready to try again for the next--in the not so near future.

Photo by MoniFoto.net, Flickr