One Sentence Summary
What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff is a comprehensive guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care covering all aspects of pre- and post-natal life.
Book Genre
What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a nonfiction book about pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care.
Main Topic of the Book
The main topic of the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting is pregnancy, childbirth and baby care. It covers all aspects of pre- and post-natal life, including physical and emotional health and well-being, parenting approaches, medical and lifestyle advice.
Key Ideas
What to Expect When You’re Expecting includes the following key ideas:
- Preparing for Pregnancy: The book provides advice on pre-pregnancy health care, nutrition and lifestyle advice, understanding the basics of prenatal care, and being aware of common pregnancy complications.
- Having a Healthy Pregnancy: Includes advice on nutrition, exercise, relaxing, dealing with stress, prenatal testing, medical care, and the emotional and psychological aspects of pregnancy.
- Giving Birth: The book covers everything you need to know about labor and delivery, including the different birthing options, common signs of labor, medical interventions, and tips for post-labor recovery.
- Caring for your Newborn: Covers everything you need to know about the post-birth recovery period, including breastfeeding, medical care, sleep, nutrition, and coping with the hormonal and physical changes that occur during this time.
Main Parts of the Book and a Short Summary
What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff is divided into four main sections, covering everything from pre-pregnancy to preparing for a new baby.
- Preparing for Pregnancy: This section covers all the basics of prenatal care, including pre-pregnancy health care, nutrition and lifestyle advice, understanding the basics of prenatal care, and being aware of common pregnancy complications. It also covers understanding and planning for fertility and conception.
- Having a Healthy Pregnancy: This section provides comprehensive advice on nutrition, exercise, relaxation, dealing with stress, prenatal testing, and the emotional and psychological aspects of pregnancy.
- Giving Birth: This section covers everything you need to know about labor and delivery, including the different birthing methods, common signs of labor, medical interventions, and tips for post-labor recovery.
- Caring for your Newborn: This section covers the post-birth recovery period, including breastfeeding, medical care, sleep, nutrition, and coping with the hormonal and physical changes that occur during this time.
Key Takeaways
The key takeaways from What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff include:
- Gaining a comprehensive understanding of prenatal care and childbirth.
- An understanding of the physical, emotional and mental changes that occur during pregnancy.
- Nutrition advice for both mother and baby, as well as tips for healthy living.
- Knowledge on common signs of labor and the birthing process.
- Advice for post-birth recovery, including breastfeeding, medical care, and coping with hormonal and physical changes.
Author’s Background and Qualifications
Heidi Murkoff is the author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. She is the creator of world-renowned What to Expect series and has been writing books about parenting for over 30 years. She received a B.A. in communications from the State University of New York at Oswego and is the mother of three.
Target Audience
What to Expect When You’re Expecting is written for expectant parents, including both parents-to-be and those already on parenthood journey.
Publisher and First Publication Date
What to Expect When You’re Expecting was first published in 1984 by Workman Publishing. It is currently in its fifth edition and has been published in over 30 languages worldwide.