AP/Lexington Herald-Leader Profiles New Edition Of 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 18 Apr 2008 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The AP/Lexington Herald-Leader on Monday profiled the recently revised version of the "undeniably popular" book "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and the effect the Internet is having on the relevancy of the pregnancy guide. According to the AP/Herald-Leader, the largely rewritten new edition features a modern-looking pregnant woman on the cover who has gotten out of the rocking chair gracing the cover of the earlier edition. Some critics of the first edition of the book, published in 1984, felt "certain bits of advice were unnecessarily anxiety-provoking" and a "little alarmist." Author Heidi Murkoff said the new edition aims to be "more reassuring, more positive, more empathetic than ever." Murkoff said she moved "a lot of the scary stuff" to a back section of the book. In addition, the new edition contains "more realistic sketches" of pregnancy, week-by-week updates, and new information on alternative medicine, diet, multiple births and sex during pregnancy.

The first edition of the book has sold more than 15 million copies. According to the AP/Herald-Leader, the book's format of being written not by physicians but by women was unique when it was first published, but many similar books and Web sites have since arisen. Some Web sites provide women with not only pregnancy information, but also the ability to interact through message boards.

"It's this whole new community," Susan Kane, editor-in-chief of Parenting magazine, said, adding, "Women are starting to trust one another and not listen to the experts so much." Murkoff has created the Web site WhatToExpect.com to complement the guide. Laura Riley, director of labor and delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that the Internet gives women the opportunity to take control of their health care but that many people have a hard time putting what they read into context. She added, "It's a huge opportunity for misinformation" (Noveck, AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 4/14).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2007 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.