Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception (2nd Ed.)

For someone who has devoted their life to medicine, I certainly don't know everything about the field (and I willingly admit that). I have a lot to learn and a long way to go before I would be considered an expert in anything. Pregnancy would be no exception. There are a lot of things, maybe 40-50% of the book, that were review for me -- but even then, that leaves a lot of information to learn. And even the things that were review were great to refresh my memory on. It's also great to have all of this information in one place for reference. That's one of the most difficult things for parents, expecting-parents or those exploring parenthood...finding information. You get some here, there and then more somewhere else. Having it in one place is so helpful. The book was also great for my husband. While he has a basic anatomy and physiology understanding, he is definitely not medically oriented by any means (and I love him for that!). So this book was a huge help for him in learning some about pregnancy and preparing both of us for that event. Though he had done research on his own long before, I think (again) having it in one place helped and, for him, having it put in front of him was good. For a lot of folks exploring the idea of parenthood, they don't know exactly what to look for. This gave him the information so that he didn't miss any important topics. I found this very helpful and engaging, even as a healthcare provider. My husband, a non-healthcare provider, found it helpful and was able to get into it as well. Pick it up, and you'll probably have a hard time putting it down.

This book is great in that it covers tons of information. It has answers to almost every question you could think to ask about what to do before trying to conceive. That's awesome, because you can learn a lot, but it also could be seen as a negative because there's so much to get through. What I ended up doing was skimming the portions/chapters that weren't applicable to me, and focusing my attention on what was applicable and/or interesting. I think that's the best way to do it -- otherwise it could end up being overwhelming. I expect to use it as a reference guide down the road as well. I recommend this book to anyone who is planning on trying to conceive in three to six months and who wants to know how best to prepare herself and her body. I saw other reviewers say you can find all the information in it online, and that's probably true, but I prefer to have it all at my fingertips with a good index in the back.

So I'm giving this four stars, which I rarely do. This is an incredibly comprehensive book--from start to finish, it's all about PREconception, and how to better your body to make it the best environment for a potential baby. The one thing I take issue with the book however, is their treatment of obesity. Now, I'm overweight, and I will happily admit that. Throughout this entire book there is a consistently negative twist on the idea of being overweight and trying to conceive. ABSOLUTELY there are risk factors to being overweight, but this book recommends that you hold off conceiving until you're at your goal weight. I find this absurd. I've spoken with my many doctors and they have recommended I lose some weight, but have not emphasized it anywhere near as much as the authors of this book. That issue aside, I highly recommend this book. It is one of the only books I've come across that is dedicated SOLELY to preconception care. I love that about this book. It touches on some topics lightly for during pregnancy but that is not the focus of this book.

The book offered a wide range of information that was useful to skim, but there were some points I felt they were too dead set on information that is debatable. Specifically, some of the information on some of the medications they say you should get off of, even if you need them for your health. Their information may be dated, I'm not sure. Good to skim overall, but be sure to do your own research before you take advice to heart, as always!

This is a great book for those who want to be prepared and on the side of prevention when it comes to starting a family! So many books walk you through the steps AFTER you've conceived, but few prepare you ahead of time. That is what I appreciate most about this book. As a nurse who is all about prevention and wellness, I see true value in the information provided in this book. In addition, the layout is very user friendly and as options for those wanting go get through info fast or those who want to take their time (they have a "fast track" and "laid back" option for going through the book). I really do believe it can meet the needs of those wanting to start a family right away or are planning months or even a year in advance! But be aware, it is a pretty good sized book. I was surprised when it arrived in the mail...boarderline textbook size. :) Happy reading and planning!

Like many women, I have spent many years trying not to get pregnant. When my husband and I decided to begin our family, I realized I knew a lot about what you should and should not do while pregnant, but didn't know a lot about how behavior can affect conception. While a lot of this book doesn't apply to me, I did find it very informative. It provides recommendations about alcohol consumption before and during conception for both the mother-and-father-to-be as well as recommendations for fitness and diet. While I eat relatively healthy, this book provided wonderful information about ways to eat more seafood and other nutrient-beneficial foods that will help with preparing your body to be it's healthiest while conceiving. The book was a quick read and not too scientific in it's language. I would recommend this for any mother or father who wants to make the best lifestyle choices they can prior to and during conception of their children.

Amy's book opened up my awareness to male pre-pregnancy health. I was aware of the need for female pre-pregnancy health, but not male. As a father of two married sons, both planning of having children of their own, this was an obvious gift for them. It opened up my eyes and it opened up theirs.

My hubby and I are planning on trying to get pregnant in 3-1/2 months, so I found this book at the perfect time for us. It answered almost all of my questions, and alerted me to many things I didn't even know about. The topics cover a wide range of area, from what vitamins you should be focusing to what how to tell if you're ovulating. I gave it four stars instead of five because is uses the outdated My Pyramid food guide, which the government has replaced with My Plate (which is far less confusing than that stupid pyramid). I really enjoyed reading this book. It's motivated me to start being as healthy as I can now so I can have the best possible pregnancy later on.

I have learnt so much about my body and what to prepare and recognise from symptoms in my body now of when I'm ovulating. Worthwhile read for anyone wishing for a baby

It's interesting specially if you like all kinds of medical information. It is useful. The impartiality of it bothered me a little bit but I guess its fine... I mean, they don't make an opinion about antivaxers. They let people free to choose... I'd prefer they make a stronger case for vaccines due to the scientific proves available and the danger to public health. If you have a little bit of scientific knowledge you'll be able to take the info the right way. There's very helpful tips about all kinds of stuff. I don't regret buying it and I would offer as a gift.

It has full information. Need to have patience and time to read the book.

A great book, very thorough, filled with useful information to support you and your partner through pre conception. It gave me all I needed to know and whilst most is common sense, there are many helpful tips outlined throughout, and the diet plans are also useful. Recommended for mums and dads to be.

Disappointed with this book. It is not what I expected or what was described. I thought this book would keep me busy for days but I skipped through so much of it because it was all about if you are emotionally and financially ready. And about smoking, drinking, drugs. And all the scary health issues that can go wrong in a pregnancy no matter how healthy you are or hard you work. If you want a book to give you every little detail of what could go wrong this book is for you. But I mostly found it just to be to scare you. To be fair I liked one of the last chapters about myths and the section about how to determine ovulation.