Let's be honest: pregnancy advice has never been more overwhelming (even the Surgeon General agrees). Between Instagram wellness gurus, TikTok birth stories, and your mother-in-law's "back in my day" commentary, expecting parents are drowning in information. What to Expect has long billed itself as the steady voice in all this chaos. For those looking for breadth and authority, this guide has it, but its sometimes old-school approach and tendency toward worst-case scenarios feels unrelatable to some parents today.
The Cliff Notes
What to Expect When You're Expecting, first published in 1984 and continuously updated (most recently in 2025), is so classic it feels like it kicked off the whole pregnancy book genre. Written by Heidi Murkoff, this comprehensive guide walks expecting parents through every stage of pregnancy, from conception to delivery and beyond. The 2025 edition includes updated medical information, addresses modern concerns like social media anxiety, adds information for fathers and attempts to be more inclusive of different birth experiences.
Much of the book is structured chronologically, taking you month-by-month through pregnancy with detailed explanations of fetal development, common symptoms, and what to expect at doctor visits. It's designed to be both a reference guide you can flip through for specific questions and a cover-to-cover read that prepares you for the journey ahead. Think of it as your practical, slightly nervous friend who's been through this before and wants to make sure you're prepared for everything—and we mean everything.
While the 2025 update has modernized much of the content, the core DNA remains the same: comprehensive, cautious, and sometimes anxiety-inducing in its thoroughness. The book doesn't shy away from discussing complications and concerns, which can be both reassuring (you're prepared!) and overwhelming (so many things could go wrong!).
What you'll find in What to Expect When You’re Expecting
The 2025 edition covers virtually every aspect of pregnancy you can imagine, and quite a few you probably haven't thought of yet. Here's what's inside:
- Month-by-Month Pregnancy Breakdown: Detailed chapters for each month covering fetal development, your changing body, common symptoms, and what questions to ask your healthcare provider. The 2025 edition includes updated information on genetic testing options and modern monitoring techniques.
- Nutrition and Lifestyle Guidance: Comprehensive advice on what to eat, what to avoid, exercise recommendations, and how to handle everything from morning sickness to workplace considerations. The updated edition addresses modern concerns like organic foods, environmental toxins, and the latest research on pregnancy-safe ingredients.
- Medical Procedures and Tests: Thorough explanations of prenatal testing options, routine check-ups, and potential complications. The 2025 update includes information on newer screening technologies and discusses how to navigate medical decisions in the age of Google.
- Labor and Delivery Preparation: Detailed coverage of birth options, pain management, cesarean sections, and what to expect during labor. The new edition addresses modern birth trends as well as creating birth plans that work with hospital protocols.
- Postpartum and Beyond: Information on recovery, breastfeeding, newborn care, and the emotional aspects of new parenthood. The 2025 edition includes updated guidance on postpartum depression screening and modern parenting challenges like screen time and social media.
- Special Situations: Coverage of high-risk pregnancies, multiples, pregnancy after loss, and various complications.
Each section is packed with practical tips and reassuring explanations all delivered in a conversational but authoritative tone. And yes, there are plenty of worst-case scenarios that might keep you up at night.
Who is Heidi Murkoff
Heidi Murkoff is the creator and author of the What to Expect series, which has sold over 24 million print copies. While she's nota medical doctor, Murkoff brings a combination of personal experience and research to her writing. She's a mother of two and has been writing about pregnancy and parenting for over 40 years.
What gives Murkoff credibility is her collaborative approach with medical professionals. The What to Expect books are developed in consultation with doctors and other specialists. For the 2025 edition, she worked with updated medical reviewers to ensure the information reflects current evidence-based practices.
The What to Expect series has spawned many spinoffs including: What to Expect the First Year, What to Expect Before You're Expecting, What to Expect the Second Year, Eating Well When You're Expecting as well as WhattoExpect.com with articles, forums and 20 million engaged moms.
On top of this content, Murkoff also founded the What to Expect Project, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering and supporting mothers to enable healthier and safer pregnancies, deliveries and children. Murkoff’s work in advocacy and education lends additional authority to her voice in the pregnancy space.
Who should read What to Expect When You’re Expecting
This book isn't for everyone, and that's okay. The comprehensive, sometimes overwhelming nature of What to Expect appeals to certain types of expecting parents while potentially stressing out others.
What to Expect might be perfect for you if you're:
- A first-time parent who wants comprehensive information all in one place
- A detail-oriented person who prefers to be overprepared rather than surprised
- Someone who finds comfort in understanding all possible scenarios, even unlikely ones
- A parentwho wants a traditional, medically-focused approach to pregnancy guidance
- A person who prefers books over googling every symptom at 2 AM
- Someone who isn’t easily overwhelmed, stressed or made anxious by a lot of information.
What readers say about What to Expect When You’re Expecting
The response to What to Expect has always been polarizing, and the 2025 edition continues this trend.
What people liked about What to Expect:
- "Very informative for a first-time pregnancy. Would definitely recommend." ~ Amazon Reviewer
- "I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting cover to cover and really liked it. It was thorough and organized well." ~ Reddit Poster"There's a lot of great background info, and then the book takes you through pregnancy month by month. It was really exciting to get to read a new chapter as my baby grew.” ~ Goodreads Reviewer.
What people didn't like about What to Expect:
- "I would not recommend [it] to anyone who is susceptible to worrying about what could happen, because this book will give you options for problems in each chapter.” ~ Goodreads Reviewer
- "This book has a lot of good information but kind of makes me feel like I have to sit in a bubble for the next 9 months…” ~ Amazon Reviewer
- "You know what’s not good for baby? Stress. That book just gave me stress, so I threw it out.” ~ Reddit Post
The common thread among positive reviews is appreciation for the comprehensive nature and medical backing. Negative reviews often cite anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by the volume of information, complications and sometimes even the tone.
Final thoughts
For many, What to Expect When You're Expecting remains a pregnancy institution. The 2025 edition addresses some modern parenting concerns, making it more relevant for today's expecting parents. If you're someone who finds comfort in comprehensive information and likes to be prepared for all possibilities, this book delivers exactly that. However, the book's greatest strength—its thoroughness—can also be its weakness. The detailed coverage of complications and worst-case scenarios that some readers find reassuring can be anxiety-provoking for others. Plus, some readers continue to find the tone and some of the content outdated.
Ultimately, for many expecting parents, What to Expect works best as a reference guide rather than a cover-to-cover read. Keep it on your shelf for when you have specific questions, but don't feel obligated to absorb every detail if it's causing more stress than comfort.
Where to get
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