Hot Mama: How to Have a Babe and Be a Babe
by Karen Salmansohn
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 May, 2003)
list price: $10.95 -- our price: $8.76
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Reviews (7)

a fun, helpful, gorgeous book
I got this book as a gift and at first thought it was just a cute book. Then I read it and realized it was more than just a pretty cover. I learned insightful tips on improved nutrition, special safe exercises to keep my body feeling like a hot mama body...and speaking of...some sex tips that were really a big bonus for my husband as well as me. :-)Although this book is short it says so much. It pretty much answers every single quesiton a pregnant woman has...and does so much more quickly than the super long books I got. I recommend this book to pregnant women everywhere!!

LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! HELPFUL INFO QUICKLY!
I got all sorts of pregnancy books as gifts and this one quickly became my favorite because ...well..it was so quick to read and understand. I got the most valuable information speedily and later when I read all the other loooooong books I truly appreciated thi sbook because it said everythign I needed to know so concisely. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! Not only as a gift but something every pregnant woman should buy herself.

Glib, superficial, and patronizing
Contextually, this book little more than a glorified PowerPoint presentation.And substantively, it is chock full of glib, superficial advice freely given by someone who has no idea what she's talking about.Karen Salmansohn totally blows it in her introduction when she reveals (or at least implies) that she has never personally experienced the combined joys and nightmares of pregnancy.Guess what?I'd find her advice on wearing a bikini a lot more useful if I knew that she personally had once weighed so much that she could fight as a Light Heavyweight. ... Read more

Isbn: 0811836932
Sales Rank: 153447
Subjects:  1. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    2. Health & Fitness    3. Health/Fitness    4. Maternity clothes    5. Popular works    6. Pregnancy    7. Pregnancy & Childbirth    8. Pregnant women    9. Prenatal care   

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting
by Joshua Piven David Borgenicht Sarah Jordan
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (November, 2003)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $10.17
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Reviews (2)

Great gift
I bought this as a gift for a new mother-to-be and ready the entirebook on the way home.It was extremely funny.I'll be buying more in the future.

Finally a manual for parents
When I was interviewed, as one of the experts, for this book, I was excited to see that parents would finally have a manual on how to avoid some of the worst case scenarios for parenting. Parents need all the help they can get. As a parent of four teens, I could have used a manual like this ages ago. Obviously, you can't put into a manual everything that one needs to do. There are already books on that and it would take a manual the size of the Encyclopedia Brittanica to cover it all. Having a handy, quick reference for some of the tough spots is what most parents need. This has been my goal for my parenting site at www.parentingtoolbox.com and it is the goal of this book. Get it today! ... Read more

Isbn: 0811841553
Sales Rank: 7439
Subjects:  1. Child rearing    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family/Marriage    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Humor    7. Parenting    8. Parenting - General    9. Topic - Family   

The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance
by Louis Borgenicht Joe Borgenicht
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Paperback (01 April, 2003)
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Editorial Review

The title, Baby Owner’s Manual, suggests the promise and the problem of this cheeky and comprehensive guide written by a pediatrician and his son. First-time parents who are not offended by the observation that "babies, unlike other appliances, lack instruction manuals," will find a rich resource of facts and advice. The book is divided into seven categories of "operating instructions" including home installation, feeding and power supply, sleep mode, maintenance, development, and safety.Complete with witty schematic drawings and charts, the authors answer hundreds of questions about breastfeeding, bed, bath, and beyond. While most manuals focus on tender loving care, the authors chose to focus on baby as technology. The result is a highly useful--almost too cool--reference book.Because every parent knows that babies are messier and more rewarding than this approach imagines. --Barbara Mackoff ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Good Information, Gets a Little Tiresome
My wife gave me the Baby Owner's Manual for our baby shower. I like the male-oriented tips in it, some of them are fairly useful. I don't care for the way it stereotypes men as people who won't read a book unless it is in the format of an instruction manual. In my case, I find manuals to be a bit dry, boring and repetitive. My sister gave me another new-dad gift book, "Keeping the Baby Alive till Your Wife Gets Home". It's pretty wacky, but funnier than "Owner's Manual", and a lot more human. As far as serious baby guides go, I read sections of my wife's books--that seems to balance things out for me.

If O'Reilly published a baby care book...
...this would be it. Great illustrations, and matter-of-fact baby care tips for the nerd slash type-A brain. Great gift for the first one on your team to start spawning child processes, if you know what I mean.

wonderful read for new dads - and moms
I purchased this book for a friend after reviewing several other baby books on line for "new dads."I was offended by many of them and found them unsuitable for giving as a gift.I happened upon this "owner's manual" and it was just right for the soon-to-be dad.It appeals to the logical-minded man or woman who just wants to know what he or she could be doing when the new baby (called "your model" in the book) acts or reacts in certain ways.It provides straightforward information from the basics (how to hold a baby) onward through feeding, bathing, changing and more.It is funny and informative without being preachy or crass, and the pictures are a priceless imitation of pictures in an instruction manual.Some reviewers have mentioned getting tired of the baby being referred to as "your model" and the doctor as the "service provider" but I found it very consistent with the tone of the book.My mother-to-be friend (who is a doctor) says her husband carries it around everywhere and often asks her questions from it; the information (from her perspective) is pretty reliable, as one would hope from a book cowritten by a physician.Give this one a try.I am considering purchasing a copy to keep around for the next baby gift I need to give.In the meantime, I can read it cover to cover. ... Read more

Isbn: 1931686238
Subjects:  1. Care    2. Child rearing    3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    4. Family/Marriage    5. General    6. Humor    7. Infants    8. Infants & Toddlers - Infants    9. Parenting - General   

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
by Vicki Iovine
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1995)
list price: $14.00 -- our price: $11.20
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Editorial Review

Beginning with the "10 Greatest Lies About Pregnancy" (number 10: Lamaze works), and ending with postpartum dementia, Vicki Iovine's Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy has fast become the laywoman's mouthpiece for the American pregnancy experience. Iovine is irreverent, sassy, and incredibly reassuring as she exposes the "truths" of pregnancy and childbirth, from sex to cellulite to cesareans. Iovine birthed four kids in six years, none of them twins, which certainly qualifies her as an expert. The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy does reveal Iovine's particular cultural biases (pregnant or not, most of us don't have record-producer husbands, hang out with supermodels, or wear size-four pants) and philosophical beliefs (she's not a particularly strong proponent of natural childbirth or nursing), but, taken with a grain or two of salt, she provides many hilarious moments, acres of advice, and honest reassurance readers will find nowhere else. --Ericka Lutz ... Read more

Reviews (777)

waste of money and time
I read the whole book and HATED it.I actually ended up personally disliking the author.It started out well enough, about how a community of supportive women is vital during pregnancy and motherhood.I agreed with that.But it quickly went downhill from there.
First of all, it seemed to me that her "encouragement" to exercise was an afterthought that her editors made her throw in - I got the distinct impression that her real opinion was that you're best off not exercising at all.She actually goes so far as to say that labor is easier if you're out of shape (!?)
Not to mention how incredibly dated some of the advice is - for example, the section on maternity clothes?Decent, relatively inexpensive maternity clothes ARE available nowadays, and the outfits she suggests sound positively hideous.I understand that a blazer over a unitard was considered fashionable in the early 90's, but honestly, who today would even consider wearing that?
And then she heartily reccommends CVS - an invasive, totally unnecessary in most cases prenatal test that carries fairly high risk and is not usually done unless there is a real risk of something being wrong with the baby.She advocates having it done just because.No real reason, just because.Huh?
The general message that I got from the book was, "you're taking unnecessary risks if you exercise, but unnecessary invasive testing procedures are awesome; you're a fashion victim if you don't wear unitards; you're a selfish masochist if you try for a natural birth."
And yes, I have a sense of humor, but no, I did not find her funny.Just really, really irritating.

Put me in the pro-Vicki camp
- Great to read before you start telling others you're pregnant.Reading it felt like chatting with my own dear girlfriends.

-The only pregnancy book my husband found interesting- helped open up some good discussions.

-As well as being hysterically funny, it was a better source of helpful information than I had anticipated, especially on topics like what to bring to the hospital (and why!) and what you need for baby.

- Includes a page you are instructed to leave out for your husband, informing him that he should bring a gift for you to the hospital.Resulted in a lovely new bracelet for me=)

- Certainly not a substitute for a more technical guide to pregnancy, but its lighthearted tone helped me keep things in perspective.

-Unlike some reviewers, I didn't find it at all offensive tonatural childbirth or breastfeeding.It was, however, equally supportive of those who make other choices, which is something of a rarity.

A slightly different take
Going through the other reviews here, I was first amazed at how polarizing this book is. But after a few minutes' thought, I could see what the problem is. Ms. Iovine and her "girlfriends" and their husbands are all a part of the California entertainment industry. This explains her occasionally cynical and often shallow attitude towards appearances, relationships and sexuality. She assumes that the concerns of her actress/model friends are the same as every other woman in the world, when in fact they are not. We do not all live in a bubble where appearances are the most important thing in life, and where our fabulously wealthy menfolk will dump us for some other Playmate the moment we let our perfect bodies get less than perfect. Let me clarify here: I think Ms. Iovine's overall point is to try to reassure us that looks aren't as important in pregnancy as in regular life. But she seems to forget that the majority of her audience isn't made up of starlets and rock-star wives and that our concerns and priorities are going to be different.

That said, there is a lot of helpful information in this book to be gleaned if you are willing to set aside the fact that Ms. Iovine's connection to how "real women" actually live is filtered through a gauzy Hollywood lens. I found the chapter on the actual birth process to be especially good as it was least filled with ranting about how awful you're going to look. The chapter on baby clothes and equipment was also informative for a first-time mother such as myself, since she takes the trouble to explain what certain things are for and how they should be used rather than just plopping down a dry list of 'stuff.'

If you are a strong proponent of natural childbirth and breastfeeding no-matter-what, this book will be outright offensive to you, so I suggest you stay far away from it. If you're open to differing views on these matters, then it should be easy to accept Ms. Iovine's opinions as what they are: opinions, something everyone has plenty of. There are dozens of books out there offering opposing viewpoints and they're not hard to find. ... Read more

Isbn: 0671524313
Subjects:  1. Child Care/Parenting    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. General    4. Pregnancy    5. Pregnancy & Childbirth    6. Topic - Family    7. Family & Relationships / General   

The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood: Wise and Witty Advice on Everything from Coping With Postpartum Mood Swings to Salva ...toFitting into That Favorite Pair of Jeans
by Vicki Iovine
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1997)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

Just had a baby?Lie down, rest your weary womb, and muster up a rousing cheer! (Shh! Don't wake the baby!)Now, from the author of The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, comes the book all new moms have been waiting for, whether they know it or not.Vicki Iovine talks turkey ... and stitches, and weight loss, and depression, and sex (trying it for the first time after labor and delivery? "Inebriate and Lubricate"). Vicki--yeah, I know I'm calling her by her first name but after reading this book you'll be on a first-name basis with her, too--is funny, informative, and utterly (udderly?)irreverent.New mothers have never had it so good. ... Read more

Reviews (152)

One star isn't low enough
This book is the most pessimistic and negative book on child birth and infants I have read.The author takes pleasure in demeaning women who make any kind of autonomous choices in their lifestyles.If you're a suburbanite stepford wife, you might find this humorous.For the rest of us, it's a demoralizing book that makes its jokes at the expense of other women.

The author seems very angry at her husband and her children for ruining her life, and she wants to make it very clear that your husband new baby will do the same to you.Maybe she should take some responsibility for choices instead of putting down everyone else to make herself feel better.

Vicki is no "girlfriend of Mine."

This is a must have for new mothers
Vicki Iovine writes this book as if she is your best friend talking to you.Her words are honest and re-assuring.Even if you have not even bought that pregnancy test yet, you should read this book to get an inside look at what the first year of mother hood will be like from someone who would never lie to you...your Girlfriend.

Irresponsible writing
I'm pregnant and have to say, THANK GOD I knew most of what she says is *highly* exaggerated before I picked up this book. Where "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" is on the border of being too negative to be helpful, this one is simply irresponsible writing.

While the author acknowledges that she's not a doctor, she takes a delicate, highly emotional subject and spins it for the sake of humor. The point she misses, however, is that the approach would work except for the fact that her target audience is a bunch of women WHO DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER. That makes her a bully, in my book. She's a one-trick-pony who finds humor in exploiting the perils of pregnancy. I personally know a lot of women who tell retrospective "horror" stories -- the difference is that they understand the difference between yukking it up over a cup of coffee and directing their "memories" toward an unknowing group looking for guidance. ... Read more

Isbn: 0399523308
Subjects:  1. Child Care/Parenting    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    4. Health and hygiene    5. Infants & Toddlers - Infants    6. Mother and infant    7. Motherhood    8. Mothers    9. Parenting - General    10. Psychology   

The Hip Mama Survival Guide : Advice from the Trenches on Pregnancy, Childbirth, Cool Names, Clueless Doctors, Potty Training and Toddler Avengers
by Ariel Gore
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 May, 1998)
list price: $14.00 -- our price: $10.50
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Editorial Review

Can a mother nurse after nipple piercing? Is it okay to name a child after a beverage? What's the best music to divorce by? Ariel Gore answers these and other tough questions in her hilarious and highly informative guide to pregnancy and early parenting, The Hip Mama Survival Guide. Gore gave birth to her daughter, Maia, at age 19, raised her on welfare while getting a college degree, and went on to create her own zine and Web site (and now, a parenting guide) devoted to non-nuclear-family moms everywhere.Gore's book uses straight-from-the-trenches experience, friendly encouragement, and a hearty dose of humor while covering the basics for mamas who may not have the comforts or privileges (like generous health insurance or state-of-the-art strollers) many traditional baby-care manuals presume to be accessible. Chapters include "Childbirth Sucks," "Beauty and the Gender Beast," "Poverty Without Despair," and "Guerrilla Mothering," and cover topics as diverse as nutrition, trimester development, circumcision, custody battles, domestic violence, co-parenting, political activism, working moms, and nervous breakdowns. Gore does not hide her feisty, liberal political bent, and she devotes a whole section to skewering the conservative right's vision of "family values." Each chapter ends with interview answers and advice from "rebel moms," ranging from Gore's friends to famous feminists like Mary Kay Blakely and Susie Bright. While Gore's advice may ring especially true for young single moms, her funny, realistic approach to mothering will show mamas of all races, ages, and means that hipness is well within their reach.--Brangien Davis ... Read more

Reviews (21)

totally agree with the last review
if you're not down and out or basically on your own as a young mom this probably isn't the book for you-

gore does have some funny points that do apply here and there- for example, she did provide us with a better attitude about giving up on cloth diapers after a few months (mom's have enough guilt already, let's go after the real polluters and not make mom's feel guilty about using disposables)but most of the book made me feel grateful to be happily married with a good financial situation rather than being "hip"

Wonderful book
I have never read such a wonderful down to earth view of motherhood. The book offers advice that many women wonder about and are not quite sure where to locate the information.

Ugh.. please
I received this book as a gift at a baby shower. I thought it was going to be a fun read with insights on how to remain somewhat cool and not end up carrying around a Winne The Pooh diaper bag.

Though there were funny moments, most of the book was angry commentary against anything and everything that didn't fit into her definition of being 'hip' (which appears to be unmarried, single mothers who live on welfare and hate anyone with different beliefs). For someone who claims to be open-minded she is sure closed to any person who is Christian, Republican, married, or has steady income. In some parts I was actually offended by what she was saying and I don't offend easily!

Went straight into my middle-class Republican recycling bin after slogging through it. I guess I'm a little too white bread for this book :) ... Read more

Isbn: 0786882328
Subjects:  1. Child Care/Parenting    2. Child rearing    3. Family & Relationships    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. General    6. Motherhood    7. Mothers    8. Parenting    9. United States    10. Family & Relationships / Motherhood   

Child
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $35.00 -- our price: $10.00
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Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (8)

Refreshing...finally!
I have two toddlers under the age of 3 and have subscribed to Parents since I was pregnant the first time. I then added on Parenting Magazine. This past year I felt really burned out on "parenting magazines," growing tired of the colorful baby toy Top 10's, the schmaltzy articles, etc.. I felt it was all surface material; something to thumb through but never really "get" anything out of. I was especially disappointed with Parenting and actually cancelled my subscription before the year was out because I hated the obligation to look through it when it came each month. I felt it was a waste of time and that it was obvious when they had a blank area on a page to fill, because what they filled it with was extremely boring and seemed like "last minute" filler. I finally looked into Child Magazine after initially brushing it off as a glorified clothing catalog. I have been VERY happy with each issue, saving them for when I really have time to READ. The articles don't speak down to you as a parent, understanding that even though you have a child you might be interested in reading something beyond "fun bath toys for your little one" and might instead enjoy something of substance. I would highly recommend this magazine as a change of pace, especially if you are tired of the other parenting magazines!!

The Quality of the Writing Trumps Other Parenting Mags
I rarely write reviews but couldn't believe what I read by the other reviewers, most of whom focused on how ritzy the lifestyles of the parents depicted in the articles are, how "expensive" the clothes are, how pretty the moms (models) are, etc...This is a magazine. Don't we expect some kind of facade?

Other "Parenting" magazines may APPEAR to be more about and for "real" parents, but this is no more than their chosen tactic. As with any publication whose foundational goal is to sell more advertising, they wouldn't be doing this unless they believed it was going to work.They are selling a certain "lifestyle" just like CHILD magazine is.If it's more in accordance with yours, fine. But why trash another just because it's different?

CHILD Magazine isn't perfect.But at least it doesn't pander. Does anyone really want to see what Target's latest attempt at toddler fashion is when they open a magazine? I'd rather just check for myself the next time I'm out buying diapers.

If you value solid writing above all else in a magazine, then CHILD Magazine is for you. (And whether you can afford that $90 pair of toddler shorts on page 28 won't be such an issue.)

Great only if you want to spend tons of money
I subscribe to Parents, Parenting and Child magazine and will renew all but the one to Child. It's full of ridiculous fashion spreads (like I'm going to spend $50 on a t-shirt for my 15-month old), useless travel information and near-advertising features on the newest, most expensive items I 'need' for my child. The actual articles are no better or worse than what's in the other mags, and I don't find there's nearly as much information in the magazine as in the others.

As other reviewers have said, it is beautiful. However, it's thoroughly impractical unless you're one of those people who plan to shop at Neiman's for your child...not that there's anything wrong with that. ... Read more

Asin: B00005NINJ
Sales Rank: 454
Subjects:  1. Family & Parenting   

Getting Ready for Baby: The Ultimate Organizer for the Mom-To-Be
by Helene Tragos Stelian
Average Customer Review:
Spiral-bound (01 August, 2001)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $10.17
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Reviews (7)

A must have for the "Organized" New Mom
This was the best purchase I made in anticipation of our new baby.I'm a first time mom and would have been lost without this book throughout the pregnancy.It's great for deciding what baby gear you need to purchase, helping you pick a OB and a pediatrician.It is soo useful, I will definitly buy it again for my next baby.The only thing that it lacks are tabbed pages.So I bought tabs and placed them throughout the book for easy access to certain commonly used pages, which made it easier to use.Other than that it is perfect!It's definitly worth the money!

A wonderful resource for an obsessively organized preggo!
I am an organizer junkie, and I LOVED this organizer!

I agree that this book should have tabs/labels, but it is sprial-bound and its own built-in bookmark, and that alone puts it light-years ahead of other pregnancy organizers. I added my own tabs using those clear, plastic, sticky tabs.

I can't say enough great things about this organizer. It's wonderfully thorough, logically organized, and has more info than you'll ever use! There are oodles of checklists (ah, the satisfaction of checking off items!) and places for notes, etc. She thought of things I would have NEVER thought of, like what to ask potential pediatricians. The author is the mother of twins, so she is cognizant of the fact that some of her readers might be, too (most authors of preggo books totally forget the moms of multiples!). All in all, a great resource and well worth the money.

Incredibly Thorough!
I love this organizer!I bought this one and another pregnany organizer, and found this one to be the "keeper."The other one just offered the obvious stuff.I am a real planner and very organized person, yet this one had suggestions for things I hadn't even thought of!Well organized, attractive & colorful pages.A very useful tool to pull a lot of information together.Highly recommend it!I will give it to friends who are pregnant too. ... Read more

Isbn: 0811829413
Sales Rank: 95797
Subjects:  1. Child Care/Parenting    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. General    4. Life skills guides    5. Mothers    6. Non-Classifiable    7. Popular works    8. Pregnancy    9. Pregnancy & Childbirth    10. Pregnant women   

Liz Lange's Maternity Style : How to Look Fabulous During the Most Fashion-Challenged Time
by LIZ LANGE
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (08 April, 2003)
list price: $22.50 -- our price: $15.30
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Reviews (1)

Useless
I was extremely disappointed with this book.I see pictures of clothes and do not know where to find them or if I can even afford them.I see celebrities who had tons of help to look good but no real women. ... Read more

Isbn: 0609809172
Sales Rank: 335973
Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Family/Marriage    3. Fashion    4. Health & Fitness    5. Maternity clothes    6. Motherhood    7. Pregnancy & Childbirth    8. Family & Relationships / Pregnancy & Childbirth   

Expecting Style
by Lauren Sara Michel Arnaud
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 October, 2003)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $15.72
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Reviews (2)

Delivers big time style
This book is fabulous.It is packed with great tips, gorgous photographs, and sexy clothes.It is filled withsophisticated style and useful information making it the perfect mix of eye candy and a great read.I bought to give as gifts.

Delivered big time
This book is fabulous!It is filled with great tips, gorgous photographs, and sexy clothes. Has a lot of sophisticated style and wonderful advice this book is both eye candy and a great read as well. ... Read more

Isbn: 0821228404
Sales Rank: 195215
Subjects:  1. Art    2. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Fashion    5. Maternity clothes    6. Pregnancy & Childbirth    7. Art / Fashion   

UltraSound - Music for the Unborn Child
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (13 April, 1999)
list price: $10.98 -- our price: $10.98
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Editorial Review

While many hospitals across the country send new mums and babes home equipped with discs of classical music to soothe and gently stimulate babies' tender minds, Ultrasound brings together a delightfully well-rounded set specifically chosen for those still in the womb. Expectant moms will appreciate the effects of the mellow strains of Bach's Suite No. 3, the delicate playfulness of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy," and Mozart's proven-to-make-you-smart Sonata for Two Pianos featuring André Previn. Debussy's "Clair de lune" is especially lovely as conducted and fluted by James Galway, and Leontyne Price is a warm blanket of comfort giving voice to Schubert's "Ave Maria." Indeed, these songs are aural balm to both parent and child long after birth. --Paige La Grone ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Elevator Music
While the collection of music seems good (and similar to many other collections for newborns and babies in utero), the specific recordings are about the most boring renditions I've heard. Classical music isn't necessarily supposed to be relaxing, and I bought this CD on the implication that it is meant to stimulate my unborn child's mind. Can it be doing that while I, the mother, am bored out of my brain? I'd rather find more dynamic recordings, or play the entite opera or symphony, than force myself to listen to this homogenized collection.

Intelligent music for baby...
I bought this CD when I was 4 months pregnant with my first baby, Irene. From that time on, every single day, I would religiously listen to the music and let my baby listen to it, too(through earphones taped to my tummy.) Now that Irene is 4 months old, we both still listen to it frequently, and her response to the music is as if she knows the songs by heart! I believe it has also made my child more attentive and intelligent as a baby, even as a newborn. I love this CD, and will treasure it as one best purchases I made for my daughter and for myself.

Very soothing, pregnant or not!
We purchased this CD with the intention of using it for relaxation during natural childbirth using the Bradley method. That didn't work out so well... (that's another story!)

But, I found this CD very relaxing during the pregnancy and we use it just as often now in the nursery. Just a nice selection of classical tunes. ... Read more

Asin: B00000IIUP
Subjects:  1. Keyboard    2. New Age / Meditation    3. Pop   

What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
by Heidi Murkoff
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 April, 2002)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

Eighteen years after it first hit the shelves and having sold more than 10 million copies, What to Expect When You're Expecting is still on nearly every mother-to-be's reading list. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents may have. The information is presented in a month-by-month format starting with planning a pregnancy and choosing a practitioner, and follows through to six weeks after delivery. Each chapter begins with an explanation of what to expect at a particular month's prenatal visit and a brief description of how mom and baby are growing and changing before getting to the heart of the matter: What You May Be Concerned About. Topics are presented as questions ranging from "Should I be taking vitamins?" to "What if I forget everything I learn in childbirth education class?" to "Will I be able to breastfeed?" The answers are generally reassuring and provide enough information to soothe a worried mom between prenatal visits. Despite the reassuring answers, however, the sheer volume of worries discussed may alarm an otherwise calm mom-to-be.

The book also features a complete nutrition plan (though many women may find it difficult to follow), a special chapter just for expectant dads, and extensive information about dealing with minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and pregnancy complications. What to Expect has guided countless women through their pregnancies and makes an informative addition to the mainstream pregnancy and childbirth bookshelf. --Jennifer Lindsay ... Read more

Reviews (702)

The Best
This is the best book ever on everything you need to know when you're expecting. I couldn't be without it.

NOT THE GREATEST BOOK OUT THERE!!
Hello,
This is an ok book.It is not the greatest book out there!!

Read if you want pre-partum depression
If you get pregnant it's virtually impossible to avoid having this book shoved at you, as a gift, or from friends who were given an extra copy ("I know, it's awful, but I got two so I brought it over," they'll say, as though they secretly want you to share the torment.) And although you've been warned, like Pandora and her box, you'll be tempted to crack it open, and then you'll hit it again and again, like a self destructive addict.

What made it so destructive for me, was not, as it seems to be for some reviewers, the free hand with possible medical problems, which I found generally somewhat helpful, if often innacurate or incomplete, but the punitive, finger waving tone. According to Mirkoff, et al, you can have ice-cream 9 times in your pregnancy, if you MUST at all, the rest of the time you have to eat like your on one of the most rigorous diets of your life.Fun and indulgence are not part of a healthy pregnancy. It's all about constantly policing yourself.
She tells you about the weight gain schedule you should be on -- 1 pound per week -- as though not being on it guarantees a future of obesity. Women should gain 25-35 pounds, she tells you at the beginning, and if you're larger boned you'll gain towards the higher end. Fine. Then at the end of the book she tells you that if you gained 35 or more, as opposed to the 25 or less women, it will take you far longer to lose your baby weight. So big boned women take longer to lose their baby weight? Why? I'd like to see some kindof statistical back-up for this pyschologically damaging "fact." This kindof information makes you feel like it's hopeless from the start -- and it's hardly useful, since a larger women can't help gaining more unless she calorie restricts, which Murkoff forbids (although the punitive nature of her recomended diet feels like a weight loss diet).
These depressing, unsubstantiated claims are sprinkled throughout the book, which at it's core, while appearing to be objective, is guided by an oppressive "right behavior" versus "wrong behavior" morality.
She also ascribes to the school of thought that "if it might be bad for you, you shouldn't do it." Rather than the more healthy approach, in this age of excessive paranoia:"understand the medical communities claims about why something might be bad for you, and make your own decisions." For instance, she says excercising on your back is bad for you and the baby, without giving any explanation. I asked several doctors about this and they said it's a slight concern to lie on your back for hours at a time, mostly because it could cut off your circulation depending on where the baby is lying in relation to a vein that runs up your back, but it's just not a big deal to do some stomach excercises on your back, unless you find yourself getting really dizzy.
And then there's the depressing cover, with a smug-faced woman in a rocker who looks like the sort of person who turns their cheap, new, faux Victorian style sub-division house near some overdeveloped, once beautiful lake into a B & B with hideous, dust covered potpourri on the fake antique dressers, and polyester eyelet sheets. Just looking at it will make you wish you hadn't gotten pregnant in the first place. ... Read more

Isbn: 0761121323
Subjects:  1. Childbirth    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. Family/Marriage    4. General    5. Health & Fitness    6. Postnatal care    7. Pregnancy    8. Pregnancy & Childbirth   

Father of the Bride Part II
Director: Charles Shyer
Average Customer Review:
DVD (25 January, 2005)
list price: $14.99 -- our price: $11.99
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Editorial Review

Everybody important from the first film, including the writing-directing team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, regroups for this sequel involving a pair of pregnancies. Steve Martin's patriarch has a crisis when his married daughter (Kimberly Williams) is with child, and an even bigger one when his middle-aged wife (Diane Keaton) announces that another bambino is on the way. Martin Short is more effectively used this time around (he played the wedding coordinator in the first film), and while this movie's inevitable climax has both women giving birth on the same chaotic night, the overall effect of the film is less contrived than its predecessor. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (38)

The Schmaltz Family
The sappy story of how the family with everything got a little more.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Following the succesfull '91 remake of the 1950 classic Father Of The Bride, history again repeated itself, with Father Of The Bride Part II. Based on Father's Little Dividend, the sequel reunites the major players for a solid follow up--yet somehow not as much fun.

George (Steve Martin) and Nina Banks (Diane Keaton) have just settled down since their daughter Annie's wedding (Kimberly Williams) when life hurls another milestone at them. Annie and her husband Bryan (George Newbern) are about to make them grandparents. Once again George is scrambling to do everything right for his expecting daughter while facing another stage of his midlife crisis.

Once again directed by Charles Shyer, the film plays to the chemistry of the cast, led by Martin. The script by Nancy Meyers and Shyer (who also penned the original) are a bit more heavy on the schmaltz this time out and the movie's biggest turn isn't that much of a shock. They even found a way to bring back wedding coordinator Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short). In the end, he still made me laugh, despite a seemingly forced prescense

Unlike the DVD for the first film, which only had the theatrical trailer, for its bonus material, Part II earns points for giving us a bit more to chew on this time around. The audio commentary with stars Martin and Short is fun but I would have liked to have had Shyer in the mix too. The production featurette is a fairly standard piece of fluffy confection--the theatrical trailer tops off the extras.

Not a bad follow-up but the original is better. Still Part II is good enough to earn a recommendation.

Similar Formula to Original With Some Success
Father of the Bride was a classic comedy.So one knew that a sequel had to be on the way.The original cast of Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, and Martin Short are back and in fine form.

Whereas there are some comical moments, it just seems like the pacing of the film is oh so identical to the original.Just as Mrs Banks announces her pregancy, Franc is on the scene to plan another baby shower.And a double one at that to honor Kimberly William's character.The scenes just become to off the wall an the repetitive false alarms add very little to the story.

Nonetheless, Steve Martin and Martin Short are very entertaining.The wrecking ball scene with Mr. Habib is priceless.Not quite the original butFather of the Bride 2 certainly rates as amusing. ... Read more

Asin: 6305803781
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Nine Months
Director: Chris Columbus
Average Customer Review:
DVD (15 April, 2003)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

This film represents Hugh Grant's first big bid at Hollywood stardom, on the heels of the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral. But he stumbled twice: first with this mundane comedy, then by being arrested after soliciting a prostitute near downtown Hollywood, the week before the film opened. Directed by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire), Nine Months was a weak reworking of a French film about an aging bachelor (Grant)who can't decide whether to commit to the woman he loves (Julianne Moore). When she becomes pregnant, he still can't make up his mind and winds up blowing hot and cold on the subject of fatherhood, which causes tension in the relationship. There's a lot of low comedy involving Grant's best friend; Tom Arnold plays this ultra-married and child-ridden suburbanite, who makes fatherhood look like a living hell. Robin Williams has a funny cameo as a foreign doctor, but in the end, the sentiment is ladled on and Grant doesn't have nearly enough funny material to work with. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (39)

One Of The Funniest Movies I've Ever Seen
I've seen just about every great comedy known to man, from "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" to "Animal House" to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" to the more recent "American Pie" series. They are all classic comedies. And so is "Nine Months", a heartwarming comedy about love and pregnancy and the ups and downs that go along with it.

Hugh Grant turns in a charming performance as Samuel Faulkner, a child physciatrist who has everything a man could possibly want -a porsche, a beautiful and an adoring girlfriend, Rebecca (Julianne Moore). But things soon go awry when Moore becomes pregnant, throwing Grant into a tizzy and forcing him to change his life completely. Heartbreak and hilarity, ending in a warm and happy way typical of today's films.

There are many hilarious moments in this film, such as the fist fight in the toy store with Arnie the Dinosaur and the delivery scene (one of the funniest climaxes in any comedy). But the thing that makes "Nine Months" really work is the strong supporting cast. Joan Cusack and Tom Arnold are perfect as Sam and Rebecca's overbearing but well meaning (and also expecting) friends. In fact, Tom Arnold is so likable in this film that it may force some people to forgive him for being the obnoxious jerk he is in reality (sorry, Tom). Jeff Goldblum, albeit in a small role, turns in a excellent performance as Sam's bachelor friend Sean, who helps Samuel cope with the problems he faces. But the best of the bunch is, without a doubt, Robin Williams. Playing Dr. Kosevich, a Russian dcotor about to make his first human delivery. Williams is hilarious especially when he mangles the English language.

If you're looking for nonstop laughs in a comedy that delivers, please do yourself a favor and pick up "Nine Months". Trust me, you will certainly not regret it. (Bonus: while there are no extra features, at the end, you get to see what all the stars look like as babies. Boy, Jeff Goldblum still had the same haircut).

Good Mix of Romantic and Physical Comedy
By today's standards, when it comes to Romantic-Comedy films, Hugh Grant is considered to be in the top of his class when it comes to leading man roles.However, one thing that is often overlooked is that Grant can also pull off physical comedy. The 1995 movie "Nine Months" combines the best of both world - outstanding Romantic-Comedy with physical comedy mixed in.In 1995, Hugh Grant was an emerging actor who had just been in the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral". His follow-up would be "Nine Months" and would go a long way to building Hugh Grant's star power.However, Grant is not alone - he has an outstanding supporting cast in Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, and Robin Williams to make "Nine Months" a most entertaining movie.

In "Nine Months", Hugh Grant stars as Samuel Faulkner - a San Francisco Child Psychologist who is very happy with his life. He is enjoying the "yuppie" style of life with his Dance Instructor girlfriend Rebecca Taylor (Julianne Moore). Samuel's life is turned upside down when Rebecca tells him that she is pregnant.Along the way, Samuel and Rebecca become friendly with Marty and Gail Dwyer (played superbly by Tom Arnold and Joan Cusack).Marty and Gail are experienced parents with three daughters - with a fourth one on the way. Marty and Gail provide some overbearing, yet emotional support to Samuel and Rebecca during the pregnancy.However, while Rebecca is very enthusiastic about the pregnancy, Samuel is not. He is very upset about the baby disrupting his "perfect" life. Samuel becomes negligent and doesn't provide support to Rebecca when needed - prompting Rebecca to move-out and move-in with Marty and Gail. Eventually, Samuel sees a video of a sonogram and has a big change of heart.After trying to enjoy bachelorhood, he soon realizes what he wants is a family. Samuel eventually is able to win Rebecca back - and even marries her.The movie leads to an exciting climax where both Rebecca and Gail give birth in a hilarious delivery room scene.

While I enjoyed Hugh Grant in this movie (especially his physical comedy moments), the person who really surprised me in this movie was Tom Arnold.Prior to this movie, I really wasn't a fan of Tom Arnold.However, I think Tom Arnold was the perfect guy to play the overbearing Marty Dwyer.Arnold's personality was the right one to play an overbearing character.Tom Arnold also provides some terrific physical comedy moments. Probably the movie's funniest scene involves Marty getting into a fight with "Arnie the Dinosaur" (Arnie was a definite poke at "Barney The Dinosaur", but had a bit more of an evil side). While the scene was pretty predictable that Marty would end up fighting Arnie, it is still one you will watch over and over again.There are also other terrific Tom Arnold moments - including the fight that Marty and Samuel get in the delivery room when Rebecca and Gail go into labor.In addition to the physical comedy moments,Tom Arnold really came across as very believable in terms of playing the "experienced parent".

As for Joan Cusack, I am not a big fan of hers - but I do think she was the right fit to play Gail Dwyer. She is the perfect head-strong compliment to her on-screen husband, Tom Arnold.

Robin Williams has a supporting role in this film. He plays Dr. Kosovich - a wacky Russian OB/GYN doctor.While I did like the fact that there was a wacky OB/GYN in this movie, I didn't find Dr. Kosovich's character to be very enjoyable. In fact, I found his character to be annoying. This isn't a knock on Williams - I think he plays the character well.I just found Dr. Kosovich to get on my nerves.

Jeff Goldblum also has a supporting role in this film. Jeff plays "Sean" - who is Samuel's best-friend and Gail's brother.Sean is Samuel's "ultimate bachelor" friend who on the surface seems to really enjoy his single-life.Goldblum was a good fit to play Sean. While I enjoyed the character of Sean, I was very disappointed that there weren't more scenes involving Sean. In fact, I am very disappointed when Sean is not a part of the very exciting finale of the movie.

One flaw I have with the Hugh Grant character is the whole Child Psychologist angle. There was a big irony that Samuel - who was completely out of element around children (in the beginning of the movie) was a Child Psychologist.While there are a couple of mildly humorous scenes with Samuel and a child patient, I think the writers could have exploited this angle a lot better.Instead, this whole ironic angle is essentially dropped in the second-half of the movie.

Ultimately, the ending of this movie is worth watching.Although there is a certain predictability about the end, it is still a scene you are going to watch over and over.The car ride to the hospital is hilarious - especially the old lady who gets picked up along the way because her husband is having a heart-attack. Once they get to the hospital, Samuel and Rebecca discover Marty and Gail are there. Of course Marty has brought his video camera along - and eventually that leads to a confrontation between Samuel and Marty.

The other thing worth noting is their is some terrific music in this movie.Director Chris Columbus knows how to compliment the story with the right music at the right time.Most notable tracks are Van Morrison's "These are the Days" (which sadly did not make it on the soundtrack) and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On".

Overall, this might not be a movie with the strongest storyline - but it is a movie that will entertain. Much of the strength of this movie will be with the Hugh Grant and Tom Arnold characters.A Highly recommended movie.

WONDERFUL!
An outstanding romantic comedy, Nine Months, brings to the screen exactly what the title implies: the story of a pregnancy with all the ups and downs that it entails!
It is a film about human relations, hope and second chances, but most importantly about trust, love, and inner strength.
Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Robin Williams, Tom Arnold and the rest of the cast, have outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least.All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few laughs, not to mention a few tears.The film is simple enough, but does a great job of describing people's every day lives and the problems they face.It just goes to show that simplicity is often far better than complexity, when trying to present issues of a human nature.
In short, Nine Months is a movie definitely worth watching!
... Read more

Asin: B000059HAL
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

She's Having a Baby
Director: John Hughes
Average Customer Review:
DVD (21 November, 2000)
list price: $14.99 -- our price: $13.49
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Editorial Review

Having delved repeatedly into the world of teenage joys and sorrows, from Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, writer-director John Hughes took a step into adulthood (or some facsimile of it) with She's Having a Baby. Peppered with whimsical asides and busy voice-over observations, the movie is shamelessly fun to watch, even if it doesn't add up to anything especially profound. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern are newlyweds struggling through the tribulations of a youthful marriage. Along with the usual uncertainties, Bacon is sacrificing his dreams of becoming a writer to work in an ad agency, and his best supposed pal (Alec Baldwin, just before stardom) tries to seduce his wife. Hughes may have been reflecting on his own past job in advertising, and maybe that explains why the movie plays like a superficial, if entertaining, TV commercial. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (36)

i so loved this movie so much!
This movie is so comforting to me.
Its sweet, funny and def. gives you a message.
No matter how green the grass may seem (Aman that has a lot on his plate: Kevin Bacon is on the verge of a affair with a pretty young woman) it's not always.
moral of the story is you need to go with your heart.
He realized at the end that his wife and baby on the way meant more to him that reconnecting with his "single self"
I absolutely love this movie.
love the music, love the actors, love the scenes where bacon and his wife are trying to have a baby. too funny!
:)

Mysterious symbols?
Ok, I understand the male and female symbols used on the movie logo.
Those represent the male and female viewpoints of the main two characters.
They are the traditional "Mars" and "Venus" symbols representing masculinity and femininity.

I also understand the last symbol representing "infinity", a never-ending loop symbolizing an ideal marriage that will last forever. Or maybe the propagation of "eternal life" by the offspring of the parents carrying on their genes into eternity.

But what is to be made of the star and dagger symbol???

Are these symbols somehow representing a conflict of religious values?
(The Star of David representing Judaism and a cross representing Christianity)

I haven't seen the movie in years but I don't remember a conflict in religious beliefs being part of the plot.


Please also forward your thoughts to VBoston at aol.com.

who's having a baby?
BIG fan of 80's... music and culture, and most of all The Movies.she's having a baby is not just a teen movie like "sweet sixteen" or "breakfast club".Its somewhat a true newly wed story with many funny moments wishing your marriage will be like that some day.Soundtrac is great with kate bush "the woman's work".My girlfriend cried and as i hand her the tisue when this song played.i told her i'll feel the same if she were the wife.boy i got lovin that nite... i would watch over and over again and the last credit when 80's famous star show their contribution suggesting the name for the baby, i thought it was clever.. ... Read more

Asin: B00004YNIW
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy