Expecting 411 - the book?

[sarahsthreads]

OK, so this didn't exist when I was pregnant with DD1. I'm not sure if it did by the time I was pregnant with DD2, but I had a stack of reference books already by then - most of which I have since given away - and I also felt like I was pretty up-to-date with everything to do with pregnancy still.

Now it's been 5 years since DD2 and I'm trying to remember stuff like "what's my baby doing at this week of gestation?", "when am I supposed to worry about this, that or the other thing at appointments", "should I be feeling regular movement yet?", etc. The book the midwife practice gave me seems basically useless. (It's heavily skewed towards information about resources available to pregnant women and new moms and doesn't even have an index to look up whether it has any answers to my questions.) There's always google, but I'd like to have a handy reference on my bedside table, because it's always right when I'm getting up or going to bed that I wonder about things.

So...I was contemplating getting a book for my Kindle. Not "What to Expect" because I hated that book the first time around. And every book on Amazon seems to have wildly mixed reviews. And then it occurred to me that this entire forum exists because of a book.

Do you have it?
Is it useful for non-first-time moms?
Does it answer the questions I'm looking for?
Do you have the Kindle edition, and is it easy to use? (i.e. fully indexed, chapter links, etc.) Or am I better off just getting the print edition?

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[mommylamb]

I got it when I was pregnant with DS2. I thought it was pretty good as far as pregnancy books go. I always liked baby 411/toddler 411, so this is in the same style. I did not have the kindle edition, and for something like this where I just want to skim through and look up specific things, I prefer a hard copy.

I really hated most pregnancy books and found them pretty useless. I especially hated the girlfriend's guide to pregnancy (what a bunch of rubbish). This one was the best of what I read IMO.

[spannaz]

I have it :). But I'm a FTM. I find it quite helpful. Although I must admit, I usually google things first. Oh and I opted for the paper version instead of kindle because I thought kindle might be more difficult to find the right section/page.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I only skimmed it. I remember not choosing it bc it was a little light and a little too much " just trust your Dr.". I liked the Baby Center pregnancy book a lot better.

[sarahsthreads]

I got it when I was pregnant with DS2. I thought it was pretty good as far as pregnancy books go. I always liked baby 411/toddler 411, so this is in the same style. I did not have the kindle edition, and for something like this where I just want to skim through and look up specific things, I prefer a hard copy.

I really hated most pregnancy books and found them pretty useless. I especially hated the girlfriend's guide to pregnancy (what a bunch of rubbish). This one was the best of what I read IMO.

I've only ever used the baby bargains book - that's how I found the boards in the first place - so I'm not sure what the 411 style is like. But if I like the expecting 411, it would probably be useful to get baby 411 - it's been a while since we had a tiny one around here and we purged a lot of books a few years ago.

And I can see the appeal of having the hardcopy for the skipping around/skimming bit. That is kind of hard to do on a kindle...I have prime, and the print book isn't even $1 more than the kindle edition. Maybe I should just order the thing and stop dithering. (I over think everything.)

Sarah :)

[SnuggleBuggles]

Heading Home with Your Newborn is a fantastic newborn care/ refresher book. Totally recommend it. I had forgotten a lot and it all came back to me with that one. It was super handy and reassuring- lots of "is this normal?" type things.

[sarahsthreads]

Heading Home with Your Newborn is a fantastic newborn care/ refresher book. Totally recommend it. I had forgotten a lot and it all came back to me with that one. It was super handy and reassuring- lots of "is this normal?" type things.

I'll check that one out. I really, really, really wish we still had a bookstore around here. The closest B&N is a solid 30 minutes in good traffic and has terrible parking, so I tend to rely on Amazon or the library. I fondly remember leafing through all the baby books at Borders until I found just the right one...or three. Now if I could just remember which one that was! We donated just about everything to do with pregnancy and baby care to the library book sale a couple of years ago!

Sarah :)

[marymoo86]

I didn't like Baby 411 and I thought I would given how well I liked BBB book. My philosophy jibes more with Dr Sears so take that FWIW.

[georgiegirl]

I just look on babycenter.com for basic info about what's happening to my baby each week. Its been 4 years for me. I'm also a Dr. Sears fan.

[KLD313]

I just look on babycenter.com for basic info about what's happening to my baby each week.

That's what I did. If you sign up it sends you weekly emails that tells all that stuff. I liked the Baby 411 book for basic info.

[Tea4two]

I have both the baby and toddler 411 books. Thought they were both helpful.

[Snow mom]

I just PMed you and need an ETA button for PMs apparently. I did like the book and it was the only reference I leafed through while pregnant this time. I read certain portions, looked up a few things, etc. I don't have a kindle because I generally prefer paper books for everything.