The Mother of all Pregnancy Books
* A book that lives up to its name, author Ann Douglas has packed a remarkable amount of text, charts and tables into this 500-plus page volume that covers nearly every aspect of pregnancy, from considering pregnancy (is there ever a ""good"" time to do it?) to nutrition, exercise, breast-feeding and the top 10 worries for each trimester.Incredibly comprehensive yet easy to follow, Douglas, author of a number of pregnancy books, also covers infertility, high-risk pregnancy, miscarriage and infant loss. Charts and tables show how chronic disease, as well as prescription and non-prescription drugs, can affect a pregnancy. Wondering if you're too old to conceive or give birth? Douglas discusses the facts of pregnancy past ages 20, 30 and 40.""The Complaint Department"" chapter discusses nearly every conceivable ache, pain and medical issue that can arise during pregnancy and how to deal with them. Facts and figures, as well as quotes that are pertinent to each topic, are dispersed throughout. A huge listing of organizations and Web sites that deal with everything from breast-feeding to adoption rounds out this volume. Very little is discussed when it comes to postpregnancy and baby care; that will be covered in the author's upcoming book, ""The Mother of All Baby Books."" (Copyright 2002 Chicago Tribune Company,Chicago Tribune, June 16, 2002 Sunday)""...my summer reading has been filled up..."" (Eastern Eye, August 2003)