Medical groups now recommend that all hopeful parents plan for baby-making at least three months before they begin trying. And who better to guide want-to-be mums and dads step-by-step through the preconception (and conception) process than Heidi Murkoff?

It’s all here. Everything couples need to know before sperm and egg meet. Packed with the same kind of reassuring, empathic and practical information and advice that readers have come to expect from What to Expect, only sooner. Which baby-friendly foods to order up (say yes to yams) and which fertility-busters to avoid (see you later, saturated fat); lifestyle adjustments that you’ll want to make (cut back on cocktails and caffeine) and those you can probably skip (that switch to boxer shorts). How to pinpoint ovulation, keep on-demand sex sexy, and separate conception fact from myth. With fully updated information on immunisation, genetic screening, Zika, ovulation  tracking, how fertility can be affected by travel as well as BPA and phthalates, plus when to seek help and the latest on high- and low-tech fertility treatments – from IVF to surrogacy and more. Complete with a fill-in fertility journal to keep track of the baby-making adventure and special tips throughout for hopeful dads.

Next step? What to Expect When You’re Expecting, of course.

This comprehensive and practical month-by-month guide clearly explains everything parents need to know – or might be worrying about – in the first year with a new baby.
 
Including:-

• All-new chapter on buying for baby; helping parents navigate through the dizzying gamut of baby products, nursery items and gear.
• Baby care fundamentals, from crib and sleep safety to vitamin supplements.
• Feeding for every age and stage, including tips on breastfeeding, preparing homemade baby food and the latest recommendations on starting solids.
• Charts for key development stages and sleeping habits, as well as sleep strategies that really work.
• Research on the impact of screen time (TVs, tablets, apps, computers).
• The most up-to-date medical advice on vaccines, illnesses, SIDS, safety, and more, plus handy first-aid guides.
• Dozens of Q&A sections, practical tips and advice that focus on advice for parents and their baby, covering everything from how to give a bath and decode your baby’s crying to when to return to work.

This is the only book on infant care to address both the physical and emotional needs of the whole family. This edition is organised more intuitively than ever before.  

Covering the most up-to-date knowledge, both medical and developmental, WHAT TO EXPECT THE 1st YEAR is, above all, down-to-earth and reassuring – and an invaluable aid for all parents of new babies.
 
Praise for the What to Expect series:-
 
‘Written by mothers, for mothers, full of eminently practical advice.’ New Generation
‘Worth its weight in gold.’ Living Today

‘My best friend during my pregnancy’ Mariella Frostrup

With 18.5 million copies in print,  What to Expect When You’re Expecting  is read by 93 per cent  of women who read a pregnancy book and was named one of the ‘Most Influential Books of the Last 25 Years‘ by  USA Today.

This cover-to-cover new edition is filled with must-have information, advice, insight, and tips for a new generation of parents.

With Heidi Murkoff‘s  trademark warmth, empathy, and humour, What to Expect When You’re Expecting  answers every conceivable question expectant parents could have, including dozens of new ones based on the ever-changing pregnancy and birthing practices, and choices they face.

Advice for partners  is fully integrated throughout the book.

All medical coverage is completely updated for the UK, including the latest on prenatal screening and the safety of medications during pregnancy, as well as a brand-new section on postpartum birth control.

Current lifestyle trends are incorporated, too: juice bars, raw diets, e-cigarettes, push presents, baby bump posting, the lowdown on omega-3 fatty acids, grass-fed and organic, health food fads, and GMOs. Plus expanded coverage of IVF pregnancy, multiple pregnancies, breastfeeding while pregnant, water and home births, and cesarean trends (including VBACs and ‘gentle caesareans’).

The best pregnancy guide just got even better.  

Comprehensive, reassuring, empathetic, realistic and practical, What to Expect the Second Yearis filled with solutions, strategies, and plenty of parental pep talks. It helps parents decode the fascinating, complicated, sometimes maddening, always adorable little person last year’s baby has become.

From the first birthday to the second, this must-have book covers everything parents need to know in an easy-to-access, topic-by-topic format, with chapters on growth, feeding, sleeping, behaviours of every conceivable kind, discipline (including teaching right from wrong), and keeping a toddler healthy and safe as he or she takes on the world. There’s a developmental time line of the second year plus special ‘milestone’ boxes throughout that help parents keep track of their toddler’s development. Thinking of travelling with tot in tow? There’s a chapter for that, too.