'Expecting' gets new cover photo depicting modern mom on the go
It's quite the change for the illustrated mom on the cover of Heidi Murkoff's best-selling book, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which has just been updated in a fourth edition (Workman, $14.95). She used to sit in a rocking chair and wear an unfortunate sacklike dress, her hair poofed up in a style from the 1980s.
But just like the moms-to-be of today, she's evolved, Murkoff said. She's proud of her belly and showing it off in a clingy sweater. And instead of sitting, she's on the go: working, playing, exercising and exploring.
"Moms are living their real life," Murkoff said during a recent visit to promote her book. "They're mixing their real life with pregnant life. They're busy, busy, busy. Yes, they're pregnant, and yes, they're making a baby, but they're doing a lot of other stuff in the meantime."
Her updated book (often called the "pregnancy bible" by moms-to-be) includes new and expanded sections about things such as work, eating, beauty, exercise and sex. There is also an addition for future dads, with answers to questions such as why he has morning sickness, cravings and a loss of libido.
The top question parents have is whether something is normal, according to Murkoff.
"Is it normal, that 10-pound first trimester weight gain, that 25-times-a-day run to the bathroom, that strange metal taste in your mouth, the fact that saliva is pooling in your mouth?" Murkoff asked. "I think sometimes just knowing a symptom is normal, where you can flip open the book and say, 'wow, this is normal,' doesn't make the symptom go away, but it helps you not to stress about it."
While some people have complained the book goes too far in raising some uncomfortable or scary issues, Murkoff said her goal is to provide a broad-based response to any concerns a parent may have.
"I would say most moms and dads want to know what to expect and they want answers to all their questions, not just select questions," Murkoff said. "I can't please all the readers all the time, but I'm never going to stop trying."
Overall, her work appears a success. It has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 345 weeks, and more than 90 percent of pregnant women who read pregnancy books have skimmed its pages.
When she first came up with the idea for "What to Expect When You're Expecting," Murkoff was herself pregnant for the first time. She said she couldn't find any books to reassure her fears and then set out on a mission to write a book for moms by a mom. The day her child was born, she delivered a proposal to a publisher, and the idea for her book took off — slowly at first, but then sales quickly grew.
Recent comments
My daughters-in-law practically wore out this book when they were...
K | April 21, 2008 at 10:02 a.m.
