Are there any pregnancy books that won't insult my intelligence?

[Petsville]

I've just found out that I'm 5 weeks pregnant. I want one reference book that I can use to check facts (particularly things like levels of risk with eating different foods, what test results mean, glossary of things that might go wrong, all that kind of stuff). I don't want some clown telling me about my emotional state and suggesting that I change my surname to my husband's - I know what my emotional state is, thank you, and I'm not changing my name just so that a hypothetical future school has a slightly easier life. I asked my GP last time round and she hadn't got any suggestions (no children of her own) but she didn't hold out much hope as she reckons they're all written for the lowest common denominator. Has anyone found anything that's any good? Everything I've looked at is so appallingly patronising I want to fling it out of the window!

Sorry this post looks really grumpy - I'm afraid it isn't pregnancy hormones, I'm always like that!

Another idea is to buy a basic midwifery textbook, something like Mayes which is 1st undergrad year material. There might be areas/pictures you don't want to look at, but they should be easy to avoid. The information will be factual biology/pregnancy and birthing know how, and not loaded to a writers pov or parenting/birthing style.

Morloth - I'm a grumpy bitch with low tolerance for stupid people all the time! Probably lots of people would be grateful if I had phases of hormonal marshmallowiness.

Like the basic midwifery textbook idea - I have a scientific background, though not a medical one, so I shouldn't think a basic textbook would be hard going.

Oh blimey no. Totally easy going in fact. The chapters about pelvic dimensions and the processes involved are really amazingly interesting.

Have a flick through a few in the shop then buy online but like some of the others have said, you CAN just ignore the patronising bits.

I'm a GP with fairly recent hospital obstetric and paediatric experience under my belt and during my first pregnancy I was addicted to mum and baby magazines! This time around I'm still an avid following of websites like this despite having passed exams to PROOVE that I know all the fetal development stages in detail.

Pregnancy is weird and different things to different people. Personally I'm happy to be Dr X at work and Ys mummy at home - to a certain extent you can only be patronised if you let yourself be (although try telling that to DH who I had to ban from speaking to the very nice health visitor as he couldn't ignore the drivel that came out of her mouth!)

although anyone who wants to patronise my spelling in the post above is welcome too - that'll teach me to type with one hand!

Birth and beyond is brilliant. Non-patronising and informative. Has great section at end on all sorts of conditions/problems and their western medicine or complemtary medicine treatment. Covers from conception to the baby being 9 months old.

LOL Petsville my midwife has gotten used to my standard answer of "Pissed Off" when she asks how I am feeling. The sooner this baby is out the better for everyone involved really (and by involved I mean anyone I may interact with in any way ).

More about birth than pregnancy, but have a look at The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. Absolutely not patronising.