Young and pregnant for the first time back in 1992, I picked up "What to Expect When You're Expecting" because pregnancy literature was pretty sparse and blogs had yet to be invented.

Predictably, I spent the remainder of that pregnancy freaking out over what that I should and should not be eating and that every twinge was a sign of a Rare but Potentially Fatal Badness due to something I had or had not done. The "Best Odds Diet" (which should have been called "The Best Odds for Making You Insane Diet") was a total bust for me. During pregnancy was NOT the time for me to give up all refined sugar and flour so I just ate whatever and then felt bad about it.

Even the cover of the book was disturbing. An illustrated pregnant woman in a huge mauve tent dress and wearing ugly, but sensible shoes sat in a rocker looking pained (or gassy) while reading a book. (Perhaps she just read that in rare instances, the shrimp she had in her salad at lunch can cause children to be born with cloven hooves and horns?)

We've come a long way, What to Expect When You're Expecting, expectant lady! In the 4th and latest version of the book, the gestating gal is actually standing on her own two, boot-clad feet, wearing jeans, and ....SHE'S SMILING!

In addition to the cover make-over, the oppressive Best Odds Diet has been replaced with a user-friendly chapter entitled "Nine Months of Eating Well". According to author Heidi Murkoff, "We figured the Best-Odds Diet was well-intentioned. We thought we would ask moms to aim high, but then they ran screaming to the nearest McDonald's. I think this approach works a lot better. We're saying, 'Diet or don't diet; just eat a balanced diet.' You are the sole caterer of your uterine cafe."

The scary, worst-case scenarios have also been chilled out, which is good news to all easily-freaked new mothers. Popular blogger Amalah said "When I looked up innocuous symptoms, it would say 'in most cases, this is normal, but in rare cases ... ' That is all it takes for a nervous, first-trimester mom to say, 'Oh my God!' Honestly, I can work myself into a state all by myself. I don't need to read to worry that the skin rash might be deadly."