Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff

Wrote the first draft of What to Expect When You're Expecting while pregnant with her second child, having found nothing in print that answered the questions she was actually asking her doctor.

It became the standard American pregnancy book, month by month, with the what-you-may-be-feeling lists that made it useful and the reassurance structure that made it enormous.

Earlier editions drew sustained criticism from midwives and some obstetricians for a tone that raised anxiety and for dietary advice presented more strictly than the evidence warranted. Later editions softened considerably, which is worth knowing when picking up a second-hand copy.