ABOUT US

The What to Expect Foundation takes its name from the best-selling What to Expect pregnancy and parenting series, which has helped over 28 million families from pregnancy through their child's toddler years. Often referred to as "America's Pregnancy Bible" What To Expect When You're Expecting is bought by 93% of all mothers that buy a pregnancy guide (USA TODAY).

Doctors, Midwives, and HMOs across the country often give a copy of What To Expect to their mothers. They found that mothers who read the book called less frantically (and frequently) with questions, and had less unnecessary emergency room visits. And when mothers did have questions, they were better informed and more confident.

But the US infant mortality rate is higher than that of 28 other nations; and, over 50 million adults have limited literacy skills. Clearly millions of families, living in poverty, can neither afford, nor perhaps read What To Expect.

Yet many clinics called for donations and reported that their mothers loved the books - and that even those who could not read were eager to have help finding the answers to their concerns. Teen pregnancy programs reported that their girls - young women who may not have been readers by nature -- would pour over What To Expect together, eager to read something that so affected their lives.

We felt there was a clear connection to be made. Appropriate prenatal educational materials for low-income moms AND literacy training to help women learn to read could affect both the cycle of infant mortality and illiteracy. And thus, the birth of The What To Expect Foundation and the delivery of Baby Basics, a book, a program, and a new paradigm - prenatal health literacy.