Who We Are 

What to Expect is the world’s best-known, most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand, helping every parent know what to expect, every step of the way. What to Expect’s app and website are produced by What to Expect’s founder, Heidi Murkoff, alongside a team of journalists, editors, physicians and other pregnancy and parenting health experts.

Editorial Policies

References, sources and citations: What to Expect adheres to the highest standards of journalistic integrity, with sourcing guidelines relying only on peer-reviewed medical journals, academic institutions, government agencies and highly respected medical organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as primary sources of information. You can see the sources we use in the “view sources” field at the bottom of every health article, along with the last reviewed date at the top.

Editorial independence: What to Expect’s editorial team maintains complete editorial independence and control over content. No unrelated partners or sponsors are permitted to change content or influence the selection of content (see Advertising Policy). Additionally, What to Expect participates in affiliate marketing programs, but this does not impact what products we choose to cover. We maintain a strict product review policy, and commissions earned simply help support all the work we do.

Contributors: What to Expect works with writers who specialize in creating content about pregnancy-, parenting- and health-related topics. All contributors are carefully vetted for their subject matter expertise, and are provided additional training in sourcing, researching and reporting. 

Content updates: What to Expect adheres to a content maintenance schedule. Additionally, our editors update articles when new information becomes available. Articles may be updated when there are new clinical guidelines, changes in standards of care, new practice recommendations or product recalls. What to Expect editors also review articles when readers alert us about potential issues with our content (contact us at edit@whattoexpect.com). 

Links to other sites: What to Expect articles sometimes contain links to other websites. We neither control nor endorse these linked sites, nor does the company review or approve the content that appears on them. What to Expect is not responsible for the legality, accuracy or inappropriate nature of any content, advertising, products or other materials on or available from any linked sites.

Fact-Check and Medical Review Policy

All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. Our Medical Review Board includes OB/GYNs, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, doulas, lactation counselors, endocrinologists, fertility specialists and more. All other content is fact-checked by professional journalists to ensure accuracy. 

What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 5th edition, and What to Expect Before You’re Expecting, 2nd edition, have been medically reviewed by Charles J. Lockwood, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Public Health, and Dean of the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine. What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition, has been medically reviewed by Mark D. Widome, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Pediatrics at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

 


Heidi Murkoff is the creator of What to Expect, the world’s best-known, most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand. She is also the founder of WhatToExpect.com and the What to Expect Foundation.