I put on four and a half stone when I was pregnant. This was partly because I was so ill for the first five months I actually lost weight. Then when I was able to eat again, I seemed to be hungry all the time. But as it turned out No 1 Son was born weighing 10lb 13 and a half oz, and he wasn’t fat, he was long.
My mum never tires of telling me how she was put on a diet when she was pregnant (it was the late Sixties) – ‘only grilled fish and salad’, which is why she weighed under 7st after giving birth. I think you’ll agree that couldn’t possibly have been healthy.
Now women are being told they shouldn’t be eating for two . It’s a shame that in 2010 we’re still being told what to eat for a healthy pregnancy. I wish they'd give us more credit. We do know what we should and shouldn't be eating. Don't we?
And while I understand it’s not healthy to put on too much weight when they’re pregnant, there is also a risk of some women not eating enough. I’ve interviewed a few women with pregnancy and post-pregnancy anorexia over the years – that’s the other extreme, but it does happen.
So, how much weight did you put on when you were pregnant - and do you think doctors should stop telling us what to eat? I’d love to hear your views.