The tabloids have been blowing up recently with the news that singer Jessica Simpson is expecting soon.

Shocker, right?

Of course not. But this time Simpson, who has been gutted in the past for her struggle with her weight, is now being crucified for another demon — being pregnant. Oh, and being too fat while being pregnant.

The 31-year-old mama is due to give birth to a baby girl with fiancé, Eric Johnson, towards the end of April. She has said that she’s now 170lbs — which I suspect is a fairly reasonable weight for women in their last trimester, but I digress.

But critics think that she’s a bit too big for someone who is only pregnant with one child. Headlines such as, “It’s Not Twins!”
have surfaced, and Obgyns are coming forward saying that women should only be gaining 25lbs a month, rather than the 50lbs that she has put on.

Critics like Dr. Francine Shapiro, author of “Getting Past Your Past,” have decided to take to media outlets like Fox News to “weigh in.”

“Women should not starve themselves to keep from gaining weight, nor should they overindulge and overeat. Some women take pregnancy as an excuse for ‘letting go. If she is exceeding medical guidelines by gaining 50 pounds rather than the recommended 25 pounds, she is clearly not a role model for pregnant women.”

Simpson has admitted to craving onion rings and indulging in a diet of buttered pop tarts, Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and peanut butter and jelly shots.

Over at Jezebel, writer Tracie Egan Morrissey defends Simpson, offering another idea of what pregnancy might mean to the average pregnant woman,

“I say that pregnancy should be a time of situational obesity, akin to situational alcoholism in college. Yeah, it’s probably not the healthiest way to be and there are certainly some risks involved and you certainly have to deal with the fallout (I’m still struggling to lose the baby weight, six months later), but it’s a cathartic experience that could arguably make you a better, happier person. But whatever the case, f**k anyone who talks s**t on a pregnant woman’s weight. As far as I’m concerned, they’re the pigs.”

Sounds about right to me.

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3 Comments

  1. While I understand the need for health, I think they should just let her be pregnant for crying out loud she’s creating life in there.
    Some people have no idea when to leave well enough alone.
    I pray she has a healthy prengnancy, a complication-free delivery, and beautiful healthy baby girl.

  2. First, no way she was only 170 pounds. I was 185 when I delivered my first son. I started off at 125. With my second son I also put on a staggering amount of weight. I looked a lot like Jessica so I know she is lying about her weight. She definitely weighs more than she is letting on. Anyhow, I did not eat junk and did not overeat while pregnant.. My body just gains weight while pregnant. And all of my friends gained more than 25 pounds. 40 pounds being average. I think docs need to shut up. I had no medical issues at all with either pregnancy and I had short labors and birthed healthy, beautiful children naturally with no complications.

  3. Well as harsh as this may sound: this is one of the reasons why I will not get pregnant. When I was young I had to maintain my weight. Even as a teen, when I did not have a great appetite nor an overindulgent mother standing beside waving the cookie jar, I still had to watch my eating despite my grow spurt. There is a positive twist to this story. For some ironic reason, my metabolism changed dramatically after I hit my twenties. I have a relatively fast metabolism now, even if I am not working out I am able to stay slim and at a healthy weight. My body has remained like this ever since (I am well within my thirtieth year now). So why am I so bothered about gaining weight during pregnancy? Because the common denominator in all of this: hormones! Even though I agree that Jessica Simpson has gained a lot of weight, I would not simply dismiss it as being the result of laziness and overeating. I have experienced firsthand what a curse AND what a blessing hormones can be when it comes to your metabolism. Needless to say, I am child-free for other reasons; however, I would lie if I told anyone that possible rapid and incontrollable weight gain was not one of my reasons. It is NOT in my top 10 list of reasons to be child-free, but it is definitely part of my top 30 list. So before you bash her…. Please keep in mind that some bodies DO react more extreme when the hormonal balance of the body changes. 😉 Just my 2 pence.

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