The Stay at Home Mother

Ok - let's lay off the fat jokes with Jessica Simpson. 

Yes, she got big, and yes, she probably indulged in all the amazing food that women tend to restrict themselves from doing every day - but here's the thing......she was PREGNANT!

Since news hit that she had her baby yesterday - Twitter has been, well, all-a-twitter about how fat she got - and how big the baby weighed.

The fact is, as a former pregnant woman, it is tough enough to have to go through nine-months of enduring kicks, heart burn, sleepless nights and constant discomfort - for goodness sakes, let's at least indulge in some comfort food!

Anorexic pregnancies seem to be everywhere in Hollywood - and not only is it not realistic - it's not healthy.  

When I was pregnant with my son, I gained 80 pounds.  That's right...80.  Everyone at my work made fun of my weight, figured I would go from being a happy, big pregnant woman, to just a plain, big woman after I gave birth.

They were wrong.

At my heaviest, I was 234 before I gave birth. (To the left is a pic of me after I had my son in the hospital).

However, I had a very close friend who constantly told me how beautiful I was, how healthy I looked, and saw beyond the fact that I was, well, big. Without that friendship, I don't think I would have been so strong - or been able to see past other's critical words at work.

I knew I was big. I was hungry ALL the time. But the fact was, I was a target for redicule by other women - just as Jessica Simpson has been.

"Do you REALLY need another hot chocolate from the cafe, Kelley?" one young woman said to me one afternoon as I passed her, heading to the cafe. *Insert loud snickering from other women, here*

Instead of getting in to a debate with the woman, I chose to ignore her rudeness. However, I did cry later when I was alone.

Why are women so critical of other women?

Now times that critical eye by a thousand, and that is exactly what Jessica Simpson has had to endure throughout her pregnancy.

What about her health? What about how she is feeling? What about the fact that she looked like a happy mom-to-be?

I realize that usually women tend to gain 25-35 pounds on average with their pregnancies (which I did with my second), however, I was just as healthy as other women with the 80 pounds I had on me.

Today, I weigh 130 pounds (pictured to the left earlier this year in Bora Bora) - a long way from the 234 I once was at.

But the point is, its my body. I chose to gain the weight and I was happy.

So let's lay off Jessica Simpson and her weight gain and give the new mom a very much needed break.  She's happy and healthy (as is her baby) and that's really all that matters.