I just got hold of Big Beautiful and Pregnant, written by Dr. Cornelia Van Der Ziel and Jacqueline Tourville exclusively for plus-sized women. So I wanted to see how I stacked up on the topic of pregnancy and overweight. I went online to check out what I had written for Yahoo!, and it was exactly what drives the authors of this book nuts.

I listed all the complications of pregnancy associated with obesity, and said to try to lose weight before becoming pregnant. But women who need information on pregnancy and overweight are likely to already be pregnant and can't very well start losing weight now! Why didn't I get that?

Overweight, as you know, is very common. If it were easy to be slim, most women would choose to, but it is not. Our genes, our families, our stressors, our relationships to food, our self-images and our habits all play a role in our weight. But women can be healthy at any weight, and most pregnancies in overweight women lead to beautiful, healthy babies.

So what should you do if you find yourself pregnant before you had a chance to get down to your "optimal" weight? For one, now is a good time to think about eating in a healthful way: not with the goal of losing weight (your baby needs you to gain some weight during pregnancy even if you start off big), but eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy sources of fats and proteins.

Respect your body. It is doing something amazing, growing a whole new person inside. As frustrated as you may have felt with your body in the past, now is a time when everyone feels big anyway. So appreciate what your body is accomplishing. You are participating in a true miracle!

Whether you are already pregnant or want to be, I highly recommend reading Big, Beautiful, and Pregnant. The book covers many topics you may be wondering about, and gives you questions to ask your doctor or midwife to assure you are getting the best care. They have a nice section on diet and activity, with specific examples and even beautiful plus-size models demonstrating exercises.

In addition to excellent accurate medical information, BB&P provides brief stories from many different moms. It is like finding a sisterhood of women with the same questions and doubts, who felt good about their pregnancies and had healthy babies. I love how this book goes back and forth between the medical issues and the personal ones, and provides accurate practical information with an upbeat tone.

So... apologies to any of you who read my less than helpful blog on pregnancy and overweight. In penitence, I give you a great book recommendation. Enjoy!