Debra Pickett

Leslie's "She Said" column today should be required reading for anyone who is pregnant, has been pregnant, is thinking about getting pregnant, or knows-and-loves anyone in any of those categories.

Leslie, who is slim and petite, proudly claims to have gained 50 pounds with each of her pregnancies. She reported this to me the other day with an almost giddy smile.

I have to admit that my initial reaction was not all that positive. Fifty pounds is a pretty significant percentage of my normal body weight. I couldn't imagine being happy about having to carry that around.

And, while I certainly haven't been dieting, I have been very conscious about how much weight I gain while pregnant. Partly, it's vanity: even though, thank goodness, the aesthetic standards of local public television are a lot looser than, say, a major national network, I do have the weekly TV gig going on and I'd rather not look like a blob on camera.

Mostly, though, it's a weird sort of Protestant work ethic feeling of guilt that had me believing I should look a certain way: with the cute, symmetrical and perfectly proportioned "bump" that all the Hollywood pregnant people seem to have -- and then very quickly lose.

Which is strange, actually, since it's not like I've looked like a movie star at any other point in my life.

Anyway, without being too ridiculously cheesey and Oprah-esque, reading Leslie's essay today was kind of an eye opener for me.

(Also, there was the very sweet older male colleage who spotted me in the hallway and, upon taking in the great expanse that is my belly declared, "Looking good, kid!" That was one of my favorite compliments ever.)

So, while I've already bought the post-partum workout books and videos, I'm going to work on being more Zen about the whole thing. And if it takes a while to get back into the skinny jeans, oh well. I mean, I do get a kid out of the deal. Which is really pretty great.