Before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight: I am not a Kardashian fan. I’ve never watched any of their shows. I still don’t quite understand how or why they are famous. But they have permeated popular culture and now I find myself in the unlikeliest of places: defending Kim Kardashian.

Did I really just write those words?

I sure did. Because I am horrified by the media coverage of her pregnancy weight gain.

Now, no one has benefited more from her fame and celebrity than Ms. Kim, a longtime tabloid target, so it is not too surprising that the media has been all over her the moment she announced her pregnancy. But when did it become acceptable to pick on an expecting mother and call her “fat”?

We’ve all been in there — that awkward period before the baby bump has announced itself as a baby bump and not just a really big lunch. We’ve all felt awkward, uncomfortable and hormonal. Now imagine going through that in the public eye, with tabloids and news outlets scrutinizing every ounce of your body and speculating on your weight gain? I can’t imagine what it must be like to see yourself on cover after cover next to headlines like, “Don’t Call Me Fat!” (US Weekly), “I Can’t Stop Eating!” (In Touch Weekly) and “Pregnant Kim’s Nightmare” (Star magazine, referring to her unlikely 65-lb weight gain). Star even took it one step further, comparing a photo of her in a black and white dress to an image of Shamu the killer whale.

Wow. Really? Um, tabloids, in case you haven’t heard, you’re supposed to gain weight when you’re carrying another human being around inside of you — whether you’re a celebrity like Kim or an average mom like me, who gained more than 60 lbs during her first pregnancy.

I admit, there were definitely times that I felt self-conscious about my size, especially in my third trimester when people asked if I was having twins, and I wasn’t a big fan of my “cankles.” But my pregnancy weight gain was a subject reserved for only three audiences: my obstetrician, my husband and my girlfriends. It was not fodder for late night television or used as a marketing ploy to sell magazines.

So this is why I feel an unexpected pang of sympathy for Kim Kardashian because, celebrity or not, no one deserves to have cruel and nasty things written about their body ­– especially during such a beautiful and special time as pregnancy. The intense scrutiny and obsession with her weight gain is bordering on bullying, and sends a terrible message to all women that the pregnant body is something to be ashamed of.  We already feel the pressure to squeeze back into our skinny jeans weeks after giving birth. Now we’re not even allowed to gain a healthy amount of weight when we’re expecting? Geez, what’s next?

Do you think it’s fair to judge Kim for her weight gain?

Plus, more from The Bump:

What to Eat During Your Pregnancy

5 Ways to Keep Your Pregnancy Weight Gain Within Reason

Will My Body Be the Same After Baby?

Check out what’s buzzing around the Internet this week:

Moms’ excess weight during pregnancy affects newborn weight — Reuters

1 in 3 developmentally delayed babies are left untreated — MSNBC

20 things to do with all those leftover glass baby food jars — Lil Sugar

Tie-dye maternity looks — PEOPLE Moms & Babies

Folic acid tied to lower childhood cancer risks – Fox News

Pregnant women have an excuse to eat whatever and however much they want, right? Nope, according to a new study conducted at Queen Mary, University of London and published in BMJ. Researchers noted that gaining too much weight during pregnancy can put a woman and her baby at higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, miscarriage, birth defects, blood clots, preeclampsia and (maternal and infant) death. They decided to see what was more effective in preventing those complications: diet, exercise or a combination of the two.

To do that, they observed data on over 7,000 women, including the amount of weight they gained during pregnancy and whether or not they had any health complications. They found that exercise, diet — limiting calorie intake; balancing protein, carbohydrates and fat; and eating foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables — and a combo of diet and exercise kept the women’s weight gain in check. But eating right was more effective than exercise in preventing certain complications: The women who watched their calorie intake were 33 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia, 60 percent less likely to have diabetes, 70 percent less likely to develop gestational high blood pressure and 32 percent less likely to deliver their babies preterm. The babies’ birth weights were not affected by the limits in calories.

You do need extra calories during pregnancy, but only about 300 more than you did pre-pregnancy if you’re in an average weight range, according to the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists. This study adds just one more reason you should stick to that recommendation and not overdo it. Find out how much weight is the right amount to gain for your body type here.

How much weight did you gain during pregnancy? How do you think that affected your health while expecting?

Plus, more from The Bump:

The Obsession With Pregnancy Weight Gain

What to Eat While You’re Pregnant

7 Healthy Meal Ideas for Pregnancy