No woman wants to go overboard and gain a ton of weight during pregnancy if she can help it, but there are definitely a few who take things to extremes as far as keeping the number on the scale in check goes. And yes -- I'm talking about gals who try and diet while they are supposed to be "eating for two." Seriously -- what's up with that?

And I'm not talking about women who try and eat healthy so their babies get the right nutrients and so they can keep their weight within the recommended 25- to 35-pound gaining range. I'm referring to those who actually restrict their food intake and refuse to give into cravings out of pure vanity. And aside from appearing very shallow (and pretty ridiculous) pregnancy "dieters" actually may be setting their baby up to be fat.

Poor Jessica Simpson. She’s one of those celebrities who can’t seem to get a break under the fingerwagging of public scrutiny. I mean, the girl wore “mom jeans” and got more headline-making heat than the international dictator of the moment. Now she can’t even get pregnancy—the most natural, instinctive womanly function—right. At least not in the overly vocal opinions of armchair critics and medical professionals who haven’t actually examined her.

So she gained a little more weight during her pregnancy than some docs think is necessary. So she eats cheesecake for breakfast. So she’s blown up before our very eyes during this almost nine-month stretch of baby-making. Sooo what?! We spend too much of our time criticizing celebs. Heck, I’m guilty of it myself. But in this case, I feel compelled to stand up on behalf of Jess in this delicate time. 

Following what we're supposed to eat during pregnancy can be really annoying. Some say you can't eat this. Others say you must eat that. And of course we can't forget the prenatal vitamins. Some of us follow every rule we hear; others ... well ... don't. But I'm fairly certain that if we're told that something we eat during our pregnancy could affect the way our baby sleeps once he or she is born, meaning it would make baby sleep better ... well ... I bet we'd eat it. 

This is revolutionary! This very study could eradicate the contentious cry it out debate. Maybe.

Can you guess what this food is?

Whatever happened to the whole "eating for two" thing being ok during pregnancy? Because it seems like it's sort of a faux-pas to chow down while you're expecting these days, and that's just no fun at all.

Of course, I guess the whole over-indulgence thing can catch up with you eventually, resulting in you gaining an obscene amount of weight by your ninth month, and making it virtually impossible to easily take those pounds off after your baby arrives. In that regard, it's probably smart to try and stick to a healthier diet.

But the good news is that even if you do slip a bit and give in to your favorite food cravings during pregnancy, new research shows that pigging out won't have any effect on your baby's cognitive development or IQ. Basically, you're not going to make your baby stupid because you decided to have a few cupcakes. So you might as well just go for it.

Going through the ups and downs of pregnancy is always so much easier to deal with if you have the love and support of your hubby, right? Between all of the changes that you go through emotionally and physically, it just helps if he is right there the whole nine months to hold your hand and tell you that you are still super-sweet and beautiful and that everything is going to be ok even though your life is totally about to change.

But wait a minute -- what happens if your husband experiences classic pregnancy symptoms too? Because it totally happens. There's even new research that shows that men can experience changes during pregnancy too. Perfect. Can't we have just one thing in our lives that totally revolves around us?

I go back and forth between being a breakfast person and not being a breakfast person. I have phases where I want a heaping bowl-full of cereal with blueberries and a bananas shortly after waking up; and phases where all I can stomach is a cup of coffee for my first few waking hours.

Since I've been pregnant, though, things have changed. Not only do I want breakfast every morning, I realize that, well, I kind of need breakfast each morning. Here are five reasons you shouldn't skip breakfast while pregnant.

Hey, they don't call it the "most important meal of the day" for nothing.

I know this makes me a shallow, bitter person, but I hate when celebrity moms talk about how their pregnancy cravings were for fresh papaya juice or arugula chips or whatever. "Oh, I just couldn't make it through the day without my artisan lettuce salad and goji smoothie!" Really, that's so weird, I had the exact same problem. I don't know what I would have done without my classically-trained fair-trade organic chef.

Which is why I kind of love Jessica Simpson for being so unabashedly normal when it comes to confessing her favorite pregnancy snack. Instead of sticking to the health-food humblebrag, Simpson's description of her current number one craving put a smile on my face. I can't say I've ever considered downing a PB&J like a tequila shot before—but now that I've read about it, I kind of want to give it a try.

Yes, it's great for both the mama-to-be and baby if a woman's pregnancy cravings are more along the lines of broccoli and broiled chicken, but it's much more fun when they crave totally crazy things. I love to live vicariously through the amazing combinations pregnant women concoct and the vast amounts they ingest. And frankly, it's kind of disappointing when they don't. Beyonce's true pregnancy cravings are a big disappointment; in fact, they're downright boring.

In an interview with Katie Couric on 20/20 Friday, she talked about how she's really trying not to go overboard and pig out while pregnant.