Pregnant women who believe the 'eating for two' myth could be putting their health at risk

“Oh go on then, I will have another donut/slice of cake/packet of biscuits. I am ‘eating for two’ after all.”

It’s a scene familiar to many a pregnant woman. Ok, so you can’t drink, chuff the caffeine or scoff the soft cheese, but at least you can console yourself in being able to eat whatever the heck you want.

Or can you?

Because experts have warned that mums-to-be who believe in the whole ‘one for me, one for the baby’ thing could risk harming the health of themselves and their babies.

New research from the National Charity Partnership has revealed that more than two thirds of pregnant women have no idea how much they should be eating every day.

While more than one in three mums-to-be believe they needed to consume 300 extra calories or more, according to the health watchdog, NICE, women don’t actually need any extra calories at all for the first two trimesters (six months) and in the final three months of pregnancy, only require an extra 200 calories a day (that’s basically the equivalent of two pieces of wholegrain toast with olive oil spread).

Over a quarter of the 2,100 mothers the NCP questioned admitted that they used “eating for two” as an excuse to eat unhealthy food all the time, while more than 63% of participants said they felt under pressure from others to eat larger meals than normal.

Commenting on the findings, Alex Davis from the NCP said: “The ‘eating for two’ myth has been around for years, but it’s very unhelpful.”

“Eating healthily and consuming healthy portion sizes are important before, during and after pregnancy to increase the chances of conceiving naturally, reduce the risk of pregnancy and birth-related complications and stave off health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease in the long-term.”

The NCP is working with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) to debunk the myth of “eating for two” and make dietary requirements for pregnant women easier to understand.

Professor Janice Rymer, vice-president of education at the RCOG, said: “Eating too much during pregnancy and putting on too much weight can be detrimental to both mother and baby.

“Women who are overweight during pregnancy are at an increased risk of having a miscarriage and developing conditions such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia.

“They are also more likely to have a premature baby, require a Caesarean section, experience a haemorrhage after birth or develop a clot which can be life-threatening.

“In addition, overweight women have bigger babies who are themselves more likely to become obese and have significant health problems as a result.”

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