Would you go on an extreme diet in your last trimester?

There’s a scary new trend taking hold among body-conscious mums-to-be.

Have you heard about the Final Trimester Flat Belly Diet? Apparently it’s the latest trend in the UK.

Instead of taking in an extra 300 calories a day – as recommended by doctors – some women are sticking to low-fat, low-carb diets for the final three months of their pregnancy, at around 1200 calories a day. That’s about half of what they should be consuming. According to the Daily Mail UK, their aim is to be able to get back into a bikini six weeks after the birth.

Excuse me?

A flat stomach will be the last thing on your mind six weeks after giving birth.

Trust me, this is the reality:

Six weeks after having a baby you’re going to be covered in vomit and possibly poo.

Just having a shower and finding clean clothes to wear in the morning is going to seem like an achievement.

You’re going to be so exhausted that you fall asleep, face first, in your breakfast cereal.

Do you really think you’ll be parading around on a beach in a bikini? Unless your surname is Kardashian, your job is looking good and you have a team of people working for you, probably not.

You don’t have to. Ease up on yourself.

There's a reason doctors recommend pregnant women take in an extra 300 calories a day. Because you are eating for another person. This little person's wellbeing depends on you.

According to scientists at the University of Cambridge, women who go on fad diets during pregnancy and starve their unborn babies of essential nutrients make their children more vulnerable to obesity and premature death.

If there really are women out there who value their appearance over their child's health, then you've got to wonder if they're taking this whole parenting thing seriously.

Sorry to sound mean, but really.

Kids are a package deal. You get the good bits (the hugs, the giggles, the gorgeous faces) and you get some bad bits too (the saggy tummy, the droopy boobs, the tired eyes).

One of the reasons I loved being pregnant was that I didn't have to worry about the size of my tummy. In my final trimester, I looked like I was trying to shoplift a basketball from a sports store, as people kept telling me. I ate my extra 300 calories a day - oh yes - and I loved it. Buttered toast. Bowls of pasta. Smoothies. Mmm...

This is one time in your life when you shouldn't be thinking about dieting. Love your big belly. You are beautiful when you're pregnant. You may or may not get your flat tummy back afterwards, but you might find that beauty doesn't have to involve a six-pack.

Go easy on yourselves.

Do you think women are put under too much pressure to lose their baby weight?

Want more? Try:

4 truths about our post-baby bodies.

Women bare their tiger tummies in support of this one, bully-baiting mum.