Large numbers of young mothers feel under pressure to lose weight to match celebrity stereotypes – and fail, according to a major survey published today.
Campaigners said midwives need to do more work with pregnant women to help them deal with weight issues.
Recent British guidelines on weight in pregnancy say women should be encouraged not to "eat for two".
But the survey of more than 6,000 mothers found that just 16 per cent of women rated the advice they received on healthy eating and weight management as satisfactory or better.
Some 63 per cent said their midwife failed to discuss key weight issues during their first ante-natal appointment. However 51 per cent said they had received advice on healthy eating.
The survey was released by the Royal College of Midwives on the eve of its annual conference in Manchester and was conducted by the mothers’ social networking site Netmums.
Many women said that pregnancy made them feel embarrassed about their body and weight, describing themselves as "elephant-like" or "fat ugly big".
And they told how they struggled to lose weight after birth – in spite of media images of celebrities apparently recovering their figures within weeks of having a baby.
Top tips from mothers about managing weight include balanced eating, walking and breast-feeding.
Lindsay Ritchie, aged 28, from Northern Ireland, said: "I have been trying, unsuccessfully to lose weight as my daughter is almost two years old now but I am still five stone overweight. If the likes of Tess (Daly) and Holly (Willoughby) can get back to pre-pregnancy size in weeks, why can’t I?"
RCM general secretary Cathy Warwick said: "There is a real need to address the issue of obesity, and this survey shows this is particularly important for women.
"The growing volume of evidence shows that the health of an obese mother is further compromised by the pregnancy and also has an impact on the health of her unborn baby. Poorer health for mother and child can also lead to a greater future strain on health services and resources.
"This is something that also has major effects before and beyond pregnancy and it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The exaggeration of risks is being used to demonise the idea that an overweight mother can’t have a normal birth without medical interventions."
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