A Conversation with Jenny McCarthy

Jenny McCarthy on Celebrity Pregnancy

"Screw winning an Academy Award someday...I GAVE BIRTH!"

And so begins Jenny McCarthy's best-selling Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth (Da Capo).

McCarthy, former MTV host -- and yes, Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year -- gave birth to her first child, Evan, in May 2002. And no hormonal rampage or gassy fart is too embarrassing for her to dish about. In her trademark playful and frank style, McCarthy checked in with AmericanBaby.com, and talked about all the joyful -- and ridiculous! -- things that go hand-in-hand with becoming a mother.

AmericanBaby.com: Belly Laughs, your recent book about the "naked truth about pregnancy and childbirth," is a New York Times best-seller. Obviously, your book has struck a chord! Did you ever think that your musings on granny panties and skinny woman rage would do so well?

Jenny McCarthy: Well, actually, yes! I mean, every time I would talk to friends about the crazy things that were happening to my pregnant body, they'd all say, "Oh my gosh, yes! That happened to me too, but no one warned me." That kind of reaction told me that someone needed to share the gross stuff, and that everyone would relate to the truth being told.

AB: As a woman who is comfortable in front of cameras -- from Playboy playmate to MTV host to film/television actress -- you have experience living in the public eye. How was sharing your pregnancy publicly a different experience? Was it harder or easier to do?

JM: Celebrity or not, pregnancy does some wicked things to your body, and I think it's ridiculous to deny the changes. Yes, I'm in the public eye, but any fool can see that I gained weight like every other pregnant woman on earth since the beginning of time!

By sharing the details of my experience, I beat the critics in the media to the punch. Anyone who wants to say "Oh, look at the weight she gained," doesn't have an audience now because I admitted to the weight gain first. (And I didn't round the number down like some others do either!)