To Fast - Or Not?

I'd naively assumed that Muslims would follow the same guidelines as Catholics - women who are pregnant or nursing are exempt from fasting, automatically. I never thought about the issue. However, this article seems to be suggesting that women are not following that advice.

Fasting, for Catholics, means 2 smaller meals and 1 normal-sized meal. It's only for 1 day a week, and then only during Lent.

Ramadan, on the other hand, is a month-long fast. Muslims are not to eat during the day, at all. That's a lot of deprivation for pregnant or nursing moms.

Well, since it's optional for moms, why make a fuss? Because of this:

Update: I found the following article on Voxant. It seems that even in the relatively urban and relaxed Dubai, rules are rules - EVEN for NON-MUSLIMS.