diff --git a/js/widget.js b/js/widget.js
index 0a4bafa..c722151 100644
--- a/js/widget.js
+++ b/js/widget.js
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ function  signatureValueChanged() {
             // Set the value from python into the CodeMirror widget in the
             // frontend.
 
-            const newDocstring = '"""' + model.get('docstring') + '"""';
+            const newDocstring = model.get('docstring');
 
             if (newDocstring !== myDocstringCodeMirror.state.doc.toString()) {
                 myDocstringCodeMirror.dispatch({
diff --git a/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py b/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py
index f1458f5..acb979a 100644
--- a/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py
+++ b/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def __init__(  # pylint: disable=too-many-arguments
         self,
         function_name,
         function_parameters="",
-        docstring="\n",
+        docstring=None,
         function_body="",
         code_theme="basicLight",
     ):
@@ -94,7 +94,15 @@ def __init__(  # pylint: disable=too-many-arguments
             
             self.function_name = function_name
             self.function_parameters = function_parameters
-            self.docstring = docstring
+            if docstring is not None and '"""' in docstring:
+                raise ValueError('Triple double quotes (""") not allowed in docstring')
+            if docstring is None:
+                self.docstring = ""
+            elif docstring.startswith("\"") and docstring.endswith("\""):
+                # assume the quotation marks have been added so we do not need to add them
+                self.docstring = docstring
+            else: 
+                self.docstring = f"\"\"\"{docstring}\"\"\""
             self.function_body = function_body
             self.code_theme = code_theme
             self.widget_instance_count_trait=f"{WidgetCodeInput.widget_instance_count}"
diff --git a/src/widget_code_input/utils.py b/src/widget_code_input/utils.py
index 1189de7..6670075 100644
--- a/src/widget_code_input/utils.py
+++ b/src/widget_code_input/utils.py
@@ -47,12 +47,11 @@ def build_pre_body(signature, docstring, indent_level=4):
     :param docstring: the (unindented) docstring
     :param indent_level: integer number of spaces to prepend to the docstring
     """
-    if '"""' in docstring:
-        raise ValueError('Triple double quotes (""") not allowed in docstring')
 
     return "{}\n{}".format(
         signature,
-        prepend_indent('"""{}"""'.format(docstring), indent_level=indent_level),
+        prepend_indent('' if docstring is None else '"""{}"""'.format(docstring),
+                       indent_level=indent_level),
     )