diff --git a/js/widget.js b/js/widget.js
index 0a4bafa..fca6ff0 100644
--- a/js/widget.js
+++ b/js/widget.js
@@ -205,18 +205,19 @@ function  signatureValueChanged() {
 
  function updateLineNumbers() {
      const linesSignature = mySignatureCodeMirror.state.doc.toString().split('\n').length;
-     const linesDocstring = myDocstringCodeMirror.state.doc.toString().split('\n').length;
 
+     const docstring = myDocstringCodeMirror.state.doc.toString();
+     const linesDocstring = docstring == "" ? 0 : docstring.split('\n').length;
 
      // increment line numbers in docstring text area by the number of lines in the signature
      myDocstringCodeMirror.dispatch({
- effects: guttercomp.reconfigure(
-     lineNumbers({ formatNumber: n=>linesSignature+n }))
+       effects: guttercomp.reconfigure(
+         lineNumbers({ formatNumber: n=> linesDocstring == 0 ? "" : linesSignature+n }))
      });
 
      myBodyCodeMirror.dispatch({
- effects: guttercomp.reconfigure(
-     lineNumbers({ formatNumber: n=>linesSignature+linesDocstring+n}))
+       effects: guttercomp.reconfigure(
+         lineNumbers({ formatNumber: n=>linesSignature+linesDocstring+n}))
      });
 
  }
@@ -225,7 +226,7 @@ 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..fb88249 100644
--- a/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py
+++ b/src/widget_code_input/__init__.py
@@ -62,8 +62,6 @@ def _valid_docstring(self, docstring):
             """
             Validate that the docstring do not contain triple double quotes
             """
-            if '"""' in docstring['value']:
-                raise TraitError('The docstring cannot contain triple double quotes (""")')
             return docstring['value']
 
 
@@ -73,7 +71,7 @@ def __init__(  # pylint: disable=too-many-arguments
         self,
         function_name,
         function_parameters="",
-        docstring="\n",
+        docstring=None,
         function_body="",
         code_theme="basicLight",
     ):
@@ -94,7 +92,18 @@ def __init__(  # pylint: disable=too-many-arguments
             
             self.function_name = function_name
             self.function_parameters = function_parameters
-            self.docstring = docstring
+            if docstring is None:
+                # we cannot store docstring as None so we use
+                # a variable to signify that it was None
+                self.docstring = ""
+                self._display_docstring = False
+            elif docstring.startswith("\"") and docstring.endswith("\""):
+                # assume the quotation marks have been added so we do not need to add them
+                self.docstring = docstring
+                self._display_docstring = True
+            else: 
+                self.docstring = f"\"\"\"{docstring}\"\"\""
+                self._display_docstring = True
             self.function_body = function_body
             self.code_theme = code_theme
             self.widget_instance_count_trait=f"{WidgetCodeInput.widget_instance_count}"
@@ -114,7 +123,7 @@ def full_function_code(self):
             including signature, docstring and body
             """
             return build_function(
-                self.function_signature, self.docstring, self.function_body
+                self.function_signature, self.docstring if self._display_docstring else None, self.function_body
             )
 
         @property
diff --git a/src/widget_code_input/utils.py b/src/widget_code_input/utils.py
index 1189de7..6af837c 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 docstring,
+                       indent_level=indent_level),
     )