Fat and Scared to Give Birth: How Weight Stigma Can Be More Dangerous Than Being Fat
Do you know that feeling of sitting on the exam table after just having your weight and blood pressure checked by the nurse? Have you gnawed on the inside of your jaw thinking about what your medical provider would say either verbally or through body language when they enter the room? As you sit on the table and feel the soft kick of your baby in utero, are you reminded from various scholarly and not so scholarly articles of the potential harm your baby is facing because you have been labeled “overweight” or “obese”? I remember peering at my medical chart records and seeing the words “obese” written on my file. I also remember various medical providers telling me I should gain no more than 10-12 pounds throughout my gestational period. I also remember the fear of not wanting to gain because it meant I was actively engaging in harming my baby by simply being. Because I am a larger body, I was made to think I was setting my baby on the fast track to health issues. At least that is what my immediate medical providers and some research was saying. Take Leddy, Power, and Schulkin for example, they state maternal obesity is associated with abnormal growth of the fetus (2008). But through my journey of reset and rest, I found a lot of “research” is rooted in weight stigma or what is known as weight bias or weight discrimination. It is when a normal size person looks at a person in a larger size body and makes assumptions such as, “this person has low self-esteem” or is “sloppy”. Now I would say there could be evidence of low self-esteem because we as a society are surrounded by diet culture and are often faced with the stigma of being above “normal size”. By the way, what is “normal size” ? Whose normal are we comparing ourselves?
Back to the topic of being overweight, obese, larger sized, and pregnant. According to the research from Incollingo Rodriguez, Tomiyama, Guardino, and Dunkel Schetter (2019), Weight discrimination was found to influence symptoms of postpartum depression and weight retention for participants one year postpartum. Postpartum depression carries adverse effects on the fetus as well as future affects in infant/child development. Mothers with postpartum depression are less attentive, have poorer mood regulation and poorer problem solving skills (Maternal Depression and Child Development, 2004). Imagine if a provider whom an overweight mother interacted with was well versed in Health At Every Size (HAES) or was simply able to see their patient as a human focused on carrying to term and experiencing a positive birthing experience. How supported this person would feel. It could possibly reduce the chances of the birthing person experiencing postpartum mental health concerns and lead to healthy childhood development. It is dangerous to solely focus on weight where there is empirical evidence that refute the research rooted in weight discrimination. What has not been seen is evidence to refute maternal depression and its effects on infant/child development. At the very least, medical professional in the healthcare world should take in account the variables they can control which would be providing unbiased and compassionate care. I believe had I not felt shamed for my weight I would have enjoyed being pregnant more than I did. I am writing this out in the blogsphere so that birthing persons in larger bodies are able to see weight stigma is not a shortcoming of their own doing, but of a society that is rooted in anti-blackness and discriminatory practices. My hope is that we are educated on all research and are armed with the knowledge to counter weight discrimination on the exam table.
In solidarity,
Reketta
Citations:
Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C., Tomiyama, A. J., Guardino, C. M., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2019). Association of weight discrimination during pregnancy and postpartum with maternal postpartum health. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 38(3), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000711
Leddy, M. A., Power, M. L., & Schulkin, J. (2008). The impact of maternal obesity on maternal and fetal health. Reviews in obstetrics & gynecology, 1(4), 170–178.
Maternal depression and child development. (2004). Paediatrics & child health, 9(8), 575–598. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/9.8.575
*Disclaimer: This blog was meant for educational purposes only. This blog is not meant to substitute medical advice from a licensed medical professional. The information given is from the opinion and research read by the author of the blog. Please consult a medical professional for further information.