The Fat Positive Difference: Working with Size Inclusive Doulas at Big Fat Pregnancy
If you’re familiar with the concept of a doula, then you know that we are people who work to emotionally, mentally, and physically support birthing folks in preparation for their journey to parenthood as well as during labor. We provide a space to explore birth and think about choices you may encounter along the way. We can help you source information and talk about the benefits and risks of a variety of interventions and decisions you’ll face in your 40 some weeks of creating another human and the postpartum period that follows. We are a sounding board, a smiling face, a trusted mentor.
How does this all change when working with a fat positive doula practice like Big Fat Pregnancy? What does it mean to work collaboratively with a fat positive doula?
To answer this question, first let’s explore the Big Fat Pregnancy definition of fat positive.
We believe and practice care that is guided and informed by our clients' lived experience, care that is respectful, inclusive and intersectional. We provide FIERCELY affirming care and messaging that supports the belief that fat bodies are not just worthy, but have beauty and value of their own. Our clients are more than capable of conception and birth and deserve a positive and transformative birth experience.
Let’s break this down a bit more.
For us, our care is deeply centered on the notion that fat folks (and really all the clients we serve) are the experts of their own body, the experiences they've had with their body, and how those experiences have shaped their interactions and lives to date. That is the most powerful thing a client can bring and something we deeply respect and honor.
We practice care and the learning and unlearning that accompanies our roles to provide:
Care that is weight inclusive: rejects the pathologizing of fatness & respects body diversity
Care that is trauma informed: realizes, recognizes, responds, and resists re-traumatization
Care that is intersectional: fatness is inseparable from all other sections of identity and must be considered as only one part of a person.
What does this look like working with Big Fat Pregnancy? We focus on the following:
Resisting and re-educating about the myths around fat fertility, pregnancy, birth and postpartum, researching to understand the systemic bias, roots of racism, and to uncover what evidence based care practice could be the right option for you, in this moment
Physical support from folks who know how to support fat bodies and are comfortable touching (with permission), adjusting, and comforting every lovely fat roll on your body
Being knowledgeable and providing equipment that accommodates your body - this means birthing stools with higher weight limits, knee pads, pressure relief and positioning appropriate for larger bodies
Creating an environment where you feel comfortable and able to be yourself and know you aren’t judged, belittled, or bullied because of your size (or any other thing that makes you, you!)
A partnership and collaborative journey where we accept and provide feedback on the working relationship, changes needed, and celebrate the joys and wonders of becoming a parent
Working with Big Fat Pregnancy means we see fat people as whole, complete as the person you are, with zero change. We have built a foundation of care on HAES®, weight inclusivity, trauma informed, and anti-racist beliefs, practices, and unlearning.
We are your best friends with a supercharged, fat-loving, knowledgeable toolbox and list of connections to help you arrive at birth and parenthood more prepared and capable of experiencing joy in the body you have now!
If this aligns with your beliefs, schedule a consultation with us today!
♥️Christina & Emily
