Are you full figured and pregnant? Yes, you are at an elevated risk of developing a number of complications in pregnancy & birth, that non-curvy women are at lower risk for. That’s a fact. BUT, does that mean you can’t have a vaginal birth, a natural birth, a water birth? Does it mean your birth plans have to change? Does it mean you will have a “big baby”? Does it mean that your birth rights are thrown out the window?

NO.

Let me say that again…

NO!!!!

Here are some ways that you can head off some heartache and frustration. While making sure your desires and rights in pregnancy and birth will be respected…all the while keeping you and your precious baby safe.

#1 Choose a Full Figured Friendly Provider

What do I mean? Ask your provider questions! What percentage of their practice is plus sized? What percentage of those women have cesarean births? Do they support your chosen birth desires? Do they automatically line you up for 3x the prenatal testing of women with a lower weight? Not that you don’t NEED more testing… BUT, Your provider should explain the medical need for any and all testing, in a way that educates you on the benefits and risks of that testing. As well as the benefits & risks of declining it. They should lay out things for you in a way that is evidence based, while being respectful of your body and not demeaning the number on the scale. You need a care provider that will treat you as the beautiful pregnant woman that you are! Not as a “walking cesarean” or automatic “big baby”. So talk to them, explain your desires, listen to their expert opinion and advice. And know, that you still have rights.

#2 Choose a Full Figured Friendly Doula

Find a Certified Birth Doula who has experience serving curvy women. We Doula’s, are trained in how to provide emotional and physical support for laboring women of all shapes and sizes. But some of us specialize, or have more experience in the best ways to do this. For instance, we can use rebozos to provide more intense hip squeezes to give you pelvic relief that isn’t feasible by just using ur hands. We have education to help explain why it may be harder for a provider to perform an ECV (External cephalic version) to help manually turn your breech baby. We will have labor balls that will support any number on the scale instead of having to stay in the bed and miss out on the aid a labor ball could give you. The list goes on really. So do yourself a favor… and hire a Doula experienced in this. It will make a world of difference!

#3 Find Your Village

They don’t have to be curvy themselves… in order to love and respect you for being who you are! Find your pregnancy village that will point you in the direction of not only great evidenced based care providers & Doulas, but maternity and birth photographers! Massage therapists, Chiropractors, Childbirth Educators.. again, the list goes on! Seek to spend time with the people who love and care about you as well as those who have these resources at their fingertips! Find those that you can go lay on the beach with in your beautiful pregnant body and laugh and go have dinner with! Those who it’s actually FUN to go shopping with… the friend who also needs to find that G size nursing bra! Enjoy life, enjoy your pregnancy and don’t let anyone make you feel anything short of beautiful. Because after all.. your BMI doesn’t define beauty.

Take it from a full figured mom of three… a plus sized doula and childbirth educator myself…. YOU DESERVE HONOR, RESPECT & LOVE. DON’T LET ANYONE, whether it be your neighbor, the perfect mom in the car-pool line, your Dr, or even your mama bring you down! Because you CAN have the birth you are desiring! It’s all about setting yourself up for success and kicking the naysayers to the curb.