'I had a baby 3 months ago. Last week, my doctor fat shamed me.'

Listen to this story being read by Rebecca Davis, here.

There I was, three months postpartum, babe in arms, standing in front of a GP, stunned.

I had come into this doctor’s clinic to receive dermatology advice and instead I walked out having had my weight take centre stage and my initial reason for the appointment cast aside. I had been fat-shamed and left scratching my head. 

A mere three months ago, my belly was marvelled at, and now it was being mocked. Was it for a medically warranted reason? No. 

Watch: How to be a good mum. Post continues after video. 

I write this article identifying as a cisgender, white female within a ‘straight-sized’ body. While I know that this sort of unsolicited discussion/advice/questioning is disturbingly commonplace for people in larger bodies, this was my first experience of such an encounter. 

I am an Exercise Physiologist who is health-literate, and still, the above interaction rattled me.

It got me thinking, "How many more people have birthed their own child, had their health concerns go unanswered, been subjected to postpartum fat shaming, and have consequently felt intimidated by the 'bounce back' culture?"

Individuals who are in the postpartum phase are one of the most vulnerable groups of people there are in modern-day society. We are encouraged to parent like we have no job and work like we have no children, all the while the notion of ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ feels more and more unrealistic as we are expected to manage it all. 

As an Exercise Physiologist, to all the people who I see in my clinic in this postpartum phase, here is my promise to you: I do not focus on your Body Mass Index, nor how many minutes of physical activity you have accrued this week. 

What I do care about is your mental health, your physical recovery journey, whether you have had an internal pelvic floor or abdominal examination, how much sleep you have had, whether you are suffering from postural pain, whether you have trouble feeding your child, whether you’ve managed to eat something today, whether you have showered, whether you have gotten out of the house, whether you have in place familial support, whether you have any medical conditions and whether you have any health-related goals I can help you with. 

Image: Supplied. 

I care about all of these things and more before I care about your weight and how much you are exercising, because I know that you do not need any other reason to feel inadequate at a time in your life when you are already vulnerable and more often than not struggling with the identity shift that is matrescence. 

I also care about standing up against outdated and misogynistic measures that inaccurately determine health (I’m looking at you, Body Mass Index). Because at the end of the day, these measures are simply not helpful.

I recognise my position of privilege when discussing this topic. I am not in a larger body and I am not classified as a medically unhealthy individual. But I DO identify as someone with a disordered eating history, who had a genuine unrelated health concern that was quickly dismissed and replaced with the unwarranted and unwelcome conversation about my weight. 

Had I not been armed with the confidence that comes from working and advocating for better overall health standards in my community, this off-the-cuff 'overweight' comment could have been disastrous to not only me but to the health of my baby. 

“Bounce back” culture continues to be supported so long as there are uninformed and uneducated people in power with outdated opinions who are willing to perpetuate it. The power imbalance is still rife within the medical industry between patient and doctor. It is while this imbalance in health literacy and the lack of acknowledgement of individual rights remains, people who have given birth will continue to feel powerless to speak up for fear of being ridiculed or simply not heard. 

To all the individuals who have been made to feel ashamed of their body that birthed life by a health practitioner who projected their unsolicited, incorrect or unsafe opinion or assessment of your health, I am sorry. And I want you to know there is support out there for you that you can trust. 

Being your own biggest advocate can prove difficult in the presence of an authoritative healthcare provider, but know that you always have a choice when it comes to selecting a provider whose practice and patient-led care aligns with you and your values. 

This article is a call to arms that sends the message that this treatment is simply not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Speaking out about unsafe, unsolicited health advice can help to reclaim the power that has been lost in the past in the hope that we can receive medical care and advice on the primary reason for our visits! 

Written by Jessica Woodward, one-handed, while breastfeeding three-month-old William to sleep, and who still has unanswered questions related to her primary dermatology complaint!

Feature Image: Supplied.

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