What does it mean to support birth at every size?
Sarah from GestationDietitian, Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery, & Maggie came together to share how we can support birthing people of all sizes, and take the focus off of weight during pregnancy & birth.
Ray Rachlin, CPM, CLC 
Sarah, RDN, CDCES 
Maggie Runyon, MSN, RNC-OB
Ray Rachlin (she/they) LM, CPM, CLC is a midwife and founder of Refuge Midwifery, an inclusive midwifery practice providing fertility counseling and home IUI, home birth midwifery care, and community education throughout the greater Philadelphia area.
In addition to her private practice, for the past four years Ray has been immersed in promoting affirming reproductive care for transgender patients, and has taught midwives, doctors, nurses, and birth professionals throughout the country on trans-inclusive fertility, birth and postpartum care.
Ray earned their Bachelor’s of Science in Midwifery at Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Oregon in 2016, and holds a BA in political science, urban studies and labor studies from Queens College. Ray is the President of the Pennsylvania Association of Certified Professional Midwives and a member of the Queer and Transgender Midwives Association.
Sarah (she/they) is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) with over ten years of experience in prenatal and postpartum nutrition with a speciality in gestational diabetes. Sarah works from a framework that is anti-diet culture, that is, against a culture that teaches us that foods, and often carbohydrates in particular, are “bad”. Sarah is passionate about providing inclusive, affirming care for all individuals and bodies and offers a welcoming, comfortable environment while using HAES®-aligned practical approaches. The gestational space is one that is typically gendered. Sarah works to challenge gender norms in providing affirming, equitable care to all people.
This week tune in as we discuss all the ways we can be supportive of our clients at higher weights.
How do we talk to people about their weight & their nutrition without lecturing or shaming?
When & why might it be relevant to discuss weight during pregnancy…and when is it unnecessary?
How can we be size-inclusive in our approaches to caring for people who are pregnant and preparing to give birth?
This discussion between Ray, Sarah, & Maggie explores addressing our biases and shifting culture around the role of weight in health.
Listen in for more info!
Here are some resources if you want to explore this more deeply:
~BMI During Pregnancy – Is It An Accurate Measurement Of Health?
~Intimate Connections Doula offers a BAES training for birthworkers, check for future dates!
Accounts to follow on IG: Big Fat Pregnancy, fat.and.pregnant, fat positive fertility
Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.
We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!
Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)