Shelley Malcolm* was counting down the days until her first appointment with her obstetrician, but as soon as she stepped into the waiting room with her fiancé, she knew something wasn?t right. There were posters about healthy eating and exercise on the wall, she was weighed on a supersize scale and all of the expectant moms were fat. Instead of exchanging shy smiles with them, she avoided eye contact out of embarrassment.
Shelley, who is 5?9? and 280 pounds, had been funnelled into a program for pregnant women with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater without her knowledge or consent after her family doctor referred her to an OB. She?d wondered if the doctor would bring up her weight, but she didn?t expect what happened in the examination room. ?I was looking forward to hearing the baby?s heartbeat, but the OB didn?t even check it. She didn?t even touch me,? says Shelley, now a mom to a one-year-old son. ?She just talked about how bigger ladies have more problems.?
The obstetrician listed off a litany of risks, including experiencing epidural complications and post-delivery infections. She encouraged Shelley to attend the clinic?s group sessions on basic nutrition and exercise but didn?t ask about her health or lifestyle. ?I was treated like I was just a BMI number. I felt really humiliated.?
If the doctor had asked, she would have learned that Shelley is active and regularly goes to the gym, but has struggled with her weight since childhood and suffered from anorexia...