Show Notes
Pregnancy brings big changes, frequent healthcare visits, and a lot of emotions. But for many pregnant people living in larger bodies, it can also come with judgment and bias—often from the very systems meant to provide support. In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Taniya Nagpal, whose research focuses on maternal health and weight stigma in perinatal care. We talk about what happens when assumptions shape care, how weight bias shows up in both subtle and obvious ways, and what we can do to create safer, more respectful experiences for patients—starting with how we listen. 🎯 In this episode: What weight bias looks like in pregnancy care—and how it often goes unrecognized
Real stories from people navigating perinatal care in larger bodies
How internalized bias impacts decision-making, confidence, and care-seeking
Systemic changes needed to improve reproductive care for people living with obesity Practical, person-centred steps healthcare professionals can take today
Additional resources: Obesity Canada’s weight bias resources: https://utm.guru/uiIcl
Free course: The Impact of Weight Bias & Stigma: https://utm.guru/uiIcm
Free course: Words matter: The Consequences of Weight Bias & Stigmatizing Language: https://utm.guru/uiIcn
Read some of Taniya Nagpal’s research:
Widespread misconceptions about pregnancy for women living with obesity: https://utm.guru/uiIco Women’s Suggestions for How To Reduce Weight Stigma in Prenatal Clinical Settings: https://utm.guru/uiIcq The WOMBS Framework: A review and new theoretical model for investigating pregnancy-related weight stigma and its intergenerational implications: https://utm.guru/uiIcr Close Relationships as Sources of Pregnancy-Related Weight Stigma for Expecting and New Mothers: https://utm.guru/uiIct
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More from Scale Up Your Practice by Obesity Canada
🎙️This episode is sponsored by an unrestricted education grant from Eli Lilly Canada
What happens when healthcare professionals know what evidence-informed obesity care should look like, but the system makes that care difficult to deliver? Ian Patton and Jennifer Brown join us on the podcast to unpack findings from The State of Obesity Care in Canada report and connect them to what clinicians and patients experience every day: limited referral pathways, uneven treatment coverage, gaps in psychological support, inconsistent access to metabolic bariatric surgery and the effects of weight bias at the system level.
🎙️This episode is sponsored by an unrestricted education grant from Eli Lilly Canada
🎙️This episode was made possible through the partnership between Obesity Canada and Boehringer Ingelheim in support of the Global Patient Charter Framework initiative.
🎙️This episode is sponsored by an unrestricted education grant from Eli Lilly Canada Pregnancy care should feel safe, respectful and supportive for every patient. But for pregnant patients living with obesity, clinical spaces can sometimes create anxiety before care even begins, from waiting room seating and equipment that do not fit, to conversations about weight, pregnancy risk and health that can feel stigmatizing. In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, Dr. Cynthia Maxwell joins Dr. Roshan Abraham and Michelle McMillan to discuss how healthcare professionals can create safer, more equitable pregnancy care for patients living with obesity. She shares practical strategies to reduce weight bias in maternal care, communicate pregnancy risks without blame, ask permission around weighing, and build healthcare environments where patients feel physically and psychologically safe.