Michael (Bates) Keilen Bump Watch

[JesusCampSongs]

The Googles say that male factor infertility is the cause of approximately 30% of couples' infertility. It just doesn't get discussed much-- and certainly not in fundie circles, I'd imagine. 

A friend of mine ran into that issue. She and her husband spent over a year and a half doing fertility treatments on her (various medications, a few rounds of IUI) before someone suggested getting her husband's sperm checked. Lo and behold, he had low count and major morphology issues. They did IVF and wound up with twins. Turns out, there wasn't anything wrong on her end. 

[silverspoons]

 

Lets hope she really wanted to finish her studies or wait to be settled down in a permanent house. While it seemed like she loved kids and wanted them, maybe she has an idea in her mind that she wants to be in a certain place before having them. She might still have some early memories of the Nabisco days and then the poverty and then the nice house and have a vision for what she wants her family life to be like.

As someone who had to chart my cycles from age 13 (due to a genetic issue) I was so sick of tracking calendars and cycles. When I decided to try and get pregnant having sex on day 9,11,13,15,17 and the next month 8,10,12,14,16 , it just wasn't fun and I know many women who feel this way when TTC. She was a young women that went from 0 to 60 in a very short time and maybe with her move and studies she isn't up for the every other day "chore" TTC can turn into.

[Coconut Flan]

Or maybe Brandon isn't a huge rush to get started on babies or they wanted to wait until the possible shake up of IBLP HQ finished or perhaps they decided together that they really only want two or three kids. 

[infooverload]

I think they are interesting in their ability to stay as private as possible. They did the obligatory website after engagement and post just enough. Compare this with the other couples who do blog posts and post pictures weekly. Should be interesting to see where they are in a year. Not on topic but does anyone wonder who asked to court her when she was like 16. Her dad made a passing comment about it on an early Frontline special. Does anyone else remember this or am I mistaken in my recollection?

[InThePrayerCloset]

On 6 May 2016 at 7:13 AM, TShirtsLongSkirts said:

I'd love that too! I cant see it happening though. I'd see it more as they'd get a lot of help from fertility doctors and professionals and then if they did get preggo be all "oh God has blessed us!" and not actually be thankful to the scientists and doctors that made it happen. 

My uncle is an oncologist practising in Alabama after growing up and working in the north-east for 30 years. He attends church twice a week, and moved to Alabama as he wanted to improve healthcare amongst America's poor after making squillions as one of the nations' a foremost oncologist treating Senators, Governors, and Fortune 500 executives.

He says the one of the things that drives him absolutely mental in Alabama is people who would have a very good prognosis refusing proper treatment as the cancer is part of "gods plan". He responds with "yes, and it was part of gods plan for me to go to medical school, become one of America's top oncologist and then move here to help you live a full life".

He's an interesting fellow who actively tries to "speak Christian" to people who aren't keen on medical treatment but rather want to rely on prayer. 

He would probably say God has indeed blessed Chad and Erin in the sense that he gave the doctors the intelligence and the skills to treat her condition. 

We had a really interesting discussion about pregnancy and cancer treatment too. He says, even as an observant conservative Christian, that one of the most demoralising things is when a young female patient refuses treatment for a curable cancer due to pregnancy. He had a 22 year old female patient die recently after refusing chemo because she was 7 weeks pregnant, and I know that tore him up inside. 

Sorry for the rant, I just thought it might be an interesting perspective. 

[silverspoons]

9 hours ago, InThePrayerCloset said:

My uncle is an oncologist practising in Alabama after growing up and working in the north-east for 30 years. He attends church twice a week, and moved to Alabama as he wanted to improve healthcare amongst America's poor after making squillions as one of the nations' a foremost oncologist treating Senators, Governors, and Fortune 500 executives.

He says the one of the things that drives him absolutely mental in Alabama is people who would have a very good prognosis refusing proper treatment as the cancer is part of "gods plan". He responds with "yes, and it was part of gods plan for me to go to medical school, become one of America's top oncologist and then move here to help you live a full life".

He's an interesting fellow who actively tries to "speak Christian" to people who aren't keen on medical treatment but rather want to rely on prayer. 

He would probably say God has indeed blessed Chad and Erin in the sense that he gave the doctors the intelligence and the skills to treat her condition. 

We had a really interesting discussion about pregnancy and cancer treatment too. He says, even as an observant conservative Christian, that one of the most demoralising things is when a young female patient refuses treatment for a curable cancer due to pregnancy. He had a 22 year old female patient die recently after refusing chemo because she was 7 weeks pregnant, and I know that tore him up inside. 

Sorry for the rant, I just thought it might be an interesting perspective. 

I am sick of the God's will and plan excuses as well. Our only hospital is just horrible but because our area is so religious when obvious mistakes are made it is always God's will. I have seen countless seniors die due to simple medication errors or being sent fast out of the ER saying the had a minor illness with no tests being done and they die of an AAA, stroke or heart attack hour later. Two kids recently died of over looked fixable issues (high blood sugars and an infection) but it was God's time to call the child back and they had served their earthly purpose. I have tried to be a voice for others but it has not helped. I currently am refusing to pay my portion of a radiology bill for my child because they 100% misread my child's brain scan, saying my child had nothing wrong when there was an abnormality in 3 lobes that any lay person could see it was so large. If I had not gone for a second opinion , it would have been a very bad situation for my child. I was told by numerous hospital billing people and the radiology department that it was God's plan for me to find out from the second doctor??? What if my husband and I couldn't afford like some families to drive 600 miles in the snow to see that second doctor?  My old PCP was from NY and when he left he told me to get the hell out of here and to blog and photograph everything I saw on several issues. I still have yet to make it public but this doctor is pushing me to. He was so sick of the injustice for the people that do not have a voice, the very old and very young. He like your Uncle tried to come and help but just could not take it anymore.

I do think fertility is a different issue with the highly religious that desire large families. I have seen the same ones that say it is God's will when a child dies from an illness that would have cost next to nothing to treat , spend 6 figures on trying to have another baby.

[Melissa1977]

@InThePrayerCloset your uncle must be suffering in his work!

I don't understand religious people rejecting medical treatment. In Spain, only Jehova witnesses (who are a tiny minority here) reject treatments, but it's ilegal they reject treatments for their kids under 18. We have a few hardcore catholics, but they're ok with doctors and studying medecine is one of their favourite careers. In fact hardcore catholics here (Opus dei people) absolutely encourage children, both boys and girls, to go to university, even to public ones. They are known for looking for the best education, the opposite of american evangelical ones. Same god opposite views.

[RosyDaisy]

This Alabama gal and her family believes in modern medicine. My husband is an EMT, and I have cousins who are nurses. IMO modern medicine and doctors is part of God's plan.

[faraway]

@InThePrayerCloset I can't believe what I just read. This is just so mind-boggling and until I saw "NY" I would have guessed you lived in a less developed country. Living in central Europe, this is so hard for me to understand. I'm happy the major part of society is so rational here. An environment where people talk about "god's plan" would make me lose my mind.

[Diana]

9 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

@InThePrayerCloset your uncle must be suffering in his work!

I don't understand religious people rejecting medical treatment. In Spain, only Jehova witnesses (who are a tiny minority here) reject treatments, but it's ilegal they reject treatments for their kids under 18. We have a few hardcore catholics, but they're ok with doctors and studying medecine is one of their favourite careers. In fact hardcore catholics here (Opus dei people) absolutely encourage children, both boys and girls, to go to university, even to public ones. They are known for looking for the best education, the opposite of american evangelical ones. Same god opposite views.

If you think about it it would be better if we had stupid religious people like in America, that way nobody would take them seriously and they would never reach power positions.

[mango_fandango]

"It's God's will" makes God sound like a right cunt, especially with regards to kids. 

[trisprefect]

On 5/14/2016 at 7:23 PM, faraway said:

@InThePrayerCloset I can't believe what I just read. This is just so mind-boggling and until I saw "NY" I would have guessed you lived in a less developed country. Living in central Europe, this is so hard for me to understand. I'm happy the major part of society is so rational here. An environment where people talk about "god's plan" would make me lose my mind.

Seriously! Having always lived in the Northeast Corridor in fairly liberal areas, I sometimes end up in such a bubble of progressive ideas and secularism that I forget that there are actually a lot of people who live in the same country as me who have such backwards thinking. In my least kind moments, I sometimes wish that the South was its own country so that it would stop dragging down the rest of us. (No offense to our members who live in the South and are rational human beings -- it can't be easy being surrounded by such foolishness.)

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, trisprefect said:

Seriously! Having always lived in the Northeast Corridor in fairly liberal areas, I sometimes end up in such a bubble of progressive ideas and secularism that I forget that there are actually a lot of people who live in the same country as me who have such backwards thinking. In my least kind moments, I sometimes wish that the South was its own country so that it would stop dragging down the rest of us. (No offense to our members who live in the South and are rational human beings -- it can't be easy being surrounded by such foolishness.)

because of course there are no 'backwards thinking' people in the NE corridor --no Trump voters, for example...no one in southside Boston has ever had an iliberal thought...

[trisprefect]

3 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

because of course there are no 'backwards thinking' people in the NE corridor --no Trump voters, for example...no one in southside Boston has ever had an iliberal thought...

Don't remember saying that the South has the only claim to backwards thinking people, just a larger percentage than most of the places that I have personal experience living. Of course there are blocks of liberal, tolerant people in the South, just as there are patches of Trump supporters in the North. But religious intolerance is far more widespread in the South than in NYC or Boston or Bethesda, the specific "fairly liberal areas" that I was speaking of, and I don't think anyone can argue against that.

[Geechee Girl]

It seems to me the South gets a lot of flack here which is unwarranted. There are many people of various faiths who believe their Creator has a plan for their lives. It's presumptuous to paint people of a particular region as backwards.

[JermajestyDuggar]

If I remember correctly, 2/3 of all couples will become pregnant within 6 months of sex without any form of birth control. By 9 months I believe it's more than 3/4. So statistically speaking, the odds of Michaela becoming pregnant by her 9 month anniversary are high.

 

For her sake, I hope she is newly pregnant now or becomes pregnant soon. Because in the fundie world, it's what her entire life revolves around. 

 

Wasnt anna beside herself when she didn't get pregnant until four whole months after marriage? I assume it's similar for all the girls in this group. 

[OldFadedStar]

13 minutes ago, Geechee Girl said:

It seems to me the South gets a lot of flack here which is unwarranted. There are many people of various faiths who believe their Creator has a plan for their lives. It's presumptuous to paint people of a particular region as backwards.

I agree! I moved to Charleston earlier this year and I've surprisingly have met a lot of people that aren't gun toting redneck republicans.. which is the stereotype it seems. I've met more homosexuals in the few months I've been here than I have my entire life. It's more likely that I am to encounter a liberal than I am a conservative. 

[infooverload]

I think it boils down to a stereotype caricature people ascribing to people from certain regions. Then there are stories which reinforce confirmation bias and who the person may or may not encounter while in a given region or situation.

[Dandruff]

On 5/14/2016 at 11:25 PM, Coconut Flan said:

Or maybe Brandon isn't a huge rush to get started on babies or they wanted to wait until the possible shake up of IBLP HQ finished or perhaps they decided together that they really only want two or three kids. 

Agree there's no telling, though I suspect Michael would have been thrilled to become pregnant with triplets on her wedding night. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

It may be a blessing in disguise if Michaela takes a little while to become pregnant. Imagine, she may only have 5 kids by the time she's 40. That sounds downright small and very manageable! :-D

[BeccaGrim]

8 hours ago, infooverload said:

I think it boils down to a stereotype caricature people ascribing to people from certain regions. Then there are stories which reinforce confirmation bias and who the person may or may not encounter while in a given region or situation.

I agree. I grew up in the Northeast, born in NYC and I live in Texas now.  You can find all types everywhere. 

[QuiverDance]

There are dumbasses everywhere.   

[faraway]

I just can't see them putting off a pregnancy. Michael has been very clear that she wants a large family. Didn't she say in the instagram posts things like "unfortunetaly no news yet" and "twins would be a blessing". Does anyone seriously believe they're waiting for her to finish her unaccredited degree? They had a long courtship and engagement for fundie-standards. They're married now and the babies should be coming and so far nothing's happening. I have no doubt in my mind they've been trying since the wedding night.

[VelociRapture]

17 minutes ago, faraway said:

I just can't see them putting off a pregnancy. Michael has been very clear that she wants a large family. Didn't she say in the instagram posts things like "unfortunetaly no news yet" and "twins would be a blessing". Does anyone seriously believe they're waiting for her to finish her unaccredited degree? They had a long courtship and engagement for fundie-standards. They're married now and the babies should be coming and so far nothing's happening. I have no doubt in my mind they've been trying since the wedding night.

Her degree isn't unaccredited. She's attending Roane State College in Tennessee (per the info listed on UP's website for the show.) The school website has information at the following address regarding their accreditation:

http://www.roanestate.edu/catalog/?id=68

 

[faraway]

My apologies, I didn't know that. It is quite unusual for fundies to get an accredited education. 

However it is online, correct? For fundies it's babies>education, but she might still finish it on her own pace online, even if she had a baby soon.