Michael and Brandon Keilen- Part 2

[Tangy Bee]

Both are still very young and they have not been married long. Just because she did not get pregnant ASAP still should not mean they are having fertility issues. Unless a Dr has confirmed this. Hope she isn't comparing her body to her mom or married sisters. But, that would be tough to do when both sisters were pregnant within a few months  of marriage.

5 minutes ago, actuallyjessica said:

we don't know if their issue is getting pregnant, or staying pregnant. either way there is an issue. they don't believe in birth control, so have been having unprotected sex since they married in september 2015. doctors say if you are doing that for 12 months with no pregnancy occuring, further investigations need to happen.

I know friends and relatives who did not get pregnant for more than 2 years. They didn't panick or seek medical advice. Ages rage 20-30 years old. Just waited around until it just happened. But we live in a different reality and don't have strangers from all over the world asking about a pregnancy ALL the time. I realize there are women who have fertility issues and regret that this is so. I hope Michael's "issue" is something that can be helped. 

[SorenaJ]

They could still have had fertility problems that made more difficult for them to get pregnant.

I wonder if Michael and Brandon use ovulation tests. Might help to pinpoint when exactly is the most fertile time, especially if Michael has varying cycle length. And shame for them that Brandon is not allowing to spill his seeds and get his sperm checked. 

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

56 minutes ago, SorenaJ said:

They could still have had fertility problems that made more difficult for them to get pregnant.

I wonder if Michael and Brandon use ovulation tests. Might help to pinpoint when exactly is the most fertile time, especially if Michael has varying cycle length. And shame for them that Brandon is not allowing to spill his seeds and get his sperm checked. 

From the preview, it seemed like Brandon (both of them?) is content to wait for awhile, but that doesn't mean he will refuse to get checked ever. 

[infooverload]

I wonder if a direct question of medical testing was specifically an off limits question to be asked during the talking heads? Not related to their family planning plans, I wonder what is happening with the clothing line Michael wanted to start. At the time when they were covering the storyline I thought it was interesting in the show description at least it was indicated she was going to discuss the business plan with Chad. I remembered thinking it seemed odd since her own father has personal business experience.

[Audrey2]

54 minutes ago, infooverload said:

I wonder if a direct question of medical testing was specifically an off limits question to be asked during the talking heads? Not related to their family planning plans, I wonder what is happening with the clothing line Michael wanted to start. At the time when they were covering the storyline I thought it was interesting in the show description at least it was indicated she was gnoing to discuss the business plan with Chad. I remembered thinking it seemed odd since her own father has personal business experience.

Yes, but Chad is actually a successful businessman! (Or at least more seemingly successful and seemingly industrious.)

[RosyDaisy]

Chad a successful businessman? I just snorted sweet tea out of my nose.

[Audrey2]

13 minutes ago, RosyDaisy said:

Chad a successful businessman? I just snorted sweet tea out of my nose.

Glad I could make your day!

 

I don't think Chad is good, but Gil seems even worse.

[infooverload]

I found it interesting in the fact it would seem to go counter narrative to Gil being portrayed as a good business man able to support his growing family. When your own child goes to a siblings spouse for advice, and she was raised in the house with the growing family it certainly sends a message. I don't think it was intended, but does seem a rather glaring unintentional commentary.

[freejoy]

i really feel for Michael. 

I think she is just sweeter than my very sugary sweet tea and it's sad that it doesn't work for her as easy as her sisters.

I hope she is okay talking about it on camera because it is a very private matter.

[RosyDaisy]

I hope she never conceives. The thought of more children being born into that cult makes me sick. Also, not a single one of the married/young adult Bates is sweet. They are all terrible, evil people.

[AlternativeVoice]

I think this lifestyle is more suited for Michael's personality from what we have been shown. She seems genuinely happy to tend to her siblings , parents, husband , everyone she comes in contact with etc. So for that reason I feel extremely sad that she is dealing with any sort of fertility issues. 

[Carm_88]

Here is Kelly's birthday message to Michael. I'm pretty sure Kelly and Gil would have had eleventy children anyway. 

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

27 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

Here is Kelly's birthday message to Michael. I'm pretty sure Kelly and Gil would have had eleventy children anyway. 

I still say Kelly does the best fundie-mom birthday posts. 

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

Here is Kelly's birthday message to Michael. I'm pretty sure Kelly and Gil would have had eleventy children anyway. 

 

I think Kelly does say nice things. And she and Michael(la) seem close. However, it still boils down to: "Gee, thanks for being a sister mom, so I didn't have to inconvenience myself taking care of the kids I popped out every 14-18 months; that potty training is especially annoying."

[Pretzel]

6 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

I think Kelly does say nice things. And she and Michael(la) seem close. However, it still boils down to: "Gee, thanks for being a sister mom, so I didn't have to inconvenience myself taking care of the kids I popped out every 14-18 months; that potty training is especially annoying."

Yep, this! Though it's definitely more than Michelle Duggar ever had to say about her kids. At least there's some fundie-genuine words of appreciation and a few more words other than 'you have a servant's heart' (though it kinda boils down to that, too). This particular birthday post doesn't make me immediately sick as Michael obviously REALLY loves doing all that creative-homey-caring-sister-mom stuff and I can't really blame her for that (I liked that too). So, happy birthday Michael. 

 

9 hours ago, RosyDaisy said:

I hope she never conceives. The thought of more children being born into that cult makes me sick. Also, not a single one of the married/young adult Bates is sweet. They are all terrible, evil people.

In my book, wishing infertility on someone counts as evil too. 

[Melissa1977]

I usually think that Kelly writes nice birthday posts but I don't agree it's one of them. She's basically saying her daugther has been a slave. And if Michael is suffering infertility, it's not nice her mom reminds her how she could choose to have a million kids.

More thoughts about the picture: the 2 youngest are Ok but the 2 eldest are not properly dressed for Chicago weather. Their jackets are thin and one seems to be wearing one of Michael's scarfs so I suppose he has not his own scarf. So Kelly and Gil can travel to Australia and enjoy themselves and not only they leave 5 kids to her daugther, but also they leave them bad equipped for the winter. 5 kids is a lot of work and a lot of food and if Michael is still in the tiny appartment, it can be unconfortable. I know she loves her siblings but I also think that Kelly and Gil are still taking advantage of Michael's "servant heart".

I'm happy she went to live to Chicago because if she was living near her parents, she would be still raising siblings every day.

[RosyDaisy]

In my book, wishing infertility on someone counts as evil too. 

I'm thinking of the horror of another child born into this cult, but I guess that doesn't matter. The desperate desire for children trumps that. I will happily be the evil bitch that wishes infertility on fundies.

[Marly]

On 23-1-2017 at 5:32 PM, metheglyn said:

According to Lily and Ellie (and the Bringing Up Bates episode promo video) they'll be addressing their fertility issues in this week's episode. Hopefully it's done tastefully and not in such a way as to bring stress to Michaela, because yeah. Regardless of feelings about the Bateses as a whole, she doesn't deserve to be mocked or such on their show. And maybe it'll get people to stop asking her about it?

http://uptv.com/shows/bringing-up-bates/videos/bringing-up-bates-on-the-next-new-episode-of-bringing-up-bates/

What did they say about it during the episode? Or hasn't it aired yet? (I don't live in the US, they don't even air the show here).

I was wondering, couldn't they use 'possible infertility' to mask that they are either using birth control or 'natural' birth control (only have sex on days the woman is least fertile. I once read that catholic couples who aren't allowed to use birth control but are allowed to keep track of the woman's menstrual cycle use this as a form of birth control)  because they don't want kids yet (because they want to enjoy their married life together first)?
I understand that it's unlikely because they both have been indoctrinated with the idea that every woman should want and have kids and that birth control is evil, but that indoctrination could also be why infertility is the only reason the people surrounding them will accept as a reason for them not being pregnant yet. I've heard stories like this before. A fundy woman I used to talk to regularly was on birth control after 4 kids and two miscarriages, and when her family and friends kept nagging her about a new pregnancy she told them that after her last miscarriege she hadn't been able to conceive anymore. They wouldn't have accepted her use of birth control, so she lied.

If they are having firtility issues, I can imagine that the stress of everyone asking continously if she's pregnant isn't helping either. 

[HarleyQuinn]

God, Kelly's message. "Thanks for being a Bates Slave Michael! I can pop out all the kids I want because you raise them for me." 

[JillyO]

Did Michael and Brandon seriously have five of her brothers, including three teenagers, staying with them in their tiny apartment while Kelly and Gil took a nice trip to Australia and New Zealand? Fucking hell.

[QuiverDance]

7 hours ago, Marly said:

I was wondering, couldn't they use 'possible infertility' to mask that they are either using birth control or 'natural' birth control (only have sex on days the woman is least fertile. I once read that catholic couples who aren't allowed to use birth control but are allowed to keep track of the woman's menstrual cycle use this as a form of birth control)  because they don't want kids yet (because they want to enjoy their married life together first)?
 

 

Natural Family Planning is not only acceptable in the Roman Catholic Church, it is taught.  I mean... not that it really works.  My brother is very devout and insisted theyd practice NFP after their marriage.  He and his wife got pregnant exactly five seconds after they were married.  They got pregnant again exactly five seconds after she stopped BF number 1.  No pregnancies since.  Looks like someone put her foot down.  

[busdrivingmom]

I went by IBLP's former HQ in Oak Brook yesterday.  The sign is down so I wonder how long MIchael and Brandon will stay here or have to move to Big Sandy if he is still employed by them.  And that stress could be adding to everything else going on.

[formergothardite]

"Happy Birthday! Thanks for being a child servant and raising my children for me! If I didn't have you to take care of this brood I would have never bothered to have them! I can barely remember their names, no way I would go through the hard work of raising 19 children.  Thanks for constantly telling me how wonderful I am! I'm just grand, I know. Other mothers are just really missing out by actually raising their own kids instead of turning their children into servants who raise their siblings. We are enjoying our nice trip without all those rowdy kids I gave birth to.  So glad you are close enough that you can still care for them."

 Kelly really is a shitty mother. 

[HereticHick]

On 1/25/2017 at 2:40 PM, JillyO said:

Did Michael and Brandon seriously have five of her brothers, including three teenagers, staying with them in their tiny apartment while Kelly and Gil took a nice trip to Australia and New Zealand? Fucking hell.

The boys might find it fun--like a sleepover.  But jeez--the bathroom situation! Wouldn't the hot water run out?

On 1/25/2017 at 7:08 PM, formergothardite said:

"Happy Birthday! Thanks for being a child servant and raising my children for me! If I didn't have you to take care of this brood I would have never bothered to have them! I can barely remember their names, no way I would go through the hard work of raising 19 children.  Thanks for constantly telling me how wonderful I am! I'm just grand, I know. Other mothers are just really missing out by actually raising their own kids instead of turning their children into servants who raise their siblings. We are enjoying our nice trip without all those rowdy kids I gave birth to.  So glad you are close enough that you can still care for them."

 Kelly really is a shitty mother. 

Michael and Brandon really aren't that close by--they are about 500 miles away. I bet if they were still in the Rocky Top area, Michael would have to babysit/educate her siblings every damn day

[JordynDarby5]

4 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

The boys might find it fun--like a sleepover.  But jeez--the bathroom situation! Wouldn't the hot water run out?

Michael and Brandon really aren't that close by--they are about 500 miles away. I bet if they were still in the Rocky Top area, Michael would have to babysit/educate her siblings every damn day

Given how often the siblings seem to be at Erin's or Zach's your probably right. Well its not like that's Kelly's job or Gil.