Blog — Page 13 of 48 — Bethany Rutledge

2017

IVF Stories: How do you feel during a cycle?

Through going public about fertility treatments, I was able to reconnect with people I haven’t spoken to or seen for many years. Also, a lot of questions! IVF Stories: How do you feel during a cycle? Here’s what the egg retrieval process looked like during a cycle: They pump you up full of hormones to hopefully make your body mature a bunch of eggs instead of just one egg. I injected multiple substances into my body day and night. Also, I had to go in for near daily appointments so they can see how things were progressing. The ‘ideal timeline’ (which I’m finding …

2017

Why I decided to be open about having fertility treatments

Should you be open about having fertility treatments? In retrospect, the hardest part about IVF (in-vitro fertilization), was keeping the secret. More specifically, the angst around deciding whether to keep things a secret or just tell the world. At first, I didn’t want to tell anyone at all. Then the start date for my prep began to approach and that’s when things got weird. I had to make excuses for my abnormal behavior. I got vague during future based discussions. And I started asking myself why people are secretive about it in the first place. Here, more specifically, are the reasons that …

Baby

Nailing Bath Time with Twins

How to nail bath time with twins When imagining (read:stressing out) about the logistics of twin babies, fewer things were more frightening than the thought of bath time. There must be so many steps to doing it properly. What if I missed one? Or what if they slipped and slid and sudsed right out of my hands or whatever contraption I had decided to put them in. So I read articles. Lots of them. And looked at bath products. In the end, bathtime is way less complicated than I imagined and we make it work with the help of a …

Essay

My 2019 goals are already a fail

It’s nearly halfway through January, and how many of us have dropped some–or all–of our planned resolutions? Is there an answer besides literally everyone? I know I’m guilty. One example: every year I hope to read through the Bible, a goal where success largely depends on the eat-the-elephant approach. Since I’m mentioning it, you can assume I’m already several bites short. Then there’s getting back in shape postpartum. Waay back in 2018, my slow and steady approach was something to be celebrated. Being smart, taking my time, and all that. Now my lack of progress, in that I haven’t gotten back …

Beginner Training Tips

Why you should open water swim before your first triathlon

As I stood in a cold lake preparing to tackle the John Tanner Sprint, I desperately wished I had done more open water swimming. When the horn went off, the water became a churning mess of flying arms and legs. I got whacked and kicked more times than I could count, which increased my panic. I stopped and apologized to about the first three people I made contact with. “Oh, I’m sorry.” “Whoops!” After that, I realized no one was apologizing to me, and when I grazed these ladies with my hand or foot, they didn’t even break stroke! In …

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Baby

I tried all the things to boost milk supply

Here’s what worked [for me] From the beginning, I struggled to produce enough milk for my preemie twins. Between my twins’ long NICU stay–and the fact that I couldn’t hold them for weeks, I spend lots of time trying to boost milk supply. Let’s just say my body never got the memo there were two babies. Obsessed with producing more, I scoured the internet for advice. Here’s what worked for me. Though your experience may differ, hopefully this helps some other mamas out there. Eating Oats Oats are supposed to increase milk supply, and a daily half cup of oats …