Erin and Chad: Fifty Shades of Pink

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 4:34 PM, Temperance said:

Erin is in yet another "maternity friendly" dress on the Bates Sisters Boutique. They seem to go through inventory fast at Bates Sisters Boutique. Anyway this is the third "maternity friendly dress" she's wearing in their on-line store. The three dresses are called The Macy (black), The Sarah, and The Paige and all of them are maternity friendly. Two of them claim to also be nursing friendly, although I can't see how the Paige is nursing friendly.  

I think she's pregnant. 

I just read that she is.

[Temperance]

8 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

I just read that she is.

I didn't see anything. 

[RedheadZombie]

Just now, Temperance said:

I didn't see anything. 

Reddit has a link to knoxnews.com which talks about it.  She's due in December.

[Temperance]

@RedheadZombie You're right. 

[BitterApple]

Oh, dear God. 

[Kathy]

Yep, UP TV just sent an email saying they are expecting.  

So where are they going to put this kid?  Don't they only have like two bedrooms?

[BitterApple]

6 minutes ago, Kathy said:

Yep, UP TV just sent an email saying they are expecting.  

So where are they going to put this kid?  Don't they only have like two bedrooms?

They do, and the bedrooms are tiny. You could barely fit two kids in there, let alone four. 

[andromeda331]

So they are either going to move or stack the kids? That's crazy. Four kids in that tiny house? Of course she's expecting. Every year just like clockwork. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

18 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

So they are either going to move or stack the kids? That's crazy. Four kids in that tiny house? Of course she's expecting. Every year just like clockwork. 

There is no way they aren't going to have that as a storyline on the show. Chad is either going to build a house, rehab one, or they will buy something. There will be plenty of interviews about how they have to hurry before the baby arrives. 

[Sew Sumi]

She already has quite the bump, so their time is all that much more limited.

eta

Edited June 6, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[cereality]

For a man who is aging in dog years, trying to start a business which needs to be lucrative enough to employ at least 2-4 brothers in law at any time, doesn’t seem to have the money for anything beyond a 2 bedroom rental or shacks that look like they may fall down if the wind blows (when they went out looking for properties), he sure is anxious to make baby after baby in quick succession.

[BitterApple]

9 minutes ago, cereality said:

For a man who is aging in dog years, trying to start a business which needs to be lucrative enough to employ at least 2-4 brothers in law at any time, doesn’t seem to have the money for anything beyond a 2 bedroom rental or shacks that look like they may fall down if the wind blows (when they went out looking for properties), he sure is anxious to make baby after baby in quick succession.

Mind-boggling, isn't it? 

I wonder if Chad fudges his income so they can qualify for Medicaid. He works for himself and they have no assets, so it wouldn't be hard to do. I mention it because I find it impossible to believe he can afford insurance for a family of five/six. Dr. Vick may waive or reduce his fee, but there's no way a hospital is letting Erin deliver for free. Then there's the heparin shots, vaccines for the kids, check-ups, etc. It doesn't add up.

Edited June 6, 2019 by BitterApple

[Temperance]

19 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

She already has quite the bump, so their time is all that much more limited.

eta

Women to show faster and faster the more pregnancies they have. Erin's history of delivering early is more to the point. I said it in the Sweet Fellowship thread of Counting On, but if they're announcing now, they're probably due early December. Given that Erin has a history of delivering early, she could easily have a baby in November. 

#surprise? This is not surprising. She already was posing in maternity dresses with #bump. Her baby is a year old and they don't believe in birth control. #notsurprised #calledit #wateriswet

[flyingdi]

It's really no surprise to me.  Chad wants Erin and Erin wants babies.  The more I see these patriarchal families the more I think they don't understand patriarchy.

[cereality]

My impression is Chad is the most fundie of the sons in law. He grew up in a fundie family and like Gil and Kelly I think he and Erin prioritized him working for himself so he can make his own hours, only work with who he chooses, be home anytime there isn’t business etc. And he believes in paying cash for homes even if that means all you can afford is falling down.

Contrast Zach who is fine w working for city govt with full benefits and taking on a mortgage for a gorgeous home. John who is acting like a fundie with baby making but has no problem working full time in one business while starting a 2nd one and taking on a mortgage for a proper home for a family of 5. And the new sons in law - Evan, Kelton, Bobby - are all fine going to trade school, working for others, and likely will take on mortgages because all 3 grew up living well and I don’t see them wanting to raise 4 kids in 2 bedrooms forever.

All that is to say I think he’d have NO problem taking on Medicaid. IDK how it’s determined but couldn’t they be close to the poverty line anyway? How much could these odd job construction projects pay esp when he is paying out something to Jackson and Trace? Fundies like Gil have no problem using whatever they can get from the system as long as it helps them in having huge families while not having to hold down w regular job with benefits. I’m sure Chad is no different. And to give him the benefit of the doubt, if he is buying insurance — even the most basic plan will be 1k+ for 5 people; and the basic plan will likely have a 5k+ yearly deductible. Is he really paying out 5k yearly to have a baby??

[IndianPaintbrush]

Erin's Instagram announcement caption:

Quote

Having one baby changed our lives, but we knew Carson needed a sibling, and after we met our little Brooklyn it was clear she needed one too! I guess Everly just lucked out!

Brooklyn and Everly already had siblings when they were born, but whatever. Anything to justify the endless number of babies, right Erin?

So now we've got Josie due in July, Whitney in November and Erin in December. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by IndianPaintbrush

[Sew Sumi]

I forgot about Erin going early. She hasn't gone past 37 weeks with any of her pregnancies. So,  Chad better have that new place ready by early November!

[Kiss my mutt]

Eye rolls on the #surprise!

[BrianJ1962]

They have Easy Bake wombs. These women sneeze and they are pregnant.

[BrianJ1962]

I wonder if there is a Dr Ruth for fundies? Or is it up to their misguided parents. I remember going to my dad and mom when I was going through puberty and asking them questions and they where way cool. Could you imagine asking Gil or Boob about erections and spanking the monkey.

Edited June 6, 2019 by BrianJ1962

[IndianPaintbrush]

Something tells me Gil would be much better at it than Boob. At least with Gil there's a chance you might receive sympathy as opposed to an emergency trip to the ALERT academy.

[Lisa418722]

Chad is not going to live to 40 years old if he keeps up this pace.  I know, he could (and should) tell Erin enough is enough, especially with all her health issues while being pregnant. 

[BrianJ1962]

I think Erin resembles her mom more than any of her sister's, am I crazy

[Temperance]

Chad definitely is the most fundie of the son-in-laws. His father is on the board of IBLP. He was high up in the organization before the fall of Gothard. The Board seems to be running IBLP now.

He looks older maybe, but definitely happy. Yes he will have to find a way to provide for his family. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want more kids himself. 

I think I saw it somewhere that Chad said "Carson needs a brother." He said this when Erin was pregnant with Everly. 

Anyway they look happy and they're good at putting a good face on it. I suspect eventually they'll both want to quit, but maybe too fundie to stop having kids. 

[MMLEsq]

17 hours ago, cereality said:

All that is to say I think he’d have NO problem taking on Medicaid. IDK how it’s determined but couldn’t they be close to the poverty line anyway? How much could these odd job construction projects pay esp when he is paying out something to Jackson and Trace? Fundies like Gil have no problem using whatever they can get from the system as long as it helps them in having huge families while not having to hold down w regular job with benefits. I’m sure Chad is no different. And to give him the benefit of the doubt, if he is buying insurance — even the most basic plan will be 1k+ for 5 people; and the basic plan will likely have a 5k+ yearly deductible. Is he really paying out 5k yearly to have a baby??

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but don't they get money from being on the show?  I don't think they're rolling in the dough from it, but they've got to be paid something.  Also, in addition to whatever money Chad is bringing is, they're getting whatever Erin's making from the Bates Sisters Boutique, plus anything she gets from sales of her CDs.  I don't think any of those things on their own add up to a lot, but I'd be surprised if they're close to the poverty line. 

[nittanyvolleyball]

Erin being pregnant every year is kinda crazy at this point. I think she's been pregnant longer than she hasn't...

[BrianJ1962]

Question of the day: If Chad says slow down on the baby making who does Erin listen to him or her parents?

Edited June 7, 2019 by BrianJ1962

[RebeccatheWriter]

11 hours ago, BrianJ1962 said:

I think Erin resembles her mom more than any of her sister's, am I crazy

She and Tori both do in the face and basic structure. 

3 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but don't they get money from being on the show?  I don't think they're rolling in the dough from it, but they've got to be paid something.  Also, in addition to whatever money Chad is bringing is, they're getting whatever Erin's making from the Bates Sisters Boutique, plus anything she gets from sales of her CDs.  I don't think any of those things on their own add up to a lot, but I'd be surprised if they're close to the poverty line. 

Gil had Kelly and the kids on TennCare (Tennessee's name for Medicaid) for years, even after they had their first show. There are different income limits for different reasons, but pregnant women are at a different end of that scale. I worked with people in Tennessee and Georgia both where I was surprised at how many of the kids were on these programs while I was paying out the nose for premiums at work. (Not knocking people getting healthcare for their kids, but it is a flawed system sometimes.)

They use Dr. Vick for prenatal, who has said he charges everyone on a sliding scale. A news report a few years before all the kids' marriages said that Kelly Jo was getting treated by him for free because of the publicity he got from the news specials. I would bet that he extended that to Erin for getting the same publicity on the show. I know he used to have links to news reports and video of him being featured on the website for his practice. 

She has her kids at a hospital, but I'm not sure how much of that is covered under Dr. Vick and what's not at this point. We have a doctor near me who does the sliding scale thing for people and he has special arrangements for patient accounts at the hospital where he has privileges. I don't know how it works exactly, but I wouldn't put it past some of these fundie families to know the ins and outs of it. 

[BrianJ1962]

20 minutes ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

She and Tori both do in the face and basic structure.

I was also thinking how they act. I wonder if Erin is going for 19+ record?

[Kiss my mutt]

She’s definitely in the lead!

[andromeda331]

7 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but don't they get money from being on the show?  I don't think they're rolling in the dough from it, but they've got to be paid something.  Also, in addition to whatever money Chad is bringing is, they're getting whatever Erin's making from the Bates Sisters Boutique, plus anything she gets from sales of her CDs.  I don't think any of those things on their own add up to a lot, but I'd be surprised if they're close to the poverty line. 

Yes, their being paid. But we don't know how much. UPtv doesn't have the kind of money TLC does or did. Whether their being paid individually or separate who knows. But its not just them on the show. Zach and Whitney, her parents, Tori and Bobby, Josie and Kelton, and Carlin and Evan? That's a lot of people not counting any of the unmarried adults for a small network to be paying for. Chad in the last year or so switched from a steady job to construction and it seemed like he had to learn a lot of stuff and somehow managing to employee some of Erin's brothers. Whether their getting paid or anyone has the right licenses and stuff who knows. I doubt Erin's getting a lot from her CDs. Some sure but probably not bringing in that much money and as for the Boutique we don't know how much money its making or how its divided. Is it divided between the three women? Do the other girls get any money for helping out? But somehow they are able to support five soon to be six people, a dog, ducks, chickens, regular bills, rent, medical including Erin's heparin shots, and other stuff?  Its still doesn't seem like their able to pull in a lot of money to cover all that.

[answerphone]

I think Erin's adorable and pretty and creates beautiful children. Chad seems like a super loving husband and father.

However, with a limited income and her health issues, what's the reality here?

If she was a homely woman who wasn't part of a good looking, televised family, what would we really think?

Possibly that she was an irresponsible woman who pushes her luck with her health problem, has her expanding family squished into a tiny little house, and relies on Medicaid services.

[floridamom]

answerphone: that is the assumption of Erin. You got it right, at least, IMO. This is what she is doing. Idiot that she is. She isn't in reality and has a rainbow view of life. Chad is also a bigger idiot for going along with this.

[RebeccatheWriter]

Erin seems to have that same view that Kelly Jo and Michelle Duggar have of there being no greater honor than being a martyr through childbirth. In the old 19 Kids episodes where Josie was still in the NICU, Kelly talks about God's plan and how precious the life of Josie is and she admires Michelle for risking her own life to deliver. No discussion of how continuing to have riskier pregnancies one after another would put her other children at risk of growing up without one of their parents. 

I don't see it as much with the Bates, but with the Duggars, the kids were each made to say thank you to their mother for having risked her life to bring them into the world. While I certainly love my mother and celebrate her birthday (same as mine) and mothers' day, etc., I don't know that I would view it like they do. 

Erin has that attitude that she's doing what she was destined to do and the risks be damned. People with blood clotting disorders are able to deliver healthy babies all the time, but they also usually see high-risk specialists and are monitored quite closely. Nothing against Dr. Vick who seems like a nice man and personable (the religion thing aside), but I would (in Erin's case) want to see a doctor who was skilled in those pregnancies that are higher risk. Erin's been quite lucky so far.

That said, maybe she has seen someone else too and it hasn't been shown on the show. I know many doctors don't allow for filming of themselves, appointments, and procedures because of legal reasons. If she was filmed with a doctor who said she was fine and there are no worries or issues, there could be legal issues if then it turned out that there was an issue that put her or the baby at risk. 

[Temperance]

So I accidently posted before I was ready so here is what I wanted to say. I like to look at this cool Tumblr called Duggar Data. I don't have a Tumblr account, and I think Duggar Data is easier to navigate than other Tumblr accounts. 

Duggar Data makes predictions based on the data of fundies, particularly the Duggars and Bates. She predicted Erin would announce #4 in either April and July and she announced in June so not too far off. Duggar Data predicts that if Erin and Chad keep having children they may end up with as many as 15. That's a lot. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by Temperance

[BrianJ1962]

This might be a duh question but here goes: would a Fundie woman go so far as to put their life in grave danger just to keep birthing blessings?

[Sew Sumi]

Absolutely. They live to be martyrs for Jesus.

[RebeccatheWriter]

20 hours ago, BrianJ1962 said:

This might be a duh question but here goes: would a Fundie woman go so far as to put their life in grave danger just to keep birthing blessings?

Yes, they certainly would. Part of their trust God mantra includes the idea that if God blesses them with a pregnancy, it is the woman's job to do whatever she has to do to birth that child. If she (a fundy woman) was told that she should not have children, her trust is supposed to be in God that he would not allow her to become pregnant again if it was really meant to be the stop of the train. 

I haven't seen this with the Duggars or Bates, but there are certain Fundies who would see limiting the number of children or not wanting (more or any) children as a viable reason for divorce. One of the few reasons that Fundies can get divorced. Think back to that woman Andrea Yates. She had severe schizophrenia and post-partum psychosis and killed her children. She and her husband were following many of the same ideas that Fundies and Quiverful believers follow. Her husband divorced her after her arrest and conviction, claiming she could no longer perform her wifely duties. His statement later changed to saying he simply wanted to move forward and couldn't do that with her. 

[Temperance]

On 6/12/2019 at 7:37 PM, BrianJ1962 said:

This might be a duh question but here goes: would a Fundie woman go so far as to put their life in grave danger just to keep birthing blessings?

Some fundie women will. There are fundie women out there who will quit if the health risks become great enough. Both Kelly and Michelle were willing to keep going. Being anti-birth control and quiverfull makes it more likely the couple/woman will keep having more blessings despite health risks. 

[Sew Sumi]

I think we can put Erin in this category. She has an ongoing issue that is present even when she's not pregnant ( @doodlebug posted about her condition on the Sweet Fellowship thread). She has a greater chance of bleeding out than the average woman. She's been tremendously lucky, IMO. I really wish she'd stop and not put herself and her unborn child at risk. The kids she already has need a mother. 

Edited June 14, 2019 by Sew Sumi
Just saw a typo

[BrianJ1962]

So most of these women will gleefully become martyrs for the cause?

[Sew Sumi]

I think that depends on how steeped in the kook aid they are. Sliding scale and whatnot.

[floridamom]

I remember when Josie was born. Michelle certainly didn't risk her own life for Josie, as she previously stated on tv, that she would risk her own life for her unborn child. When Michelle was diagnosed with high blood pressure during her pregnancy with Josie, she had  CHOICE. She could either continue with the pregnancy and allow Josie to be more developed and a higher chance of being born and survive, OR she could opt for a C-section, deliver Josie dangerously early with a high percentage of Josie not making it or saving her own life by delivering. Delivery of the child was the cure for her high blood pressure. We all saw Michelle high tail it in the operating room to deliver Josie and save her own neck. I have never understood this about face. She neve was directly questioned about this. I think she is all fake and is mostly a hypocrite.

[Absolom]

Michelle’s choice was they could both die or she could deliver early. Waiting wasn’t an option at the point where she delivered.

[RebeccatheWriter]

32 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Michelle’s choice was they could both die or she could deliver early. Waiting wasn’t an option at the point where she delivered.

The choice was before she was pregnant. She had developed preeclampsia with earlier pregnancies and the last few had been rough - indicating issues with her body, age, etc. She proceeded after Josie and that whole issue to get pregnant again, this time not able to carry to term and losing the baby. The choices of getting pregnant again were where she "risked" her own health and the well being of her family by continuing on with this whole have as many kids as we can and call it God's will. 

She was still seeing Dr. Sarver with Jordyn because of the fact that Dr. Sarver was willing to try VBAC with her - something Michelle wanted though at the time it was not considered standard practice or advisable. I don't know if it was during of after Josie that she switched to another OB/GYN. However, I am not many doctors would encourage her to continue trying for children after numerous close calls to their lives and her own. I have always wondered if the switching away from Dr. Sarver was due to disagreement over having more or stop. She had switched from other doctors (between the midwives) due to not wanting to follow their medical advice.

At least with Erin, she is staying with the same doctor who has successfully treated her and delivered three children. If Dr. Vick were to tell Erin to stop or slow down, I would hope that she and Chad would respect his medical advice and not go to seek someone who would tell them what they wanted to hear. 

[Absolom]

Well of course a reasonable person wouldn’t have gotten pregnant again. But at the end of the pregnancy was what the OP had brought up.

[RebeccatheWriter]

8 hours ago, floridamom said:

I remember when Josie was born. Michelle certainly didn't risk her own life for Josie, as she previously stated on tv, that she would risk her own life for her unborn child. When Michelle was diagnosed with high blood pressure during her pregnancy with Josie, she had  CHOICE. She could either continue with the pregnancy and allow Josie to be more developed and a higher chance of being born and survive, OR she could opt for a C-section, deliver Josie dangerously early with a high percentage of Josie not making it or saving her own life by delivering. Delivery of the child was the cure for her high blood pressure. We all saw Michelle high tail it in the operating room to deliver Josie and save her own neck. I have never understood this about face. She neve was directly questioned about this. I think she is all fake and is mostly a hypocrite.

Given that Michelle and Kelly Jo (and it appears Erin is following along) seemed to thrive on the attention and adoration they received from being pregnant and having just given birth, I don't know that they would have actually gone through with a decision in the heat of the moment that would have knowingly led to their death. Michelle glowed and thrived on being the super mom of 19 children, including her micro-preemie. 

So it isn't really as concrete as yes or no. It's certainly a mindset to them that if you die in childbirth, you are doing God's work and will be rewarded. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

8 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Well of course a reasonable person wouldn’t have gotten pregnant again. But at the end of the pregnancy was what the OP had brought up.

This was the start of the conversation...the OP. 

On 6/12/2019 at 7:37 PM, BrianJ1962 said:

This might be a duh question but here goes: would a Fundie woman go so far as to put their life in grave danger just to keep birthing blessings?

You're missing the point of what I am saying. The question comes in when was the choice made. If you believe the choice was made when Michelle was in the hospital and they were telling her it was then or she and Josie both die, then you are assuming the hospital was going to sit back and watch if she declined treatment. Yes, a patient has the last say, but that's not done without a lot of persuading and coercion. The choice of risk occurs before conception. It occurs in taking another chance or relying on faith rather than science. 

When interviewed about taking medicine to help sustain her last pregnancies, Kelly Jo said that she was aware of the risks and likened it to treating a child who was bleeding or injured. She used the line about life already existing and doing what could be done to save that life. She also spoke on 19KaC about how she thought Michelle was so brave to have risked her life in having Josie. 

The way that these women attempt to play into that martyr role is by going against conventional wisdom and medical advice to get pregnant time and again. They get glory out being able to say they risked their lives for this gift from God. If Josie Duggar had not made it, Michelle still would have received attention and admiration for having "risked her life" to bring her into this world. 

The Bates show has glossed over it somewhat, but it would be interesting to know what they think regarding Kelton's mother dying as she did. Perhaps it will be addressed as they focus on Josie Balka's pregnancy.  

[answerphone]

Let face it. Many of the members of both the Duggars and the Bates families don't sound like Einsteins..

[EVS]

28 minutes ago, answerphone said:

Let face it. Many of the members of both the Duggars and the Bates families don't sound like Einsteins..

Heck, many of them don’t even sound as smart as (Juan) Epstein.  

Edited June 16, 2019 by EVS