Rebekah McNeil Krahe Spoke Openly About Infertility Struggles
My show is slightly different today because I’m airing a recent segment from the Time for bRUNch with Shelby & Christine podcast.
The guest on their show is someone that I know pretty well.
They welcomed my wife, Rebekah McNeil Krahe on the show to discuss her running and our fertility journey for a special Mother’s Day Episode.
Rebekah McNeil Krahe and Her Family
Becoming a Runner
Rebekah McNeil Krahe has fond memories of her dad frequently running throughout her childhood.
By the time she reached middle school, Rebekah would often join her dad on runs.
It was in college that Rebekah would meet Denny Krahe, who would eventually become her husband.
When they first met, it was Rebekah that was the runner and not Denny.
There was a 3-mile loop around a nearby lake that she would typically run.
In the early stages of her running journey, Rebekah would only run if she felt like it or was training for a race.
After a few years, many of which included struggles with infertility, running is now a part of who she is.
Rebekah continued to run with her dad until recently and she cherishes the miles she shared with him.
Family Planning
Rebekah and Denny recently celebrated 17 years of marriage.
They were married for 5 to 6 years before they began talking about when to start a family.
Rebekah has always known she wanted to be a mom.
Similar to most people, she assumed getting pregnant would be relatively simple.
When all forms of birth control were removed and she still hadn’t conceived in 6 months worry began to creep in.
Rebekah found herself becoming hyperaware of her body as time went on.
After one year had passed without a positive pregnancy test, Rebekah made an appointment with a doctor.
It was only after the one-year mark, did she begin to address her emotions for the first time.
Today’s Episode is Sponsored By: Amino Co
Use Code DizRuns at Checkout to Save 30%
Learning To Trust Herself
Rebekah was still running, but she found that she ran in response to her emotions.
After 4 months with the first doctor, she decided to make a switch to a new one.
She had ignored her gut feelings and finally decided to trust herself by going with a new provider.
Women should be empowered to trust themselves and their bodies rather than always deferring to specialists.
Rebekah is adamant that it’s okay for women to stop and demand that people listen.
Her new doctor did just that and truly listened to her concerns.
She also began seeing an acupuncturist which Rebekah believes played a large role in her success as well.
For the first time, she felt more supported in her journey.
An Emotional Toll
In all, it wound up being 4 years before Rebekah was able to get pregnant.
With each month also came an emotional toll.
Rebekah began to view herself as broken since there was no discernable issue to fix.
As the journey continued, Rebekah found herself running more consistently which played a part in her healing process.
Before becoming pregnant, Rebekah and Denny began to talk about alternate options for starting a family.
She was beginning to get to an okay place.
Rebekah even began training for her first half marathon to have a goal and something else to focus on.
The Process Changed Her
Rebekah found that going through infertility ultimately changed who she was.
While family and friends were largely supportive, Rebekah has some advice for others.
Well-meaning people would often tell her that she needed to relax in order to become pregnant.
According to Rebekah, that is one of the worst things you can tell someone going through this struggle.
It is no one’s business, but the person about whether or not to have children.
Rebekah began to ease up on tracking everything to do with her body and focused on school and her career.
Shortly after completing her first half-marathon, Rebekah found out she was pregnant.
Rebekah McNeil Krahe and Denny Krahe
An Isolating Topic
Even in her excitement, Rebekah was aware that not everyone’s journey ends in pregnancy.
About 1 in 5 women struggle with infertility and yet it isn’t talked about nearly enough.
Rebekah experienced going through infertility struggles to be an isolating experience.
She encourages anyone going through it to find someone to talk to and get support.
When supporting someone going through infertility, Rebekah suggests being present and giving the person grace.
Certain situations may be difficult for the person to show up to and being understanding can be exactly the support that is needed.
Rebekah McNeil Krahe and Her Daughter
Mentioned In This Episode:
Stay connected with Rebekah McNeil Krahe by following her on Instagram.
Rebekah McNeil Krahe speaks openly about a topic that affects many yet isn't shared widely. Infertility doesn't discriminate and affects 1 in 5 women. Click To Tweet
As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!
Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?
Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.
Subscribe to the Show
Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs Radio by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.
Please Give Me Some Feedback!
Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.
Register for a Free Race Training Plan
Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.
Join The Tribe!
There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like-minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!
Legalese:
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This simply means that if you decide to make a purchase using one of the links, I get paid a small commission at no extra expense to you.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!