Oct 30 2014

Hi Beth: How do you balance work with being a mom?

Climbing, Kids, Motherhood
by Beth

Don’t worry. I’m not about to go ahead and turn this blog into another self-help column—mostly because I don’t think I know a whole lot! :) But with that said, I do actually receive a number of questions from very sincere readers (thank you so much! It means the world to hear from you all!). And many of them are asking about similar topics and issues. I’ve decided to start answering questions that warrant more in-depth responses here (much like my good friend Steph Davis does on her blog)… and...

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Oct 14 2014

Climbing With Kids: Our First Experiences with Travel, and My Return to Climbing

Climbing, Kids, Motherhood, Travel
by Beth

Before Theo was born we had big aspirations to start traveling with him right away. Our friends had taken their 2.5-week-old son to Font, in France, for a month-long climbing trip. Another set of friends had done the same with their 5-week-old son. Naively, I thought I’d be right there with them.   “See? Kids aren’t slowing them down,” I said optimistically to Randy a few weeks prior to Theo’s birth. “With your upcoming paternity time off, it would be great to take advantage and do some trips together as a family!”   We...

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Oct 06 2014

Climbing With Kids: Mamas Baby Steps

Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Travel
by Beth

About seven weeks post birth, I was chomping at the bit to get back to the mountains. Being dwarfed by those magnificent Sierra mountains and their awe-inspiring granite rocks feeds my soul. I even would’ve taken sitting around beside a river or a cluster of boulders and not doing much of anything at all. It was time to get out of the house! Plus, I really wanted to show Theo the mountains and not just inside of our bedroom. I almost felt like I was doing Theo an injustice by...

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Jul 16 2014

Climbing With Kids: Thomasina Pidgeon Interview

Climbing, Interviews, Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

I'm not sure when I actually first met Thomasina (Thomo), but I had known about her for a long time. It's hard not to hear about one of the strongest, most accomplished female boulderers in the world, having climbed over 40 boulder problems of V11 or harder. But what struck me as the years went on is that she continued to push the limits and raise this amazing little girl, Cedar, at the same time.   I had the privilege of having them at our house in Yosemite one night when they...

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Jul 08 2014

Climbing With Kids: Recovery Mode

Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

When it comes to learning about the whole pregnancy experience, all you hear about are the months of anticipation, the growing pains you should enjoy along the way, and what to expect during the actual labor. It’s like it’s all designed to get you ready for that one great miracle moment of life. But funnily enough, right after that magical moment is over, it’s like, “You’re on your own, best of luck!”   The whole recovery experience afterward is not something I was really prepared for, nor was it something that I...

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Jun 25 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month 9: Letting Go and Holding On

Motherhood, Pregnancy, Yosemite
by Beth

By month 9, everyone was asking me the same question: “Aren't you done being pregnant?" It’s funny. Until people started asking me that, it hadn't really occurred to me to feel as if I should be “done.” It was just the state I was in; I didn't feel as if I despised my pregnant body or anything like that. By that point, I had found my groove. I was able to go on my daily walks, accompany Randy and friends climbing during the day, and generally carry on my normal...

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Apr 22 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month 8: In the Wake of Tragedy, Enjoying My Last Two Months of Pregnancy

Pregnancy
by Beth

As I wrote earlier, Month Six was my best month of the pregnancy. An unseasonably warm winter in the Sierras allowed me to continue climbing in Yosemite. I was feeling healthy, happy and in a groove, with regular trips to the Manure Pile Buttress to do some easy but enjoyable “trad walking” on climbs up to 5.8.   It was that month in Yosemite that I continued to bump into my friend, and fellow Yosemite resident, Sean “Stanley” Leary. His wife, Mieka, is also pregnant and one month behind me. We talked...

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Apr 16 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Brittany Griffith Interview – Decisions About Having Kids

Climbing, Interviews
by Beth

I heard from a lot of women after I published the Steph Davis interview on her decision around having kids. People really appreciated another perspective on having/not having kids and asked for other similar interviews. Another good friend of mine, Brittany Griffith, is an amazing climber, traveler, writer, cook, etc. that does not have kids and is not planning on having them.   I first met Brittany when I was a teenager climbing at Smith Rock, OR. She was a full time traveling climber living the dream out of her car. Over...

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Apr 14 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Slowing down in Month 7

Injuries, Pregnancy
by Beth

After having my best month yet last month, I was optimistic that I would ride that feel-good wave through the rest of my pregnancy. Alas, by month 7, I found myself looking round, feeling slow and becoming increasingly useless.   When you’re a health-conscious, athletic person, there are a few things in life that you’d never imagine yourself experiencing: like having to wear loose, over-sized clothing or waddling around like a stuffed penguin on flat ground. I was plus 25 pounds, and feeling every one of them.   I didn't climb at all this...

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Apr 07 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Interview with Long Huynh, OB/GYN and climber

Climbing, Interviews, Pregnancy
by Beth

One of the many messages I received after I started blogging about climbing and pregnancy was from Long Huynh, an OB/GYN and climber living in Boulder, CO. She had collaborated with Climbing Magazine a few years back to do a very brief summary of climbing during pregnancy. However, I had many specific questions, as did a bunch of you that I thought would be great to get answered by a medical professional. What she gave me was above and beyond and more than helpful. There is so much information below...

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