For those of you who didn’t already know we planned to spend my birthday weekend in Tennessee. It was our last appointment with our midwife out at The Farm until we come to stay and deliver Tater in early June.

We figured it would also be kind of nice to plan a mini vacation for that weekend since it will be basically the last time we travel for leisure as just the two of us before Tater arrives.

N did have a nice dinner planned for me at The Melting Pot in downtown Nashville on Saturday night. We saw Pamela for our prenatal appointment Saturday afternoon then we stayed at the very unique Hotel Preston that evening.

On Sunday we headed out to the Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville, we also stopped by The Mall at Green Hills to buy me a nice maternity top since the one I brought wouldn’t button around my boobs anymore.

I found 2 at Macy’s for $16.00 that weren’t even maternity tops but fit great, they were my birthday splurge. We also went by the Whole Foods near the mall to pick up a few grocery items and some calcium supplements per Pamela’s suggestion.

Like I said we had a blast together and we captured so many great belly shots for the scrapbook and our baby announcements (that I am not allowed to share with you just yet because they are a surprise!).

The photos I am allowed to share are of The Farm and I figured I would tell you more about the appointment too. First here is a slide show of the photos:

We were late to our appointment again which was a bummer, being late is also a big anxiety trigger for me so that wasn’t pleasant for us. Plus poor Pamela was waiting for us. We got lost on the way there once again thanks to GPS and internet directions.

I think we’ve finally figured out the correct directions there so N will be able to navigate his way there confidently once my labor has begun. It would really suck for him to be lost while I am in labor!

Anyway, once we arrived at The Farm Clinic I got to pee (finally) while N and Pamela talked. N ratted me out about my anxiety and stress levels these days then the appointment got underway.

All checked out normal. I am still weighing in at about 123.5 and my blood pressure is good but I’ve been warned to start laying more and to stop feeling bad about it. Apparently, laying down (preferably on the left side) means better overall circulation which has a major impact on kidney function while pregnant.

Blood pressure and kidney function go hand in hand so if my blood pressure is to stay at a good level my kidneys need to have adequate blood flow which means I need to lay down more… Like I’ve got time to lay! I am making a big effort to lay my ass down more now so don’t worry.

I am also working to drink more water and I’ve added a calcium supplement because calcium and magnesium also go hand in hand with lowering blood pressure. Blood pressure is basically the only potential concern for us right now. We are trying to be proactive so that we don’t have problems later.

We heard Tater’s heartbeat again and she checked out fine, N was having a great time taking video and snapping photos the whole time. We all got to chat about what is going on with life. We told Pamela about the move and all the stuff that is going on for us right now.

My OBGYN said I could lift stuff and not worry about a weight limit on lifting as long as it didn’t hurt. Pamela advised me not to lift stuff during the move at all. She said major lifting could lead to premature labor and that it is better to be safe than sorry, which we totally agree with.

We also talked and have ultimately decided to hold off on getting the RhoGam shot until after Tater is born (if her blood type warrants it). Having the injection while pregnant is just something we are not comfortable doing. We are more concerned with safeguarding Tater now as opposed to safeguarding my future fertility.

Oh and we did talk about the game plan for possible early labor and when to call Pamela or head to The Farm. Right now I am having some of my first practice contractions, fun!

All in all we are feeling good about the pregnancy progress, confident and ready for the last leg of pregnancy! It was a great weekend for us and now we are looking ahead to next weekend with anticipation. We get the keys to our new place, yay!

The post Summertown & Nashville Tennessee weekend recap, fun times! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

I found a study posted here that takes an interesting look at Farm births versus hospital births, also there is quite a bit of good info available here to support home births. I thought some of you might be interested in the info.

N and I had a good weekend. We got the Christmas tree taken down, cleaned the house and ran errands. We also played the Wii and had some fun.

I am back to drinking my nutritional shakes (you know the generic version on Ensure) because I am pretty sure my body has been trying to tell me I am not getting all I need nutritionally speaking for the pregnancy.

Specifically I have been noticing strange heart pounding or heart racing at odd times throughout the day. I know this occurs for me when I exercise, get to breathing hard (taking laundry up and down the stairs) or when I get out of the hot bath at night. I am fairly certain what I am experiencing is some sort of change in blood pressure, what I am worried about is the idea that my diet could be causing it.

I’ll chat with my OBGYN on Thursday about this but I am also making a big effort to correct my diet as well. Diet is a big deal in pregnancy and I have been advised by my midwife at The Farm to eat lots of vegtables and fruits. Specifically dark leafy greens.

A fellow Farm birthing mama is on bed rest right now in preparation for her February delivery as a result of her diet and blood glucose levels. She also advised me to listen to the midwife’s suggestions on diet very carefully and I am heeding the advice. Now I just need some meal and snack ideas to keep me eating well.

Got any dark leafy green suggestions? The only leafy green I even like is spinach.

I am also loving doing yoga on the new Wii Fit. It makes me feel so good and it also provides a great stretch which I wouldn’t get otherwise. I have always been a group excerciser, meaning if I am not doing it as a group with others I never did it at all.

Now that I am not teaching I’ve been slacking in the fitness area. Pregnancy is not the best time to be a fitness slacker folks. Thankfully the Wii Fit keeps me active and wanting to excercise a bit each day. I might be loving it more than N does at this point…

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