Pretty much everything on my to-do list is done, I am ready to go and am slightly excited to arrive at The Farm. On the other hand I am sort of sad to leave the house, pets and N behind. It is going to be strange to be away from it all and when I return I’ll be a mother. Kind of a crazy concept when you think about it.

Today has been a calm day for severe weather, thank goodness! After 2 days of thunderstorms and tornado warnings we were both exhausted. N was of course chasing storms for work and I was having to herd animals and hide out in our “safe place” in the downstairs bathroom…

Not sure if you noticed the odd blog format from yesterday’s post. It’s how my future live blog posts will look as I update you on my progress while I am away at The Farm. Those updates are sent via text messaging from my cell phone, they show up in my twitter timeline (but aren’t as pretty) and they auto post to the blog also. Like I’ve mentioned before you can subscribe to this blog to ensure you don’t miss an update, that way you’ll know exactly when I go in to labor!

I’ll be offline as far as internet access goes so I wont see or be able to respond to your comments (or read your blogs). The best way to communicate with me (if you need to) is via direct message on twitter (those should come to my cell phone, possibly). This is all dependent on the access and quality of cell phone reception out at The Farm of course, just an FYI.

All the feelings and sensations I described in graphic detail yesterday are continuing and happening more regularly. I am not in labor yet but things are headed that direction and I am just trying to keep active as much as possible (which isn’t very much at all really)…

N and I did a mini shopping trip this morning to get some groceries and such for me to take along to the birthing cabin. The best deal we got today was 5 gallons of milk for a total of $5.15, yep paid $1.03 for each gallon thanks to coupons and store sales! I am a big milk drinker and use it to cook so we’ll have no problem using it all plus it will last us weeks.

Walking around at the stores today was way harder and more painful than normal so that means it shouldn’t be too long now, we’ll get to meet Tater so soon!

My mom is delusional thinking she is going to get me to toodle around Columbia, TN and do fun things with her when she comes to The Farm to stay with me and wait for labor to begin. I can hardly handle walking back and forth from the bed/ chair to the kitchen for food or to the bathroom these days. Of course that is probably due to the stairs but still, I am pretty immobile these days.

Here is a farewell belly shot. It’s probably the last you’ll see until I get back from The Farm.

You can compare it to the very first belly shot I took at the start of the pregnancy if you need more “wow factor”.

It is kind of funny to see how my mole/ freckle has moved up as my belly has grown. It’s totally amazing how the body can adapt and accommodate a growing baby inside you all while you do nothing but rest and increase food intake. The body is truly a smart, complex and highly evolved “machine” isn’t it?

Well I am off to make some been and cheese burritos (hopefully) and to possibly tidy up the place a bit. Stay tuned for the labor updates and progress and don’t forget to enter the baby weight contest!

The post Bags are packed, I'm ready to go! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Felt good to be adjusted and all put back in place. Here’s hoping all stays that way for the delivery. With chiropractic care labor and delivery are supposed to be quicker and easier. Yesterdays adjustment was my last before heading off to The Farm.

Before I head off I’ve been sure to write many advance posts and get them all scheduled here to tide you over while we all wait to meet Tater. I’ll also be live blogging via text message (and twitter) while I am at The Farm and through labor/ delivery if conditions permit (subscribe and follow me so you don’t miss a thing).

I’ve also documented all the baby stuff you all have sent and I’ve got many belly shots that will be showcased here via slideshow and whatnot while I am away. Some will even be guest posting here too. So, rest assured you’ll have something to sink your teeth in to while I am having Tater. And now here are some belly shots for you.

Over two weeks ago at 35 weeks pregnant:

More than one week ago at 36 weeks 6 days pregnant:

Then there was a few days ago at 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant:

Tomorrow I am 38 weeks pregnant and ready to blow any second. Being at this stage of the pregnancy totally makes me appreciate and understand why so many ladies agree to labor induction. I mean this is crazy uncomfortable (even more so that all the previous 35 weeks combined) and when you’ve got a doc that wants to get things going via induction it just means that your discomfort and anxiety can end sooner. What is not to like about that?

No, I am not hoping for an induction though. Just saying I totally get it now, if that makes sense.

For more of my Wordless Wednesday posts throughout the years click here.

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I never imagined I would receive so much helpful information as a result of that post and I am now very glad I choose to share my vulnerable moment with the internet. There really is so much knowledge and support out there!

Basically after reading all the comments you left and after chatting with many people about it I’ve got some direction and resolution. I found out that my mother also failed her GD tests with each of her 3 pregnancies. After failing the tests all they did was advise her of ways to eat a better diet. Essentially they did nothing more to treat the issue, my brothers and I we were all born fine…

Also, my midwife is not concerned about my failing the gestational diabetes screen by 1 point. When I talked to her she said her major concern for me was to watch my blood pressure and any potential swelling (you know preeclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension).

She also suggested that I get my hands on a blood glucose meter so I could monitor my own blood sugar levels at home (for peace of mind). She said I didn’t need to follow up with the second 3 hour blood glucose test like my OBGYN wants. Nothing wrong with saving myself the stress and the insurance company money.

She did say we should keep an eye on my sugar levels with a meter for a few weeks just to be sure nothing funny really is going on. If I do show blood sugar problems with day to day testing then we’ll dive right in to diet modification.

Even if I was officially diagnosed with GD after the 3 hour blood glucose test I would only be advised to change my diet. In rare cases when a woman’s blood glucose level is super high insulin can be given as a treatment method but with my test coming back at 140 (which is normally the highest normal result with other physicians) all this is a bit funny to be getting worked up over.

For most women GD is something that can be managed and even avoided with the proper diet and nutrition. It’s not a world shattering thing for the average woman like the doctors make it out to be.

We’ve decided to decline the 3 hour blood glucose test along with the RhoGam shot the OBGYN is pushing. Either they will respect our decisions about it all and back off or they will continue pushing and we’ll just cancel our appointments and discontinue care with them.

We are definitely planning to get a blood glucose meter to keep tabs on by blood sugar here at home just to be sure we aren’t ignoring any potential issues. Plus, the glucose meter will help me to see what foods (if any) are impacting me.

We are pretty sure there is no blood sugar problem, I just need to focus on eating more good stuff like I was trying to do back in the first trimester before the bad advice from the OBGYN.

Eating well is always something I’ve had to conciously focus on, if I let my cravings dictate my eating I’ll eat nothing but crap, I knew that when I discovered I was pregnant. Then I let the OBGYN make me feel bad for not eating what I was craving, now I need to just go back to my initial way of thinking. I can do that!

The post Gestational diabetes screening in pregnant woman, how my situation unfolds. appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

I’ve got a prenatal appointment with the OBGYN next week and I am sure she’ll make a comment about the lack of weight gain this month but N and I aren’t worried. According to all our reading Tater is just starting another growth spurt so I’ll probably pack on several more pounds shortly.

It seems my weight gain is not really a gradual thing, I pack on a good amount one month which puts me over what is deemed normal then the next month I stall out and don’t gain much… It is hit or miss really. Good news is I am still eating like a mad woman and I’ve put on 20 pounds since becoming pregnant, I think gaining another 20-30 pounds in 3 months is not going to be a problem.

This morning I was happy to see it was again a warmer day and we were able to open up all the windows and enjoy the fresh breeze. We are fresh air and sunlight people. We love our windows to be open so winter is sometimes a downer for us, especially when we don’t get enough pretty snow.

The morning email checking was nice with the cool breeze blowing through the house. Andrew one of our cats climbed in to my lap and took a nap as soon as I got up. These days all the pets have been less interested in hanging out with me, probably because they sense Tater is coming. So it was nice that Andrew came to see me today.

N snapped a photo of the love fest on my lap so everyone could see how the belly is looking…

It is kind of funny how Tater responds to the cats purring. She can totally hear them and she will kick when ever they are purring near my belly.

I told N she is either going to be super soothed by the purring when she’s born or she’ll go crazy wanting to play with them when they purr. What do you think?

The post Purring Cats on Pregnant Bellies… 24 week pregnancy thoughts appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

That is the 3rd pregnancy test I’ve taken. I have been feeling woozy. I am not sleeping through the nights, I am peeing a ton, have been dizzy and super achy in my lower back. I have been keeping a journal of my thoughts each day we tested. Looks like we’re having a baby.

Pregnant? Oct 9th 2008

N and I were discussing my monthly fertility chart yesterday. We use the TCOYF method of natural family planning. It is recommended that both partners take part in the process so N participates by recording my temperature data on the chart every morning. I am in charge of interpreting the chart and then we both make mental note of my fertile days.

Anyway we were discussing my fertility for the month yesterday, N was asking when we should try to “make a baby” so we grabbed the chart and started analyzing. We realized our chance of already being pregnant was good.

I have been feeling fatigued, have been having sleep irregularities, am feeling achy, crampy and have even been feeling nauseous. Today will be 8 DPO so that means I just have to wait 6 more days to know if I am pregnant or not.

Here is the next entry:

October 12th 2008

I took a second pregnancy test, it looked like it had a very faint pink line. The first pregnancy test was very obviously negative, it has a evaporation line but had no color. The second one totally has a faint pink line. Seriously, it is super faint though. Here is a photo:

N and I even had an argument about whether or not it was a pink line, he claims he can’t see the line. According to my chart I ovulated 10/1 so that means I am now 13 DPO.

I have been feeling tired and achy still. In a few days we’ll know for sure if we are pregnant or not. If we are that means that I’ll be having a baby 3 weeks before our projected wedding date.

Now that gets us to today, October 14th 2008 and we have unmistakable double pink line action now. Too bad I don’t have insurance, oh and what are we going to do about the planned wedding and the dress I just bought? Do you think I’ll be able to get married 3 weeks after having a baby? I guess at least I’ll have nice plump boobs.

Oh, and Hailey actually pooed today! It was very little and it was super dry but at least she did it. Now we just have to fix her diet so she stops having pooing issues.

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