I fall back asleep and then my cell phone begins to ring and I determine it is the OBGYN office and that I should answer. I drag myself out of bed and sprint to my cell phone to answer the call.

The nurse practitioner on the line informs me I’ve failed the test by 1 point. Their cutoff is 139 and I scored a 140 on my gestational diabetes screen. They want me to come back in for the 3 hour 100 gram test now and they want me to do it this week.

First off, I am not one who just does what someone says I need to. I am a thinking woman and I want to know the reasoning behind the testing and the procedures. Just telling me to come in for another test doesn’t give me any information about why this is even necessary plus not being able to explain the scale they use for determining the cutoff point for the testing worries me.

Since I like to be well informed before I make a decision I’ve put a call in to my midwife in Tennessee and I also consulted the internet for reading and research material on the topic.

Turns out there is much controversy about blood glucose screens and the diagnosing of gestational diabetes in pregnant women. It seems like this is just another ploy for them to run more unnecessary tests and to make more money off me.

Basically, whether or not I have gestational diabetes I should be eating well and taking care to exercise. Proper nutrition is they key in any pregnancy and especially when gestational diabetes is diagnosed.

Given the fact that my OBGYN advised me to “have a candy bar or some ice cream” in my 1st trimester as a means for gaining adequate weight I am pissed that now they are all “um we want to be careful about your blood sugar levels”.

Duh! Blood sugar levels are a big deal and that was why I was so worried about diet and nutrition at the beginning of my pregnancy but my doctor advised me not to worry about it and now look what has happen!

I’ve learned my lesson! I need to trust my gut feelings and listen to my body. I was focused on good diet until they told me not to worry about it, I knew they were wrong but I did as they said because I didn’t want to deprive my baby of anything… now I have to go back to what I was basically trying to do in the first place.

It makes me mad and super reluctant to trust anything they are telling me, it makes me want to fire the OBGYN and just stop with the traditional prenatal care all together.

It makes me so glad I’ve already decided to have my baby 4 hours (and 2 states) away naturally with my awesome midwife. I just can’t believe so many women are bullied and unrightfully advised by doctors in the US and that more people aren’t angry about all this…

“Current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for gestational diabetes mellitus, either before or after 24 weeks’ gestation,” the statement concludes. “Until there is better evidence, clinicians should discuss screening for GDM with their patients and make case-by-case decisions. The discussion should include information about the uncertain benefits and harms as well as the frequency and uncertain meaning of a positive screening test result.” from: Guidelines Issued About Lack of Evidence for Screening for Gestational Diabetes

More sources and reading to consider:

• Gestational diabetes and natural childbirth
• Diagnostic Tests Of The Third Trimester

The post Just more reason why I wont be birthing with my OBGYN in a hospital… appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

I thought I would leave you with some fun 25 weeks pregnant belly shots in my absence. As you are reading this I am actually in my 26th week of pregnancy, these photos are from last week. The 27th week of pregnancy will be the last in the 2nd trimester according to my What to Expect When You’re Expecting book. Wow!

Anyway, here is the front view of my belly taken March 12th 2009, sorry about the dirty mirror. I didn’t think to clean it before snapping the photos.

Now the front view really doesn’t do the belly justice so I also shot it from the side so you can better see how much it sticks out there these days. This one was also taken March 12th 2009.

N shot this one the morning of St Patrick’s Day while I was having some juice and just waking up for the day. Tater was moving all around like she normally does when I wake up in the mornings. I was watching my belly bop all around. You can even see the hand print on my belly from sleeping with my hand on it. Ha, too funny.

This next one was shot as a suggestion made in one of N’s Daddy to be books called The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be, Second Edition. Now, don’t be put off, this one is kind of weird and funny (and check out how my hair makes it look like I have horns, lol!).

It is a view of my belly from on the floor, looking up between my legs. Nice huh? It does give some perspective to just how much the belly sticks out there. His book says that by the end of the pregnancy my face wont even be visible over the bump. That means my belly will double in size between now and then. Oh dear!

We still can’t quite believe how fast the pregnancy has gone. Shoot I’ll be in the third trimester in no time! It is super exciting that we’ll meet our little girl soon, I am not nervous about labor at all or about when Tater is here. I feel like all that is just going to come naturally and be instinct, plus I have The Farm Midwives to guide me.

I am a bit freaked out when I think of how much we still have to take care of before she comes. I mean theoretically she could come at any point between now and June/ July, not that we are hoping for a premature delivery or anything. The point is we should be prepared because it does happen right?

Well, we still haven’t finished putting the homebirth supply kit together that we’ll be taking with us to The Farm and we still need much of the new baby basics… Like some newborn clothes for Tater to wear once she arrives, the car seat, the bassinet/ crib, the cloth diapers and so on.

Basically I am feeling we aren’t totally prepared and I like to be ready for stuff way in advance, not waiting till the last moment. Problem is finances are NOT set for massive spending right now. I mean we have to get the hefty down payment made on the new place come April 1st plus we owe rent on the old place too- so that is double rent we are paying in April.

In May and June all our extra cash is going to pay for our delivery at The Farm. We’ve saved a few grand already but we still need 2 more before that is all paid for and done. Once the house down payment is done and the delivery is saved for we’ll have some money here and there to get what we need for Tater but that is way to last minute for me.

Not much we can do to change that though, so I am just working to focus on the exciting/ yay stuff so I don’t get all anxious and crazy about the rest. LOL. Hope you all are having a great weekend! It is the first weekend of spring, have a picnic and enjoy the outdoors or something.

The post Only 2 weeks until the third trimester, man time flies! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.