Okay Everyone, I have finally succumbed to the blogging world. Everyone seems to be sending me blog pages lately and so I have finally decided to do my own. So it starts with the birth announcement or rather the info. that everyone keeps asking for about the birth of our third child, Max Selmer Tweten. So here it goes...
I was due January 12th. We moved in August to Rancho Cucamonga, CA so that Eric could go to Law School. And just for everyone's info. he is going to The University of LaVerne College of Law which is located in Ontario. Anyway I needed to see a doctor, but we had no insurance so after a long search trying to find an insurance company that was inexpensive and would cover my pregnancy, I ended up on Medi-Cal, because most companies or at least the ones we could afford considered this pregnancy as pre-existing which I think is really stupid but it is what it is. Anyway I went to a public health clinic in Ontario because they would see me while my Medi-Cal coverage was pending. I do not recommend this clinic to anyone though, so if you are ever in my situation, wait and find a doctor that has his own clinic. The health care is 100 times better in Utah by the way. Anyway the clinic sent me to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, CA. I also do not recommend this hospital to anyone either. I have a million complaints on why, but no one wants to hear me rant, so I'll just get on with it.
In September I had an ultrasound and the baby's position wasn't the best but the doctor was guessing it was a girl, so we went with that. We were ready either way and had names picked out and outfits ready. We had no middle name if it turned out to be a girl though and I was stressed about that. Fortunately it was a boy so we passed down Eric's middle name which was his grandfather's name, Selmer. I guess deep down I knew it was a boy. I had had a dream that I had a boy, and I just couldn't settle on a middle name for a girl.
Out here, having babies early is a rarity, pretty much every doctor here wants to make the moms go as close to their due date as possible despite any misery or pain the mother is going through. I started having contractions the Friday after Thanksgiving and December 1st I was 34 weeks and contracting 4-5 min. apart, but it was false labor, and after giving me 2 shots to stop the contractions and instructing me to drink 10 glasses of water a day they sent me home. Well I ended up having 2 more false labor situations almost exactly like that, and after that and I just had contractions randomly all the way up until I had the baby. The doctor called them irritable uterine contractions and I was on bed rest for most of December, and thinking I was going to have the baby early. My mom and sister were here for the last false labor and my contractions were 2-3 min. apart and painful, but still because I wasn't dilating they sent me home, I was 38 weeks and it was New Year's Eve. I was deeply depressed and cried the whole night, because I knew that in Provo, they would have broke my water and let me have the baby then, but here they are heartless. I hurt so much the next day that I could barely walk and it hurt to roll over in my sleep. Anyway my due date came, but my doctor said they make their patients wait a full week to induce labor, I was very bitter about the whole thing. In Provo I would have been able to pick any day after my due date that I wanted. I got lucky though because the Monday that they would have normally induced me, was a holiday so I was induced 4 days late on Friday January 16th which just happened to be Eric's brother Kevin's birthday. Unfortunately the doctors at the hospital were extremely busy that day and even though I was scheduled for 8am we didn't have Max until 11:23pm. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced too. The doctor gave me some sort of weird pill to thin me out, but about 6 hours and 2 nurses later I still hadn't dilated so they finally gave me the petocin, another pill, and stripped my membranes. I was supposed to be checked after 4 hours but like I said the doctors were too busy. 4 hours after the petocin, I was dilated to a 5 and having heavy contractions. The nurse was surprised since I was only at a 1 last they checked. Anyway she left to get approval for the epidural, but I knew at the rate they were going it would be too late when she got back and I was right. I was at an 8 when she got back and so I had to deliver without drugs. I have never screamed so much in my whole life. The pain was excruciating. Anyway at least I didn't tear and other than Max having a tiny, minor fracture on his right clavicle (shoulder) everything went well. He was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 21.6 inches long.
Out here, having babies early is a rarity, pretty much every doctor here wants to make the moms go as close to their due date as possible despite any misery or pain the mother is going through. I started having contractions the Friday after Thanksgiving and December 1st I was 34 weeks and contracting 4-5 min. apart, but it was false labor, and after giving me 2 shots to stop the contractions and instructing me to drink 10 glasses of water a day they sent me home. Well I ended up having 2 more false labor situations almost exactly like that, and after that and I just had contractions randomly all the way up until I had the baby. The doctor called them irritable uterine contractions and I was on bed rest for most of December, and thinking I was going to have the baby early. My mom and sister were here for the last false labor and my contractions were 2-3 min. apart and painful, but still because I wasn't dilating they sent me home, I was 38 weeks and it was New Year's Eve. I was deeply depressed and cried the whole night, because I knew that in Provo, they would have broke my water and let me have the baby then, but here they are heartless. I hurt so much the next day that I could barely walk and it hurt to roll over in my sleep. Anyway my due date came, but my doctor said they make their patients wait a full week to induce labor, I was very bitter about the whole thing. In Provo I would have been able to pick any day after my due date that I wanted. I got lucky though because the Monday that they would have normally induced me, was a holiday so I was induced 4 days late on Friday January 16th which just happened to be Eric's brother Kevin's birthday. Unfortunately the doctors at the hospital were extremely busy that day and even though I was scheduled for 8am we didn't have Max until 11:23pm. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced too. The doctor gave me some sort of weird pill to thin me out, but about 6 hours and 2 nurses later I still hadn't dilated so they finally gave me the petocin, another pill, and stripped my membranes. I was supposed to be checked after 4 hours but like I said the doctors were too busy. 4 hours after the petocin, I was dilated to a 5 and having heavy contractions. The nurse was surprised since I was only at a 1 last they checked. Anyway she left to get approval for the epidural, but I knew at the rate they were going it would be too late when she got back and I was right. I was at an 8 when she got back and so I had to deliver without drugs. I have never screamed so much in my whole life. The pain was excruciating. Anyway at least I didn't tear and other than Max having a tiny, minor fracture on his right clavicle (shoulder) everything went well. He was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 21.6 inches long.
Yesterday was his 2 week appointment and he was 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 22 inches long, so he has grown. I think the only upside to natural labor without drugs is that I have recovered so much faster and without taking any pain killers whatsoever. I feel so blessed to have a new little one straight from Heavenly Father in my life. He keeps me up with feedings and I am tired all the time, but he is a really good baby boy and hardly ever cries. The kids love him, Haley loves him so much she has to be reminded to be gentle and she is always waking him up because she can't leave him alone, but she loves him. Alex seems a little indifferent. He looks at the baby and I let him hold Max a few times, but he just carries on and does his own thing like always. I am looking forward to having the baby blessed. We have chosen the 8th of February and my parents are planning on coming. It just wouldn't be the same without my dad there in the circle. This will be the only blessing without my brothers and sisters though and it makes me a little bit sad. I miss being in Provo and being close to my family. They drive me a little crazy sometimes, but it was easier for Eric's parents to travel than my parents, and I think now that we live in CA I will be seeing a lot less of my family. I love Eric's family, but it just feels strange having a new baby and not having my mother here. Eric's mother stayed with us for 2 weeks to help out with the baby and she was great. We have been relying on them for a lot since we moved here. I just hope they don't get tired of us. Anyway that is the whole story. I was just a weird coincidence that 2 of my children were born 4 days late and on an uncle's birthday. Haley was 4 days late and came on my brother Kemish's birthday she was 7lbs. 10oz. Alex was the only baby I had early and that was because I had gall stones and was in too much pain to go full term. He was 12 days early and weighed 6lbs. 5oz. Who knows if we will have any more, but we are probably going to at least wait until Eric finishes school and has a good career under his belt before we consider having another child. Plus with my temperament I'm not sure how I will deal with 3 let alone 4, so we'll see. Here are pictures of Max and the kids. Enjoy!
Alex and Max
Babies are so cute asleep
Eric holding Max
Max's first pictures at the Hospital
