Little Spurs of Surprise

“That particular day was the one day I didn’t prepare,” Kim recalled of the routine prenatal visit. ​“I didn’t feel that I was ready.”

Kim had been seeing each of the providers at Ivinson Medical Group’s Women’s Health Clinic. Nearing the end of her pregnancy, she had been scheduled to be induced the following Monday. After her visit with Dr. Samantha Herriott that Friday, her timeline was quickly moved up. Kim instantly swelled up with fear.

“I will see you through it,” Dr. Herriott reassured her. ​“I will take care of you. I will make sure that everything is great and we will get through this together.” 

And that is exactly what they did. 

Where Care Feels Like Home

Kim had previously worked at Ivinson but had not been seen as a patient until she learned she was expecting. 

“I was actually really nervous,” Kim said of beginning her prenatal care. ​“Most people, I think, are really excited for that stage of life and I was excited to be a mom but I was really nervous about the whole process of actually having a baby, pregnancy and even the post-partum care.”

For her family, there was no question about where she would receive care. Kim has called Laramie home since college and her husband, his whole life. Kim, who had worked in both the Ivinson Foundation and the emergency room, knew she trusted her family’s care to Ivinson. 

“I worked in the ER, I saw that everyone is equal,” Kim said. ​“Everyone that comes in, no matter who they saw, everyone gets great treatment and I think that it’s the same on every floor.”

It was important to Kim and her family that they stayed close to home, where they were greeted by name and their care was personalized to their needs.

Halfway through her pregnancy, it was discovered that Kim had placenta previa, a low laying placenta. Although caught early, the concern made her pregnancy a high-risk case. 

“They caught on to it very quickly,” Kim said of the small scare. ​“They knew exactly how to take care of that. It ended up fixing itself.” After discussing her options, Kim was able to continue her care at Ivinson Medical Group. ​“Originally, when I found out I had a previa, we talked about possibly seeing a specialist to treat the high risk and I was kind of bummed. I wanted to stay in house. I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I love Laramie, I felt at home here.”

It’s Your Birthday

Leading up to the big day, Kim was under weekly observation. Following a routine prenatal visit and testing, Dr. Herriott determined it was time to admit Kim, it was time to have a baby.

“I was scared because I didn’t want to be passed around,” Kim said. ​”What’s going to happen now if I go up to the floor? Will I have to wait to see? Do I have time to go anywhere?”

Without missing a beat, Dr. Herriott put her worries to rest. She reassured Kim that the Family Care Unit was expecting her, her nurses were lined up and the anesthetist was ready to go. Today was the day they would meet their baby. 

“I knew that she was going to see me through the rest of it,” Kim said. ​“I didn’t have to worry about going to meet someone new and having them understand where I was at with the delivery and the labor. She was just going to take care of me.”

Kim was placed in a wheelchair and transferred to the Family Care Unit where her care team and Dr. Herriott were ready for her. 

“Going from the clinic straight over to the floor was perfect,” Kim said. ​“I just felt like it was very special. It was like my birthday too. It was like a celebration rather than a treatment. It actually is the exact opposite of what I would have pictured a delivery being like.”

Settled into her labor and delivery suite, it was time to wait. Being Kim’s first child, it was expected that it would be some time before things progressed. 30 minutes later, that progression moved rapidly.

“I just remember thinking, okay I think it’s time but I’m not ready because it happened too fast,” Kim said when a nurse told her she was fully dilated and it was time to push. ​“I thought I’d have all this time to read a magazine and smell essential oils or whatever you read about what other people do. It just happened so quickly.” 

It was time to have a baby. 

The couple had agreed to remain ​“team green” and elected not to learn the baby’s sex throughout Kim’s pregnancy. 

“We didn’t know what we were having,” Kim said, of making her delivery a surprise. Dr. Herriott, not wanting to risk spilling the beans, chose to be surprised with the new parents. ​“That was really fun too because none of us knew.”

Lottie Michelena Romsa was born 6 lbs 1 oz and 19 ½ inches long. Kim’s feelings of apprehension immediately vanished when she held her baby girl in her arms for the first time. 

“There was just so much joy,” Kim said of those first hours with her new little family. ​“I can’t even explain that feeling until it happens. You don’t even realize how much love you can have.”

Hello Motherhood

The next time Kim was at Ivinson Medical Group, she came in with little Lottie to show for all her visits prior.

“It was fun to finally have a little appointment with Lottie. She had a great first appointment,” Kim said. ​“Breastfeeding was going well and they offered a lot of help. We were able to go into a separate room and just work on lactation which was really great.”

In between scheduled visits, Kim and Quade noticed Lottie’s oxygen sats dropping. The family used an Owlet sock to monitor her heart rate and oxygen. When her oxygen dropped severely, the new parents called for help. 

“We brought her in and right away Dr. Koduri knew what was going on,” Kim said. ​“She was extremely calm and extremely friendly. She could tell I was honestly breaking down. I had tears in my eyes. I was worried. I kept thinking that we didn’t come in soon enough. How long had she been struggling? Had she been low on oxygen? And she reassured me that it was very common. It was something that was easy to fix and they would take care of her immediately.”

In the Pediatric and Family Care Clinic, Lottie wasn’t the only patient being cared for. During a pediatric visit, a nurse checked in with Kim as well, who revealed she hadn’t been feeling well.

“Right away they sent one of the OB nurses over to remedy what was going on with me,” Kim said. ​“That was so nice because I don’t think I would have taken the time to go take care of myself when I’m taking care of a new baby.”

IMG’s pediatric and family care team routinely work with the women’s health team to ensure that both mom and baby are well cared for. Both clinics are housed on the third floor of the Medical Office Building at Ivinson, making their teamwork a seamless transition.

“We have a hidden little gem here at Ivinson,” Kim said of her entire care experience. ​“They treat you like you are one of their own. And that is the main reason that I loved Ivinson, because of the way I was treated. When you don’t feel good or you have something going on, you want to feel at home and you want to feel like you know who is taking care of you. And that’s how I feel at Ivinson.”

Kim, Quade and Lottie continue to be cared for at Ivinson, from emergency room visits to routine care. The Romsas are learning together every day as Lottie continues to surprise them. For Kim and Quade, they are loving every minute. 

“It is the greatest gift that you never knew you needed,” Kim said of becoming a mother. ​“It’s the gift that keeps giving, but I never knew I was missing out until I had her.”