Corn Fed Kansan: Ida's Birth

I had Ida at the Clay County Medical Center in Clay Center, KS. Clay Center is about 30 miles away from our house. I was skeptical of going to a smaller hospital to deliver but since I didn't have any complications during pregnancy, we decided it would be the best option for us. Remember, I went to Omaha, NE (2 1/2 hours away from our house) to a specialist until my third trimester. I did have the option of delivering in Omaha but I'm so glad we chose Clay Center and Dr. Susan Thompson. It was a wonderful experience! I highly recommend Dr. T. She is the best!

My due date was May 15 and this is a picture of me on that day. I couldn't believe I actually made it to that day!

due date

I started having some mild contractions May 16 which was one day past my due date. Baby had been head down for a while and I had been dilating for a few weeks before hand and was already dilated to a 3 at this point.

4 p.m. Leaving for the hospital. Feeling good.

Dan did not want to take a selfie with me

By the time I got to the hospital that afternoon I was at a 4. I really wasn't in any pain though. I could feel some mild cramps but that was it. I got checked into the hospital around 7 pm and after being checked a few hours later, I was at around a 5 or 6. I had always planned on getting an epidural like I did with Lorena so that was on the agenda for the night. Honestly, I wasn't an any pain up until this point. The contractions were getting a bit stronger but just still felt like normal cramps and my lower back had some pain but that was it! I was like "I thought this was supposed to hurt." Back labor in the days leading up to Lorena's birth was much worse than what I was feeling this time around.

Still feeling great. At a 5 or 6 now and sitting on the birthing ball. I also told Dan I would not post this picture but he hasn't read my blog in years so who cares!

Since Dr. T wanted me to progress some more, she broke my water at about 11 p.m. I felt more pain after that so I got an epidural. Getting the epidural was pretty much pain free too! The epidural hurt so much more when I was in Topeka having Lorena. I was able to sleep from 12 am to 2 am and then for another hour before 3 am and 4 am. Dan also slept a while too but his snoring woke me up several times...typical right? :-) The epidural took the edge off and allowed me to rest. I could still get up and go to the bathroom and move my legs which is how they like them to be. I still felt like I had some control over my body which was nice. I definitely felt a lot of pressure and it did hurt during the contractions but it wasn't that bad at all. I pushed for an hour and a half and Ida was born at 7:33 am on May 17, 2014.

I always joked with Dr. T that it took 3 pushes to get Lorena out since she was so small. Dr. T told me this one would take a few more pushes. She was right. Baby's head was 14 cm and shoulders were as wide as the head circumference. She did have a bit of a cone and was stuck under my pubic bone for a while I think. Ida was still a beautiful full term baby. Ida was 8 lbs and 7 1/2 ounces and 20 inches long. Perfect.

The whole experience was great. The room was nice. I could labor, birth, and recover in the same room and didn't have to shuffle to other rooms. There are 3 maternity rooms in the hospital but I was the only one there so I got treated like a queen!

Dan and Lorena hanging out before we were discharged

The nurses and anesthesiologist were all really good to me. Like I said before, Dr. T was awesome too. She was very calm the whole delivery and it was truly an enjoyable experience. She told me all along that this would be a much better experience than my birth with Lorena. Having Lorena was such a scary time for Dan and me. She wasn't supposed to come that earlier. We were warned of all the possible long term problems she could have and that she could die. I didn't want to hold Lorena when she was born, I just wanted the doctors to take her away and keep her alive. Having Ida was so different. We wanted her to come out, especially being 2 days over and having pushed for an hour and a half. I wasn't scared to hold her when she came. Dan got to cut the cord and she started nursing right away. I couldn't have asked for a better day.