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Angie's story I checked my bp as told for the week and it was right where it should be 110/70 to 120/80. The Dr. told me I should not worry about it. At 20 weeks they did another ultrasound to determine the sex. We were happy when we found out we were having a little girl. They told me at the ultrasound that everything looked great, and I was scheduled to come back in 4 weeks. Around 23 weeks my ankles began to swell some. I called the Dr. because my sister-in-law who was a nurse said that this was a symptom of pre-eclampsia & with my history of high blood pressure I should I have it checked out. The nurse told me that unless I was having swelling in my hands & face along with headaches and blurred vision that I should not be overly worried, that it was a common side effect of being pregnant. She told me to drink plenty of fluids & keep my feet up as much as possible. At my 24 weeks check-up I was not swollen, but had gained 10 lb. in a month. My blood pressure however was normal for me 120/80. The Dr. told me to try not to gain any weight for the month & he would see me again in 4 weeks. That weekend we decided to go out of town to visit some of my husbands friends. On the way there my ankles became very swollen and stayed swollen the entire weekend, no matter how much I propped them up. That Monday morning I called the Dr.'s office and left a voice mail for his nurse. The nurse never called me back. By Tuesday morning my legs were swollen from the knee down & hurt really bad. At this point I was exactly 26 weeks. The nurse finally called me back and told me to go to the office for a bp check. When I arrived my bp was 160/100 and I had 4+ protein in my urine and I had gained 11 lb. of fluid in 8 days. I was then told to go straight to the OB floor at the hospital. I was admitted and put on magnesium sulfate to help prevent seizures and lower my bp. I was also to have a 24 hour urine analysis done. My blood pressure continued to climb during the night, and the magnesium made me violently sick. I spent the entire night throwing up. My Dr. was there to deliver another baby, so he stayed close by to check on me. Around 1a.m. he told my husband I would be transferred to Macon around 8a.m. that morning. He said that the hospital we were at could take care of me, but not a premature baby. He said that the baby would be born within the next month, possibly the next week. Upon arrival in Macon I was taken to see the high risk specialist and have another ultrasound done. He said the baby looked good and weighed around 1 1/2 lb.s. He also said that the baby would be born soon, more than likely in a few days, although he would like for it to be held off until at least 28 weeks. I was administered steroid shots to help the baby's lungs develop. When the results of my 24 hour urine came back it was +5, so the Dr. said he would hold off delivery until the baby or I were in danger. They finally got my bp under control and put me back on the floor. I was to have the baby's heartbeat monitored twice a week and have bp checks every 4 hours. On Sunday night I again became VERY sick, but the Dr. said it was nothing to worry about, and that he would continue to watch me closely. The next day the baby was monitored. Although her heartbeat was strong, it was not varying with movement as it should. I told the nurse that the baby was not moving around as she had been doing the week before. They monitored me again the following day, and the heartbeat was still not varying, so they said I would be taken for another ultrasound. Around noon on Wednesday I was taken for my ultrasound. The Dr. told us that the ultrasound looked really bad, that the placenta was disintegrating, and the baby would only survive another 72 hours in this environment. He advised us to have labor induced. At this point I was 27 weeks and very swollen, my hands were so swollen I could not make a fist and my left eye was almost swollen shut. He told me that they would probably have to do a c-section because the baby probably would not tolerate labor well. After 2 hours and very few contractions they decided to do a c-section, because small contractions were making her heart rate drop. They put me to sleep and at 5:50 p.m. Alexas Suzanne arrived at 1 lb. 11.2 oz. and 13.25 in. She was immediately resuscitated and put on the ventilator to help her breathe. We were told that she was stable, but still very critical. I was not allowed to see her for the next 24 hours because I was still on the magnesium and unable to get out of the bed. The nurses in the NICU took pictures of her and sent them to me. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen. When I finally saw her for the first time I was terrified at how small she was, and how many machines she was hooked up to. They told us that she would have to be given medicine to paralyze her and that she would be placed on a very high powered ventilator, because she was fighting the conventional ventilator. She was on the high frequency vent for three days and then placed back on the conventional vent. She continued to progress very well, and her only real problems were that her lungs were very underdeveloped. We were told that she had a Grade III brain bleed, but it has resolved on its own with no signs of damage. She is now almost 8 weeks old, and weighs 3 lb. 3 oz. She is off the vent after being off for 2 weeks and then being put back on due to her developing a staph infection. She is still doing well, but not completely out of the woods. Hopefully she will continue to progress and come home in 5 to 6 weeks. My advice to anyone who is suffering through any of this is to pray, pray. pray. God has blessed my husband and I very much with our beautiful daughter. Without Him she would not be here. Always remember He never gives you more than you can handle! God Bless! Angie Mother of Alexas Suzanne, born at 27 weeks gestation due to pre-eclampsia
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