A year ago, yesterday!

January 17, 2010 (a year ago yesterday) I was 32 and 1/2 weeks pregnant.  It is also the same night that I was rushed from Martin Army hospital by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital.  I had been diagnosed with preeclampsia early in my pregnancy and been watched very closely for months,  That night I had pains and feelings that I can't explain, but I knew things were wrong.  My husband took me to labor and delivery at the hospital on post (Martin Army).  My blood pressure was insanely high, so high that I was uncontrollably vomiting (gross I know).  I was transferred to the local hospital in town (Columbus Regional) because Martin Army doesn't have a NICCU and I was informed by the doctors at Martin Army that my sweet baby girl would more then likely have to been born that night.  For those of you who don't know what preeclampsia  is, it is a condition in which your body basically because allergic to your placenta.  It causes high blood pressure and for your kidneys and liver not to function properly.  The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby.

I can't describe the amount of emotions and fear that I was overcome with at this time.  Josh and I were 3,000 miles away from "home" and our family.  Josh tried his hardest to be strong for me, but we both knew it was too early for our baby to come and I was getting sicker by the minute.  The details of that night are a little blurry to me. Everything was happening so fast and I was put on a drug called magnesium to make sure that I didn't start having seizures.  I remember the paramedic in the ambulance with me trying to come me down because my blood pressure was still so high and there would be nothing he could do if I did start to have seizures.  The magnesium made me very hot and thirsty. I remember my mouth being so dry, but they wouldn't let me drink anything. Josh contacted my family along with his. Neither of us knew what to expect from there on out.  Hannah and I were in the lords hands.

Hannah didn't come that night.  They were able to stabilize my blood pressure and I was given a steroid shot to help with the development of Hannah's lungs. The doctors made it clear to Josh and I that this was all only temporary and that I would be staying in the hospital until Hannah was born.  They wanted to be able to wait 36 hours (until I had another steroid shot for her lungs and it had, had enough time to take effect) before she would be delivered, but they weren't sure we would be able to wait even that long.

The next day was much of the same. I was sick and in so much pain but I didn't want my baby to be born yet so I tried to bare it.  I was hooked up to so many machines monitoring me and the baby and I had blood work done every couple of hours around the clock to make sure my condition was worsting.  It was impossible to get any rest with people poking me with needles every couple of hours.  I wasn't allowed out of bed since I was still on the mag and a IV for fluids.  They wouldn't let me eat or drink anything afraid at anytime they would have to do a ER C-section. The head doctor of the NICCU came to talk to Josh and I about what to expect when it was time for Hannah to be born.  He told us a lot of things that day, but they only things I held on to was "every day, every hour, every minute that the baby stays inside her mother makes her a little bit stronger."  I was determined that Hannah would not be taken from me until there were no other options left.......