Our ordeal started on January 6, when a scheduled checkup at Ruthie's OB revealed elevated blood pressure levels and a high protein count in Ruthie' urine. Fortunately for both of us, I had decided to take Ruthie to her 2:30 appointment that day. I will never forget the freaked-out look Ruthie had in her eyes when she told me we had to go to the hospital for more testing. We registered at the outpatient desk, and went straight to a room on the 4th floor of Fauquier hospital. Within an hour, the nurse monitoring Ruthie confirmed the blood pressure levels and protein count, and Ruthie was admitted by 6:00.
One of her first treatments was magnesium, an IV to control the blood pressure. This IV has some nasty side affects. Ruthie became very warm, so I turned the temp to its lowest setting, and when that was still not enough, our nurse brought a fan into the room. Magnesium also makes a person feel very lousy and grumpy, and Ruthie got the brunt of this side affect as well. I was very glad she was not vomiting, as our nurse told me some people can get very nauseous.
The next treatment was a steroid shot in the butt cheek. This was to stimulated Reileys lung development, since she was only 28 weeks and 4 days at this point.
The doctor also ordered 24 hour urine testing, so all of Ruthie's urine was collected for the next 24 hours.
The last test of the day was a sonogram. The nurse estimated Reiley's weight to be around three pounds.
I bunked down for the night on a cot next to Ruthie's bed and slept relatively well that night. I did not find much out of her nurses, but Ruthie did tell me in the morning that they had taken more blood tests during the night.
When I woke up, Ruthie was not taking any more Magnesium, and she was feeling much better. We simply had to wait on the 24 hour urine collection to be finished before we could go home. Ruthie was ordered to complete bed rest, with only bathroom privileges once every hour. I was to take her blood pressure 4 times daily, and report any pressures higher than 160/100 immediately to her doctor. We arrived home at 9 PM on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Most of our discussions that day focused on how I was to care for Ruthie for 11 weeks and keep my job which required me to leave town every day.

Friday, Jan 9.
Our solution brainstorming came to a screeching halt when I woke to find Ruthie's blood pressure to be well over the limits given to us at discharge. Ruthie was put under the same treatment as before. This time our nurse was someone we knew, and we thought this was really great. We had excellent care and advise. Most of the day was uneventful, with the exception of a few visitors in the afternoon and evening hours, which was an incredible morale boost. I did think Ruthie was not as perky as she had been two days ago, even with the magnesium.
Jan. 10
Early this morning Ruthie developed a severe headache. It was bad enough she did not want to speak or open her eyes. The nurse was NOT impressed, and our doctor came in soon after breakfast to tell us she was talking with the doctors at UVA in the event we would need a transfer since Fauquier is not equipped for an infant that small. Our doctor also let us know she was not happy that Ruthie was having headaches, as that was a sign Ruthie's preclampsia was advancing. Around 10:30, she came back to inform us that all the test results she had been waiting for were back, and Ruthie would need to be transferred.
Ruthie and I had been preparing ourselves for a several week hospital stay, but did not anticipate her condition to worsen so rapidly. I was concerned when she started with her headaches, but was surprised at how much alarm it set off in the doctor. Our doctor explained to us that the headaches were a result of the high blood pressure and put Ruthie in at a very high risk of seizures or stoke.
Several good things happened that day. The support we were getting from our family and church was encouraging. Our pastor was in touch with us as was Ruthie's brother Steve. It was a great relief to me when I heard Ruthie's folks were on their way from Florida. My parents were out of the country and would not be back for 4 more days. We were getting many encouraging texts and it was strengthening to know our friends were praying for us. Personally for me, the biggest angel of the day was Emily Mast. She was planning to come visit us, and I didn't know we were getting the transfer when she called that morning. She arrived just after we got the news from the doctor and helped both of us dry our eyes. God seemed to know just when we needed encouragement.
Our transport went well. We had a great EMT who let me ride in the back with Ruthie. The ride was a little over an hour long, and the first snow fall I witnessed this winter was from an ambulance.

to be continued...