angieb - did you pick up any portuguese in the Azores? I speak Portuguese. My evacuation could be set up quite quickly (again, if you got the resources, getting an ambulance is fast) and it would take 3 hours travelling by road to get to a NICU (in south africa) that can take a premie 24 weeks, and attempt to keep the premie alive. Plane evacuation is probably out of our budget (we would do it, but get into serious lifetime debt), and it would take less than an hour to arrive in johannesburg.
and yes, unfortunately the burden of pre eclampsia/eclampsia on maternal mortality is high here @ 16%. For the most part, public healthcare has limited resources (health centers sometimes face even sphygmomanometer shortages...to the tune of one to be shared by pre-natal consultation, post-partum consultation, triage) and a lot of hardships are faced by the local population of pregnant women (especially in rural areas and anywhere outside the capital city).
kerisue - Both doctor and I are hoping if PE sets in that it be later in the pregnancy...and he has warned me that I probability is high that i will not get to 40 weeks. So target for a full term baby in my case would be 37 weeks gestation. I am comfortable with that, it would be a blessing to avoid the 28 week mark and the 32 week mark

aajatwins - Congrats on your baby born @ 39 weeks and VBAC. Like i mentioned above, i have been given 37 weeks as max. time of gestation in the future....and VBAC, let me tell i am not sure i could attempt it. So it makes me happy to know you were so brave (in my book). I am on extra folic acid supplement (close to 800 micrograms during preconception), and doctor may increase once i get positive test and go to my first pre-natal visit. i am also taking 1000mg calcium (during my pregnancy the dose was 500mg).
sam10 - I am comfortable with my doctor, however, i must say that due to my loss i have a certain distrust built in...sucks to admit. My husband feels secure with him, which is good as well, and we have his contact details to reach him directly if needed (not the case with the prior pregnancy where anything required an appointment and sometimes this meant a delay in seeing the doctor). For what it is worth, i do feel in my gut he has my best interest at heart. He has asked that i settle for one doctor once pregnant, because if i begin to get conflicting advice, how will i proceed? He has a point, but i will probably be seeking second, third opinions anyway (in particular in the second trimester). to double check everything is fine. Paranoid, i know.
I feel very supported already by everyone in this forum, despite the fact i live so far away. I will be a regular reader of the forum, rooting for everyone to have healthy pregnancies, and thriving babies.
Hugs
Leilani's Mother