Yesterday morning we "woke up" from our first night with all three of the boys and we were all still in the hospital. I put "woke up" in quotation marks because we barely slept there. During our 2 and a half days of rooming in, we each estimate we got about 4 total hours of sleep. I know from my perspective...that no more than two of those hours were actually continuous. Needless to say...the idea of bringing these guys home was slightly intimidating!
But as we went through the morning yesterday, we each got more and more excited. I had to run home to pick up the triple decker stroller. We weren't planning to use it, but my back started having spasms (a new thing for me) and I wasn't sure I'd be able to carry two car seats worth of boys. But it also gave me a chance to do one more walk around the house to make sure everything was in place.
Heading back into the hospital to go get Autumn and the boys was the first time in many, many visits to that hospital that I was ever nervous. Probably because for once...I knew the outcome. So I spent the rest of the morning loading things into the car, and Autumn changed and fed them one last time on the hospital's dime! One note about loading up...the NICU is really big into sterilization so anything that was remotely related to the boys was either being thrown away or we got to take home!! We got diapers, small amounts of formula that are perfect for diaper bags, wet wipes, nasal suckers (not sure of the technical term), swaddle blankets...it was a total free for all. And with triplets...we'll take all the freebies we can get!! :-)
Finally, we changed the boys into their "going home" outfits. Forgive me for not taking a picture before we put them into the car seats...but things were a little hectic :-) Then...the nurse came in...helped us load them into their car seats and we had time for our first family photo!!
As you can see...everyone has a blanket corresponding to their respective colors.
You can read a previous post to get them :-)
Once done...we were ready to roll!! We discussed later that we felt glad we were leaving on a Sunday. Otherwise, we would have gotten a lot of the "triplet stares" that so many mothers of multiples (MOMs) have warned us about. But Sundays are quiet at Bethesda and the only people who noted us were the same doormen who used to escort Autumn into the hospital when she was pregnant. They were excited to see that the "Lady having the triplets" was bringing her brood home!!
The drive home was uneventful. You can only drive so carefully on the Capital Beltway because the drivers are so crazy. But the only thing making me nervous was if they'd be able to hold their necks up well enough to breathe. The NICU did the vital signs / car seat test the night before...but like so many new Dads I was just paranoid we'd missed something. At the first stop light I asked Autumn to lean over the seat to make sure they were okay. After that...we were fine and pulled into the driveway around 2pm.
One of the things we'd been most concerned about having a baby (let alone 3) was how Teddy would do. He's our 5lb Toy Poodle who also happens to suffer from seperation anxiety. So bringing home three little babies who would suddenly occupy 90% of our attention was gonna be interesting. I must say...he is the biggest surprise of all. After running up the stair to greet Autumn (he hadn't seen her since the middle of November) he has been amazing about the babies. He doesn't try to jump up when we are holding them...he sits patiently on the floor...doesn't beg. He is like a whole new dog. If anything...I think he gets it and only shows concern when somebody is crying or fussing...he doesn't like that too much. Anyways...we both agree that Teddy has done wonderful with the newest additions to our family.
On a quicker note...Tim the Cat can care less. He avoids our bedroom now because that is where all the fuss is coming from!!
Once home and settled, we left the boys in their car seats so not to disturb them when they were content. We fixed their bottles and got ready to do our first feed/care time at home. Once done...we put them into the crib they'll be sharing for a few months (until they are too big or move so much they disturb each other).
We are really into swaddling because that is what seems to keep them the most content.
The letters have now moved enough to be skewed.
I'll have time to fix it by the time we move them into the nursery!!
Each of them has a clipboard and tracking sheet so we know who got fed what, when, their diaper status, or any other item of note. Trust me...it is needed. By the midnight feeding we could barely remember what we'd just fed them and how much!!
Once they were settled, I got to show Autumn around the house. She'd been downstairs on bedrest for so long...she never saw the nursery or the middle floor with the baby stuff there. I was so glad she liked everything and it seemed like it really eased her transition back into the house and to being a full time mommy.
The rest of the night was a blur. I had a paper to finish writing and night time is a very fussy time in the house (as I write I can hear someone screaming away). But we worked really well together getting bottles ready, changing diapers, feeding, swaddling, etc. And after the 0400 feeding Autumn let me get some sleep downstairs. It's amazing how only a few hours of sleep can feel so good. After she took the 0800 feeding today...she was able to nap until the afternoon and we both feel pretty good about things.
I look forward to sharing the details of how to prepare all the bottles and other things during care time. We've ranged from 1hr care times all the way up to 2 hrs for stuff. It is very dependent on how well the boys are eating, their fussiness, and how awake WE are. But it is all so worth it because these guys are awesome!!
Have a great week!!
God Bless!!
J
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