When will they come home? Unsure. They don't like to set expectations because of the uncertainties that surround preemies. They tell you to plan on original due date (July 1)....but 36 weeks (first week of June) seems closer to what happens in practice if no issues arise.
What will indicate they are ready? They need to be able to maintain their own body temperature, nurse or eat from a bottle, and sleep in an open air crib. They are currently in a climate controlled incubator and receive gavage feedings.
What is a gavage feeding? Thanks for asking. I like to educate our readership. Because babies younger than a gestational age of 34 weeks do not usually have the coordination to suck and swallow, they must be fed by some means other than the breast. Gavage feeding is where a small, narrow tube is inserted through the infant's nostril and is placed down the throat, esophagus, and into the baby's stomach. This allows for the baby to get the nutrition it needs from breastmilk prior to developing the strength or coordination to breast or bottle feed. Courtney and I (and visitors) have been able to administer many of these feedings.
What did Austin think when he met them? N/A. The rules in the NICU are pretty strict. Children under three are not allowed. In fact, the only children allowed are siblings. Austin has not met them yet, and likely won't until they come home. Introducing the trips to Austin and their new home will be like some sort of weird Animal Planet episode I imagine....like introducing some lower form of animal life to a lion. The video camera will be rolling.....and we will try to post footage here. Stay tuned.
Are you guys getting any sleep? Yes. On weekdays, Courtney spends the middle of the day at MVH and I go later in the afternoon. More time will be spent on weekends. We both try to be home to put Austin to bed. I sleep like Cayden after a gavage feeding....Courtney sleeps intermittenly between getting up every 2-3 hours to pump milk for the triplets. They have the best possible care, so sleeping at the hospital or spending every waking hour there is senseless. They sleep 20+ hours a day, so they are not sitting around wondering where mom and dad are.
Are they together? They are in different rooms, but side to side. This is nice because when we get bored with one, we can pop in on the next. There is a triplets room where they could be together soon. We are waiting on it to open up. I have been hovering just outside trying to urge the other triplets to go home, but to no avail so far.
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