Family4tune: Sweet Home

Tomorrow, March 18, marks 40 weeks, the original due date of this pregnancy. When we found out we had quadruplets our new goal was to make it to February 4, or 34 weeks gestation. Instead Ben and I are here at home holding our three month old little ones who came at 26 weeks and 6 days, and that is the miracle! After 80 days in the NICU living on ventilators, IVs, feeding tubes and 24-hr medical assistance, all of our babies are home.

On Thursday (3/6) Nurse Lacey at Kadlec Medical Center came into the room and said this was the day they were going to be discharged. They had been at Kadlec for two weeks refining their feeding skills and getting weaned from oxygen. Although Thomas, William and Cienna were still on oxygen they were still able to be discharged. It was one big caravan of carseats, monitors, oxygen tanks, people and supplies, but tucked in the chaos were 40 fingers, 40 toes and four sets of eyeballs. When we stepped into the elevator to leave the pediatric floor there were questioning looks then congratulations as people put two and two together, literally.

Their current weights in order of size are...
Thomas 7 lbs 7 oz (born at 1 lb 14 oz)

Gracie 6 lbs 13 oz (born at 1 lb 14 oz)

William 6 lbs 12oz (born at 1 lb 12 oz)

Cienna 4 lbs 12oz (born at 1 lb 6 oz)

The main job now is to keep them growing. We've continued to follow the schedule they were on in the hospital and do feeding and cares every 4 hours. We go through about 26 diapers a day (when everything goes perfectly) and combined the babies eat about 64 oz right now. Feeding and cares take about 1.5-2 hrs for two adults. We have set up a makeshift nursery in the living room because of the oxygen needs, making it a lot easier to monitor all of them at once while still getting a thing or two done around the house. Because they are still working being consistent with sucking and swallowing successfully, feeding times can be stressful. One time William coughed his milk down the wrong pipe and turned blue. Thankfully the hospital had us take infant CPR and rescue breathing which more than anything helped us stay calm in the situation. What felt like a million minutes later we had his airway clear and he was back to his normal self. I keep reminding myself that it won't be this way forever.

In the afternoons we give them "tummy time" where we put them on their bellies and let them spend time together. They make all kinds of cooing noises and seem to like being together. When the sun comes in the glass doorway we let them soak up a little of it.

Once home Thomas was weaned off of oxygen and hasn't needed it since. William and Cienna are competing for who will be next. Both regularly go through the night with it turned off, but then need it again during feeding times. They are attached to monitors that continuously tell us their heart rate and oxygen saturation so we know how to adjust for their needs. Although the monitors are helpful, especially at night, looking at them and observing their color and behavior has proven to be just has important in figuring out how they are doing.

We have been overwhelmed with the support from friends, family and total strangers. People regularly let us know they have been praying for the babies or sending positive thoughts our way. Thank You!

Here are a few pictures of life here at home...