When I hung up with him, I went to the pantry to get some ice water, and ran into the pediatrician in the hallway. He said he was on his way to see me. I told him about Bridget, and he said that her croup wouldn't prevent him from discharging the babies. BUT...he was concerned with the babies bilirubin levels. Because they are all preemies, the tolerable bilirubin level is lowered. So he ordered another bilirubin test. If they "pass" he'll discharge them. If not, they'll spend one more day at St. Joe's. As for their weights, Holly and Liam are only down a few ounces as compared to their birth weight. Megan was down 6 oz (I think) which was right about 9-10%. The pediatrician also said that Shawn could bring Bridget by the office 10 minutes before they open, and he'll check her out quickly.
So Shawn took Bridget to the doc, and got some good news. It wasn't exactly croup. Meanwhile, Uncle Colin was driving out to Joliet, so he could watch Bridget while Shawn picked up the babies and me from the hospital.
While all of that was going on, I saw my doctor who was now concerned about my blood pressure. I had a few readings that were a bit too high, so now I had to stay an hour or two so that my blood pressure could be monitored. Fortunately, my next three readings were acceptable. So I was cleared for discharge.
Soon enough, the triplets had their blood drawn for another bilirubin test. Within an hour or two, they all had passed that test and were cleared for discharge. Meanwhile, Shawn was taking Bridget from the doctor, to our house, then came back to the hospital, but had forgotten all the baby car seats, so he had to go back home, and then back to the hospital.
I packed up, Shawn and I dressed the babies in a new outfit, and I signed all the discharge paperwork. Our nurse, Joyce, was wonderful. She took a family photo of us, and gathered all the other nurses so that they could say "goodbye" to the triplets (and us). Joyce was the nurse working when I was in the hospital having Bridget. She had remembered Bridget's name, and remembered me and Shawn after 3 years!
Finally, it was time to leave St. Joe's. It's always a bit scary leaving the relative safety of the hospital, and I know that was when I said to myself, "How the heck are we going to do this on our own? I can't send the babies to the nursery at night!" But then again, I knew we'd be fine. We had no choice, we'll do what we need to do.
As the tech wheeled me down the maternity ward towards the elevator, there was one last nurse that wanted to say goodbye. I don't remember her name, but this was the nurse who was with me in the recovery room after the c-section. She was crying her eyes out, which of course, made me cry too. She hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me that the babies were beautiful, and that I did a great job with them, and that Shawn and I would be fine. Of course, we were ordered to bring the babies back for a visit when they get bigger. I promised to bring them back before they turned one, and I told them I would send a birth announcement.
We finally made it down to the main floor. It's right by the emergency room, and Shawn left me in the wheelchair with the three babies at my feet while he pulled the car around. You could only imagine the looks that people were giving me as they passed by! Some would look at the babies and ooh or ahh. Some would look at the babies and whisper under their breath, "oh my!" Some gave me a look like I was to be pitied. Some were just dumbfounded. I kinda felt like a freak show.
So we finally left, and made it home. Bridget and Uncle Colin were waiting at the door. Bridget was excited to see me back at home. She told me all about the doctor and her croup. Shawn and Colin lugged all the stuff in from the hospital and put most of it away. Bridget and I had lunch at the table. My hormones were working overtime, and I found it hard to keep the tears back. How lucky was I? I just had 3 healthy babies with absolutely no complications during the pregnancy or the delivery. All those worries and fears were for nothing. And now, we are all together in one house. I was feeling very lucky!
Not much else happened the rest of the day. Shawn, Bridget and I took care of Holly, Liam and Megan. Bridget was a big help. She would get bottles, blankets or anything else we asked her to get for the babies. She loved holding them or feeding them with a bottle. Bridget showed a bit of attitude, especially when she wanted our attention while we were caring for the babies. Overall, we had a very nice first night home as the new Morris 6.
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