From the Big Day Until Today

So, Lethbridge Huh?

Pookie and I have been talking, and thought that we kind of glossed over what exactly has been happening with the babies since the delivery.  Everyone was focused on their health and Pookie's health, so I really just put up a few quick updates to let everyone know that the family is ok.  I thought I would rewind things a bit and write down how things went before the details get fuzzy.

Pookie was originally scheduled to go in for her C-Section on January 18th, but our doctor got a little leery about the bed availability in the NICU at Foothills in Calgary, and decided to push up the date to the 14th instead.  Pookie was past the uncomfortable stage, so in we went.

After a leisurely morning of guzzling coffee and trying not to shit my pants with fear, we toodled on up to the 5th floor at Foothills.  For some reason we both became a little calmer once we got there, and just kind of chilled in a prep room for half an hour or so.  When it came time to give Pookie her epidural, they shuffled me off to a little cubicle right beside the O.R.  When the anesthesiologist is doing his thing, apparently they would rather you were already out of the room, that way you don't pass out from seeing the brontosaurus needle and make them have to step over you for the rest of the procedure.

Once Pookie got all numbed up the procedure really started to pick up speed, and a sense of urgency became clear.  A nurse came and got me to lead me into the O.R, goofy mask on my face and video camera in hand.  Pookie was sprawled out on a 'T' table like J.C, and had that gross iodine stuff all over her belly.  Covering that belly with iodine required a fair bit of the stuff, and it looked like I had missed the surgery and they just forgot to clean her off.

Some guys might get excited about filming surgeries, but I am not one of those guys.  There is blood, goo and all sorts of stuff that does not need to be frozen in time to remember fondly later.  Plus, there were about 20 people in the room either performing the surgery or awaiting the Pooklings, and there wasn't any room for some asshole that thinks he is the reincarnation of Steven Spielberg and Charles Manson (I know they are still alive, not the point) to be running around..

Pookie and I were behind the drape thingy, and didn't even know that our doctor had started the surgery until we were about 20 minutes into it.  She wasn't in any pain, and other than getting a sore ass from sitting on a tiny metal stool awash in my own fear, I thought I held up pretty well too.

30 minutes into the surgery, little Declan made his appearance with a good strong squeal, and was whisked to a station inside the O.R to receive attention from 3 or 4 people.  So far, so good.  One minute later, Stella appeared in quite the same way.  One more minute later, Reid appeared.  I got off my stool and checked all the kids, and the doctors started sewing up Pookie.

The babies then went through a door into the NICU, and Pookie was moved to a recovery room.  This was probably the most stressful part of the whole thing for me, because the NICU in Foothills is a large area, the babies were not together, and it was tough to find them.  The staff also neglected to tell me where Pookie was, so it took a little wandering around to find her.  I was pretty sure she was ok, but I was pretty jacked up on adrenaline and freaking me out wasn't too tough.

I kind of lurked around the NICU and watched while the staff inserted tubes and IVs and the like into the Pooklings, but they were great about telling me that the kids were doing great and there were no major problems.

Pookie was moved to her hospital room after an hour or so in the recovery room, and looked like she had been hit by a train.  She was as white as a Scrabble party, and started vomiting from the painkillers.  It took about two or three days before she really started to gain some strength and look better.  The babies were tucked in, Pookie was tucked in, and I was exhausted.  Around 11 pm, I went home to try to get some sleep, but Rocky wanted to hang out and I was due for a scotch, so we kind of had a little moment to calm down after the stress bomb.  Day One was officially in the books.

The kids arrived without any major issues, but when you weigh 4 pounds, there kind of aren't any minor issues.  Stella and Declan had a little fluid in their lungs, so they got CPAP things on their faces.  The contraption fits over their noses and keeps a forced supply of air moving.  They didn't need oxygen, they just needed to ensure their lungs didn't completely deflate.  These masks were on for a few days, and then little smaller tubes for a few more.

All of the babies had IVs until about 4 days ago.  I have never had one, but they look extremely uncomfortable on anyone.  When you see them on a baby it looks so sore you want to start negotiating with the nurses to take them out.  It is very tough to find their tiny veins, so the nurse has to poke them and poke them, and it is heartbreaking.  Once the IVs are in, the babies don't know not to thrash around, so it seems like the the IVs are ripped out as soon as quick as they are installed.  After this happens a few times, the IV gets put right in the Pookling's head.  They look miserable, but there are really no options left at this point.  A few of the pictures show the IVs, you can see how painful they look.  It was a big day when we got to the hospital and saw that all of the babies were IV - free.

The next big step was to start bottle feeding, and not have to use the little feeding tubes you can see in their noses.  The tubes aren't uncomfortable, but in order to come home the Pooklings need to be able to eat and grow (which I suppose makes sense).  Our little people are making little great strides in this area, and we think that they are close.  Our little girl in particular is an eating (and shitting) machine.  She powers back a bottle of milk like nobody's business.  In fact, my little sweetheart has already had her feeding tube removed, making her the first of the three.  Reid and Declan are doing their best, but occasionally fall asleep in the middle of a meal, like some sort of drunk passed out in a restaurant.  This is happening less and less (for the Pooklings, not the drunk), so hopefully their tubes are out soon too.

That really brings us up to date.  The kids are eating and sleeping and getting stronger, so hopefully we are back home within 10 days or do.  We go down to the hospital twice a day to feed, change, and have a cuddle with all of them.  We will see if the tidy routine can be maintained when we are one our own, but I have slight feeling the excrement will come in contact with the ventilation system.

I cannot express our gratitude for the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff that have been in our corner since we found out Pookie was pregnant with triplets.  Dr. Mahalingham and her staff in Calgary, the nurses in the Foothills NICU, Pookie's nurses and the support staff were beyond competent, beyond kind, and completely professional. 

The nurses here in Lethbridge had a lot to live up to, and they have done so admirably.  Our kids continue to receive fantastic care, and you can tell the people in that NICU actually love their work.  A big 'Thank You' to the staff there.

We just found out that the babies are now being transferred to Rockyview in Calgary.  We don't want to see them moved when they are doing so well, especially since it seemed to stress them out a bit to move them the first time.  If you happen to be the numbnuts Calgary Health Region bureaucrat that keeps moving them around, you are the incompentent turd that makes everyone's job harder, and I loathe you.

The babies are great and we are happy to be headed home, so let's focus on that!

I hope you appreciated the update and will be back with pictures soon.