‘Underdog’ Septuplet Off Ventilator Mother Leaves Hospital, Gives Thanks At Church
Septuplet mom Bobbi McCaughey left the hospital and returned home Sunday while her seven babies stayed behind in intensive care, continuing to impress doctors with their resilience.
Even the last-born of the seven - Joel Steven - who had been listed in critical condition shortly after Wednesday’s birth and was dubbed “underdog” by doctors, was taken off a ventilator Sunday and upgraded to fair condition.
“Last week we had very high expectations for these babies, and to this point, they have fulfilled all of those expectations remarkably well,” Dr. Robert Shaw, the neonatologist overseeing their care, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
McCaughey, 29, arrived Sunday afternoon at her home in Carlisle, 10 miles south of Des Moines, with her husband, Kenny. Hospitalized for more than a month, she walked into her home slowly but without help.
The McCaugheys made worldwide news when their septuplets were born by Caesarean section nine weeks’ premature. Doctors have said the babies will be hospitalized into January.
Kenneth, the first-born, has been breathing on his own since Friday. The other five - two boys and three girls - remain in serious condition at Blank Childrens Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
In Carlisle, about 100 members of Missionary Baptist Church, where the McCaugheys worship, gathered to celebrate what they say is a miracle birth.
“Our hearts are so full this morning, we can hardly speak,” said Bobbi McCaughey’s uncle, the Rev. Henry Hepworth of Innisfale, Alberta, as he led the congregation in a prayer of thanks.
The altar where Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey were married in 1992 was decorated with four “It’s a boy” and three “It’s a girl” balloons.
About fifteen reporters scribbled notes through the service and later converged upon family members, while camera crews crowded around relatives outside. But the family appeared to be growing weary of the media attention.
“We would like to get back to normal as soon as can be,” said Peg Hepworth, McCaughey’s mother.
In a letter printed in Time magazine’s Dec. 1 issue, the surviving Dionne quintuplets warned the McCaugheys that multiple births should not be seen as entertainment or a marketing tool.
“Multiple births should not be confused with entertainment, nor should they be an opportunity to sell products,” sisters Annette, Cecile and Yvonne Dionne, 63, wrote.
Conceived before the era of fertility drugs, the five identical sisters were born on May 28, 1934, in Ontario, Canada. They were the first known surviving quintuplets and became a tourist sensation.
In response to the letter, spokeswoman Marlys Popma said Sunday: “We have not discussed the sale of any products, they have not accepted any offers. This family, as I think you have seen over the last several days, is a very private, God-fearing family. They want to raise these children as normally as they can.”