When it comes to celebrating Father’s Day, you just can’t beat Catherine and Stephan Vieitez, of Howard Beach Queens, who left North Shore University Hospital today after celebrating the birth of triplets on June 15.
The babies – Stephan, Jr. (known as Baby A), Violet Meadows (Baby B) and Austin Stephan (Baby C) – made their official debut as they were reunited with Dr. Victor Klein, vice chair of OB/GYN at NSUH.
The over-the-moon father is a bus maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, where he often worked into the night keeping vehicles clean and sanitized.
Having a pregnant wife during the pandemic was especially stressful, Vieitez admitted, requiring several minutes of decontamination work when he arrived home late at night before approaching his wife.
“Being pregnant during the pandemic was certainly not easy,” said Mrs. Vieitez. “We had to do everything differently – from buying baby furniture to having a baby shower. Many of the friends and relatives we would have liked to celebrate with could not come into our home. Everything we did was with the health of our babies and my wife in mind.”
What Mrs. Vieitez didn’t know was that her husband had purchased a three-stone diamond ring that he planned to present to her as they left the hospital. In the excitement, he realized he had left the ring at home.
“I just want my wonderful wife to know that I have this beautiful ring waiting for her at home,” he said. “Each stone represents our babies and the love we will share for all eternity. So, when we get home – you’re gonna be iced up, baby!”
Mrs. Vieitez said that her husband has already surprised her with the quality of his love and support.
“He’s doing so much while I recuperate,” she said. “He’s changed so many diapers and helped with the feedings. He is a wonderful father already.”
All of which comes in very handy, according to Klein, who pointed out the findings of a research study that predicts 10,000 diaper changes for three babies in the first year of life.
Klein also noted that while the United States experienced a 4 percent drop in births this year – the largest such decline in the past 50 years – North Shore University Hospital saw a 10 percent increase in the number of babies born.
“When dealing with triplets, our goal is to have the babies growing through 32-34 weeks in utero,” said Klein. “These babies were born at 36 weeks. They’re doing beautifully, and it’s going to be a wonderful Father’s Day for this family.”
