Most of Septuplets May Be Allowed to Leave Hospital Soon

After nearly two months in the newborn intensive care unit, most of the septuplets born to a Saudi Arabian couple are gaining strength and weight, and some could leave the hospital this month, Georgetown University Hospital officials said Friday.

Three of the seven have been upgraded to fair condition and moved to the unit’s “step-down” ward, where the babies do not need as much monitoring.

Of the other four, three were upgraded Friday from critical to serious condition and soon could be moved to step-down care, Georgetown chief neonatologist Siva Subramanian said.

One baby remains in critical condition and may stay in the hospital until November or December, the doctor said.

The septuplets--five boys and two girls--were born July 12 by Caesarean section.

The babies must be able to eat on their own and maintain normal body temperatures before they are released, Subramanian said.

“They have to be able to feed all of the milk by sucking and swallowing by their own mouths,” he said.

When the babies are released, they will go with their parents to a house in Vienna, Va., that was rented by the government of their home country, Saudi Arabia.

Fahad Qahtani, 29, his wife, whose name has not been disclosed, and their 9-year-old son plan to move into the house in a few weeks, Fahad Qahtani said.

The medical costs and other expenses are being covered by the Saudi royal family.