Saturday…was not a good day for the Stibbe family. We got a phone call from the boys’ nurse at about 7:00a.m. to tell us Sam’s o2 levels were dropping significantly, as was his respiratory rate. They increased his oxygen flow from a “low-flow” to a “high-flow.” Unfortunately, that did not do the trick. After a few unsure hours, we got horrible news…Sam’s blood gasses were very low and he had to be intubated.

If you’re not familiar with intubation, Google it. It’s not a word a parent ever wants to hear.

Sam was obviously very sick. Just looking at him you could tell. He was pale as a ghost. Just thinking about it now makes me want to cry. There was obviously an infection, but it was going to take time to pinpoint what the infection was. Yesterday we found out it is “Group B Streptococcal Sepsis” (GBS). Because it hit Sam about three weeks after birth, it’s the “late-onset” type. Extremely rare, and can be life-threatening.

Horribly scary, horribly nerve-racking… words can’t describe how we felt seeing Sam intubated and thinking about the next few weeks.

The one thing we were extremely nervous about, as were the doctors, was that he may also have meningitis. Thank you Lord, he does not!

After all the battles Sam faced from the time we found out about the Twin-Twin Transfusion, this is just one more battle he has to overcome. Already he is showing signs of improving. He’s had to have several blood transfusions and he’s pretty swollen from all the fluids he has been getting, but tonight he actually looked like himself a little bit.

They’re keeping him sedated because of the tubes down his throat, which is 100% okay with Adam and me. Over the course of 3 weeks, Sam will receive antibiotics to kill the GBS.

The doctors are also treating Jack, just as a precaution. He hasn’t shown any signs of being sick and his labs have all come back negative.

Something positive to mention is that Jack is now on “bolus feeds!” Adam explains what that means in the video… Enjoy 🙂

I have to give a big shout-out to our families. My mom was here for Thanksgiving (great meal!) and was planning to leave Saturday afternoon. When we got to the hospital, her plans changed! She called my dad and Krysta, and in less than an hour, Dad and K were on their way to Omaha with all three dogs. They were already on their way when my mom told me they were coming! Mom and K left Monday, and Dad is still here. Adam’s parents are coming next week. We love you all!

<a href="