Blizzard baby -- Couple gets three hours' notice they were going to be parents

Isabella Ray Beal, born Feb. 2, is a miracle in the eyes of parents Kaitlyn Furchert and Lawrence Beal. Furchert had been told the chances of getting pregnant were rare and was shocked when she was told she was in labor on Feb. 1 after going to the emergency room for abdominal cramps. (courtesy photo)

McCOOK, Neb. -- Most parents have months to prepare for their new baby. Kaitlyn Furchert and fiancé Lawrence Beal, of McCook, had less than three hours.

Furchert was taken to the emergency room around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 2 because she was experiencing severe abdominal pain. It was blizzarding outside; some of the snowdrifts in the couple's driveway were as tall as Furchert.

"We got stuck leaving the house," Furchert said. "He dug the Jeep out for 30 minutes and got us to the ER. I told him could leave to get the driveway to where we could come home."

Pam Minary, RN, a lactation consultant at Community Hospital, was in the ER that evening and asked Furchert if she could be pregnant. Furchert said the odds were slim, because of a condition called endometriosis.

"We ordered lab tests ... to make sure nothing else was going on," Minary said. The pregnancy test included in the lab work came back positive. "We told her [she was pregnant] together."

Staff contacted Lawrence and told him that Furchert was in labor and that he needed to return to the hospital.

"My initial reaction was just disbelief," Beal said. "I knew the odds were slim, plus there weren't any signs that were apparent to us."

A lot of unknowns surrounded Furchert and her baby, Minary said. They had no idea how far along the pregnancy was -- meaning the baby could be premature -- and Furchert had expressed concerns about having an unhealthy diet, which could impact the baby's development.

"We did, at that point, use a Doppler to check baby's heart rate and make sure baby was doing alright," Minary said. "We were very pressed ... we were having difficulty getting a doctor to the hospital because the weather was so poor."

Poor weather also meant a near-impossible transport if something was wrong with the infant. They tried to give Furchert medications to stop the contractions, but they were unsuccessful. The ultrasound revealed that the baby was facing the wrong direction, requiring a C-section. Dr. Jason Blomstedt, DO, arrived and took Furchert into the OR.

"We crossed our fingers," Minary said.

Things happened really fast for the new mother.

"I was there [at the hospital] for cramps, and then I had a baby in my arms," Furchert said. "At 12:28 p.m. I had a baby girl."

Isabella Ray Beal weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 18 and a half inches long. Doctors determined that she was about a month premature.

"She was crying right away, which is always a wonderful sign," Minary said. "We took her straight to the nursery. We were concerned about other complications with her blood sugar or her breathing, so we monitored that very closely."

Beal followed them to the nursery and made sure little Isabella was okay. After everything calmed down, he left the hospital to take care of the couple's dogs and Furchert got to hold their little girl.

"I held her, and the only time I let go was when the nurses needed to test her, other than that she's basically been in my arms since," Fuchert said.

They began making calls to their family, who were shocked by the announcement but quickly came together to get the couple what they needed for their new addition. Beal put Isabella's nursery together in a day's time and made sure everything was perfect when Furchert and Isabella were released on Feb. 5. Minary was there when they were dismissed, and said she was thrilled to see everyone doing so well.

"I loved her," Furchert said about the nurse. "She was the mom I needed at the time when mine couldn't be there."

So how did Furchert not know she was pregnant? She said she's gotten that question a lot, explaining that she had stopped menstruating months before the baby was conceived and a negative pregnancy test put the possibility of pregnancy to rest.

"The only thing that happened was heartburn and one ankle swelled up," Furchert said. "I gained maybe 15 pounds, but I thought it was because I was depressed."

The couple is still adjusting, but they feel that Isabella is their little miracle and they wouldn't change it for the world.

"Our lives ... have been guided by God," Beal said. "He has done nothing but bless Kaitlyn and I and we are so humble and grateful for everything."

-- Used by permission