LINCOLN, Neb. -- Two ambulances and a helicopter helped a Pawnee County woman give birth to triplets on Sunday.
Bridget Gyhra was supposed to deliver at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lincoln, but when labor started seven weeks early, Gyhra didn't have time to make the 90-minute drive.
"They were in a hurry to get into the world," Gyhra said.
She and her newborn triplets, Breonna, Denielle and Ericca, were doing fine on Thursday at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center.
Gyhra's nearest hospital was in Pawnee City, but it hasn't had an unscheduled birth in the hospital for 10 years, and has just one crib.
So, while one ambulance took Gyhra to Pawnee City Memorial Hospital, another ambulance left from Lincoln carrying nurses. Gyhra's doctor drove his own car to Pawnee City, and equipment and other nurses flew by helicopter.
"It was at shift change, so there were extra nurses on the floor," said Beth Aldrich of St Elizabeth's. "It was like all the stars aligned perfectly, and it was like the angels were watching over everybody."
Local nurses and doctors also rushed to the rural hospital to stabilize Gyhra and keep her from pushing.
"It was unbelievable how everyone came together in a small community," Gyhra said.
At just under 4 pounds each, the girls were all delivered healthy.
"Had not everyone been there, we could have lost one or two or all of them," Gyhra said.
The new mother said she's looking forward to taking the girls home. Doctors told her it will be at least four weeks.
