Parents welcome 'miracle' baby girl born on 2/22/22 at 2:22 a.m.
A North Carolina couple became first-time parents on "Twosday."
Aberli and Hank Spear welcomed their first child – a girl they’ve named Judah Grace Spear – on Feb. 22, 2022, at 2:22 a.m. at Cone Health Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington, North Carolina.
“Everyone in the room, all the nurses were cheering and there's excitement,” Aberli Spear told “Good Morning America.” “I was like, maybe it's because she's finally born. But then I looked at my husband and I asked him, ‘Wait, what time was she born?’ And he was like, ‘2:22.’ It was funny because we were in room two, and then find out her weight is 122 ounces. So we're like, ‘OK!’”
Jessica Brown, a nursing director at the Women's & Children's Center at Alamance Regional, told “GMA” the numerology of Judah's birth stood out to the hospital staff too. “We share in the excitement of every birth at the Women's & Children’s Center at Alamance Regional, but when you come up with all two's like this, it is very exciting."
Aberli Spear said she had initially planned to be induced at the hospital on Feb. 20.
“We were asked to come in to be induced – her due date’s originally the 22nd – but just for blood pressure reasons, they wanted me to come in earlier," she said. "And so they induced me but it took a while. We labored for 26 hours. She ended up coming on her due date, which is awesome.”
Baby Judah’s memorable arrival is especially sweet for Spear and her husband since at one point they were told they may never have children.
Aberli Spear, 27, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer, in 2014.
"My husband and I had been dating for three months before I was diagnosed ... we were told if we got married, wanted to start a family or something, it’d be nearly impossible," she said. "And so we went to the clinic to talk about freezing eggs and stuff, but it's like, it's really expensive and insurance doesn’t cover it so we didn't do that either.”
Spear, who said she’d always wanted kids, decided to undergo chemotherapy and hope for the best. In 2020, six years after her initial diagnosis, she found out she had finally beat her cancer.
Her cancer journey helped inspire her daughter’s name as well.
“She got her name Judah because it means praise in Hebrew. So it's kind of funny because I love numbers, love math and all that stuff so this is kind of icing on the cake for me,” Spear said.
Spear’s mom, Kristi Engelbrecht, also told “GMA” that despite all the "pain and suffering" that Aberli and Hank have endured, she's excited to see what's in store for their growing family.
The Spears are over the moon about their little one. “This is something that we didn't think that we could achieve,” Aberli Spear said.
“She’s definitely a miracle baby,” she added.
As for Judah, Aberli Spear said she had a message for her baby girl: “I want her to know that there's always light at the end of the tunnel, there's always hope. God is always restoring, repairing and fulfilling your heart's deepest desires, no matter what they are. He also has a sense of humor clearly. But it's just, don't give up hope."
