First-time mother gives birth to son and loses fiancé, mother in same day

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for a first-time mother from Michigan who was preparing to give birth to her first child on Saturday, only to be told her fiancé and mother died while on the way to the hospital.

Crystal Matrau-Belt of Kalamazoo, Mich. gave birth to her son, Jeremiah, on Dec. 13 at 8:03 p.m. The baby weighed just over eight pounds, was 22 inches long and in good health. Four hours before, Jeremiah’s father and grandmother died while they rushed to the hospital to be there for his arrival.

The father, Emil Skokan III, 34, had been at home with his future mother-in-law, Peggy Nichols, 53, preparing for the arrival of Jeremiah.

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But due to her high blood pressure, doctors believed it was best to deliver the baby through C-section.

Matrau-Belt told WOOD TV8 she called her fiancé to let him know the baby would be arriving early.

“He [told me he] loved me and that he’d be here shortly,” Matrau-Belt said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He [told me he] loved me and that he'd be here shortly," Matrau-Belt said.

But at approximately 3:50 p.m. the same day, Skokan lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree. Both Skokan and Nichols died at the scene of the accident.

Matrau-Belt said her mother was excited for the birth of her first biological grandchild and that she herself was ready to start the new journey in her life with Skokan.

“It’s a hard balance… being so happy and excited to be a mother and holding [Jeremiah] and grieving that his dad’s not here, his grandma’s not here, just having to battle back and forth grieving for the both of them and trying to be happy and excited for him,” Matrau-Belt told WOOD.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a hard balance… being so happy and excited to be a mother and holding [Jeremiah] and grieving that his dad's not here, his grandma's not here, just having to battle back and forth grieving for the both of them and trying to be happy and excited for him," Matrau-Belt told WOOD.

“I know that once I leave the hospital, that’s when things will start to become real, and having to deal with everyday life is when it’s really going to hit me.”

According to WOOD TV, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the funeral of Skokan and Nichols, as well as financial support to raise Jeremiah.