Sent Home Twice, Mother Delivers Baby in Jack in the Box Parking Lot — Firefighters Assist

CBS News reported on July 29 that Michelle Cisneros and Darren Campbell welcomed their daughter, Valentina Isla Campbell, 15 days earlier than expected after an unexpected delivery in a Jack in the Box parking lot in Newport Beach, California.

Cisneros says she was preparing for a routine doctor’s appointment when contractions unexpectedly intensified. The couple drove to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where staff monitored her and discharged her with instructions to return if contractions reached three minutes apart. 'They told me if my contractions were three minutes apart, then return,' Cisneros recalled. 'We literally made it downstairs, and they were three minutes apart.'

After being discharged a second time, Cisneros' labor progressed rapidly. About two miles from their home, the couple pulled into a Jack in the Box, called 911 and, with the help of arriving firefighters, delivered a healthy baby girl in the parking lot.

'In life, there are a lot of things you can prepare for. You can't prepare for delivering your child in the passenger seat of your car,' Darren Campbell said. Cisneros added, 'As soon as I heard her first cry, I felt relief, like she is OK.'

The couple later expressed concern about whether the emergency could have been prevented. Cisneros said she had been given morphine during her hospital visit and felt extremely unwell: 'I was in so much pain, and they gave me morphine when I was there. It should have been an indicator. I couldn't even speak.'

After the birth, emergency responders transported mother and baby to Hoag Hospital, where they stayed several days to recover. A representative from Jack in the Box later contacted the family and offered a care package, according to CBS.

The family is reported to be doing well, and the episode has prompted questions about how quickly labor can progress and how hospitals assess patients presenting with contractions.