An Orange County couple welcomed their newborn daughter in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box last Friday, 15 days before her due date, after the baby’s mother reported being discharged twice from Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. The family stated that they pulled into the fast-food restaurant’s parking lot and called 911 when they realized they would not make it back to the hospital.
The ordeal began when Michelle Cisneros experienced increasingly intense contractions, five minutes apart. Instead of proceeding to a doctor's appointment, she and her partner, Darren Campbell, drove to Hoag Hospital. According to Cisneros, she was monitored and then discharged with instructions to return if contractions became three minutes apart. Shortly after leaving the hospital, Cisneros reported that her contractions were three minutes apart, prompting their return. However, the couple stated they were sent home again.
As they drove away from the hospital, Campbell realized they were running out of time and pulled into a Jack in the Box parking lot approximately two miles from their home. They called 911, and emergency services responded, assisting Cisneros in the safe delivery of their daughter, Valentina Isla Campbell.
“As soon as I heard her first cry, I felt relief, like she is OK,” Cisneros told CBS Los Angeles. Campbell added, “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.”
While both mother and daughter are healthy, the family has questioned whether the delivery could have been avoided. Cisneros mentioned receiving morphine at the hospital, which she felt should have been an indicator of her labor's progression.
After the birth, Cisneros and Valentina spent several days recovering at Hoag Hospital before returning home. Jack in the Box reportedly reached out to the family after the birth and offered a care package. Hoag Hospital stated it is gathering more information about the incident.
