SoCal woman gives birth in Jack in the Box parking lot after hospital turns her away twice

An Orange County couple welcomed their newborn daughter in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box after the baby’s mother said she was twice discharged from a hospital despite increasingly painful contractions.

Valentina Isla Campbell was born last Friday — 15 days before her due date — after her parents pulled into the fast-food restaurant and called 911 when they realized they would not make it back to the hospital, according to CBS Los Angeles.

The ordeal began as Michelle Cisneros was getting ready for a doctor’s appointment when she noticed her contractions becoming stronger.

“They started getting more intense, and they were five minutes apart at that point,” Cisneros told CBS Los Angeles.

Instead of continuing to her appointment, the couple drove directly to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where Cisneros said she was monitored before being discharged with instructions to return if her contractions became more frequent.

“She told me if my contractions were three minutes apart, then return,” Cisneros told CBS Los Angeles. “We literally made it downstairs, and they were three minutes apart.”

The couple said they returned to the hospital but were sent home again. Shortly after leaving, Cisneros said she could feel the baby was about to arrive.

“In life, there are a lot of things you can prepare for,” father Darren Campbell told CBS Los Angeles. “You can’t prepare for delivering your child in the passenger seat of your car.”

As they drove home, Campbell realized they were running out of time. “And then we left and, I thought, OK, we’re in trouble here,” he told CBS Los Angeles.

The couple made it only about two miles from their home before pulling into a Jack in the Box parking lot and dialing 911. Firefighters responded to the scene and helped Cisneros safely deliver a healthy baby girl.

“As soon as I heard her first cry, I felt relief, like she is OK,” Cisneros told CBS Los Angeles.

Although both mother and daughter are healthy, the family questioned whether the emergency delivery could have been avoided.

“I was in so much pain, and they gave me morphine when I was there,” Cisneros told CBS Los Angeles. “It should have been an indicator. I couldn’t even speak.”

After the birth, Cisneros and Valentina spent several days recovering at Hoag Hospital before returning home.

“It’s been surreal,” Campbell told CBS Los Angeles. “We’re home and safe, and we’re a family of four now.”

Hoag Hospital told CBS Los Angeles it is gathering more information about the incident and may issue a statement.

The family also said Jack in the Box reached out after the birth and offered to send them a care package.

The Post has reached out to Jack in the Box for comment and to Hoag Hospital for further comment.

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