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ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — At just four days old, Valentina Isla Campbell has quite the story to tell after her mother had to give birth to her in a Jack in the Box parking lot.
“In life, there are a lot of things you can prepare for,” father Darren Campbell said. “You can’t prepare for delivering your child in the passenger seat of your car.”
The little girl arrived 15 days early last Friday after her mother, Michelle Cisneros, started to feel contractions while she prepared for a doctor’s appointment.
“They started getting more intense, and they were five minutes apart at that point,” Cisneros said.
She went directly to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where she was monitored and then sent home.
“She told me if my contractions were three minutes apart, then return,” Cisneros said. “We literally made it downstairs, and they were three minutes apart.”
The couple said they were sent home again, but within minutes of being home, Cisneros could feel the baby coming.
“And then we left and, I thought, OK, we’re in trouble here,” Campbell said.
The couple made it just two miles from their home when they pulled over at the Jack in the Box and called 911.
With the help of firefighters, Cisneros was able to safely deliver a very healthy baby.
“As soon as I heard her first cry, I felt relief, like she is OK,” Cisneros said.
The parents are thankful that both the mother and baby are OK. They spent a few days at Hoag Hospital but questioned if this could have been prevented.
“I was in so much pain, and they gave me morphine when I was there,” Cisneros said. “It should have been an indicator. I couldn’t even speak.”
For now, they are relishing much less dramatic moments with the newest addition to their family.
“It’s been surreal,” Campbell said. “We’re home and safe, and we’re a family of four now.”
Hoag Hospital said it is gathering more information about the incident and may release a statement.
The family said Jack in the Box reached out to them so the fast-food chain could send them a care package.
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