A Newport Beach couple delivered their daughter in a Jack in the Box parking lot on Saturday, July 25, after Hoag Hospital discharged the mother twice during active labor, the family told CBS Los Angeles.
Michelle Cisneros began feeling intensifying contractions while preparing for a routine doctor's appointment that morning. She and her partner, Darren Campbell, drove directly to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where staff monitored her for about an hour before sending her home. Staff told Cisneros her cervix had not changed and instructed her to return when contractions reached three minutes apart, Fox News reported.
By the time the couple reached the ground floor of the hospital, Cisneros's contractions were already three minutes apart.
They went back. During the second visit, staff monitored Cisneros for another hour and administered morphine for her pain before discharging her again. A nurse told her to continue laboring at home, saying she would "most likely deliver that night."
"I said, 'Look, we're not leaving. Contractions are three minutes apart,'" Campbell told Fox News. "It was very dismissive of, 'You guys are okay. You guys don't have to be here. Go home and we'll see you later.'"
Within minutes of leaving Hoag the second time, Cisneros felt the baby coming. Campbell pulled into a Jack in the Box parking lot and called 911. Firefighters responded and helped deliver a healthy baby girl, Valentina Isla Campbell, 15 days before her due date.
Photos published by Fox News show the family posing with Huntington Beach firefighters who assisted with the delivery.
Hoag declines comment
Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach's primary hospital, told CBS Los Angeles it would not release information or comment on the incident, citing patient privacy. Fox News Digital separately reported it received no response from Hoag as of Thursday, July 30.
After the parking lot delivery, Cisneros and Valentina spent several days recovering at Hoag before returning home. Jack in the Box reached out to the family and offered a care package, according to CBS Los Angeles.
What residents should know
Hoag Hospital is Newport Beach's only full-service hospital. No regulatory complaint or internal review has been publicly announced, and no formal action by either the family or the hospital has been reported.
Cisneros told Fox News in a July 29 interview that she wants other expectant mothers to advocate for themselves, saying women know their bodies best and medical professionals need to listen more to their patients.
Residents with concerns about hospital care can file complaints with the California Department of Public Health at (800) 236-9747.
