A mother was forced to give birth at a gas station after she was turned away from hospital.
Lauren Banks says she was four centimeters dilated when she arrived at hospital in North Carolina ready to give birth with her husband Steve. But the hospital turned her away.
After several attempts to get into the labor ward, her husband drove her home.
“She was denied admittance to labor and delivery a couple of times, and she was in obvious pain and labor, and within 30 minutes of her being home her water broke,” the father told WITN.
Steve hopped back into the car and rushed back to the hospital, knowing that his wife would definitely be admitted this time, but baby had other ideas.
They arranged for a neighbor to watch their daughter who was asleep and 30 minutes after they set out to return to CarolinaEast hospital Steve had to pull over as baby was coming out.
Steve and an EMT delivered the baby at a Handy Mart gas station.
“I watched my wife give birth to my son right there in the parking lot,” Steve said. “He came out and he was purple, and he wasn’t making a lot of noise. I was concerned on top of everything else going on.”
Thankfully emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene.
“They came up and saw what was happening and jumped into action,” he said. “I’m sure that they are a large part of the reason to why everything went as smoothly as it did and there were no complications. I can’t thank them enough.”
The family was then taken to CarolinaEast by ambulance.
Mom Lauren said when she arrived at the hospital she was four centimeters dilated but they wouldn’t consider her for admittance until she was five centimeters.
The hospital has since offered to detail their car, Lauren added.
CarolinaEast said it couldn’t comment on specific patients and their situations.
“Unfortunately babies don’t always cooperate with expectations…we’ve all heard stories of newborns making debuts in homes, cars, restaurants and even gas stations. The Banks’ baby certainly made an unexpected entrance, but we are so happy he is healthy and precious and absolutely wish the family all the best!” the hospital system told WITN.
Baby Truett Lee Banks is currently being treated for jaundice but is otherwise a healthy newborn, ABC News reported on Tuesday.
I’m so glad baby Truett is healthy. I wish this family all the happiness with their new bundle of joy.
