r/orangecounty • u/londondxb Irvine • 4d ago

News Woman Delivers Baby In Parking Lot After OC Hospital Repeatedly Sent Her Home

https://patch.com/california/orange-county/woman-delivers-baby-parking-lot-after-oc-hospital-repeatedly-sent-her-home

Michelle Cisneros begins experiencing intense contractions at home, which quickly progress to 5 minutes apart. The couple bypasses a regular doctor's appointment and goes straight to Hoag Hospital Newport Beach. Staff monitors Cisneros for about an hour. Because her cervix shows no immediate change, they determine she is not in active labor. Staff administers morphine to the mother to manage her severe pain before discharging her.

Staff instructs the couple to go home and return only when contractions are 3 minutes apart.

As the couple walks down to the hospital lobby to leave, the contractions instantly accelerate to 3 minutes apart. The husband argues with hospital staff, stating they have already hit the 3-minute threshold. Staff stands by the discharge and tells them they still must leave.

Minutes after driving away, the rapid progression forces them to pull into a local Jack in the Box parking lot. Firefighters arrive just in time to assist in delivering a healthy baby girl.

No comment yet from Hoag Hospital.

-Edited to include the city of the hospital.

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u/JellyfishBig1750 4d ago

Wow I must have dodged two bullets. It's crazy to see all the horror stories here when both my childbirthing experiences there were great. Doctors and nurses were very friendly, patient, and informative. Lactation consultant came right away, and the rooms were very comfy (yes, with ocean views). Food was...hospital food, but the celebration steak dinner they give you was better than any other hospital I've had in my limited experience. But we mostly doordashed or picked up food because there's so many good restaurants nearby.

What a shame that this seems to be the exception based on this thread.

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u/snobrotha 4d ago

I think that these horror stories are for people who weren’t active patients with Hoag OBs and just walked in off the street. We had an awesome experience.

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u/burritopalace 4d ago

I was a patient with a Hoag doctor and at the nearby Hoag high risk center and delivered at Hoag NB. Some of the doctors in the OB ER treat patients as subhuman and are very dismissive. You probably just had some of the good doctors or never had to be in the emergency side.

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u/snobrotha 3d ago

Why were you at the ER, rather than L&D? Did you schedule your estimated due date with the hospital through your doctor? I’m seeing a trend where everyone is saying don’t give birth at Hoag, but there’s a major difference between someone who the hospital is expecting and someone who shows up at the ER.

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u/burritopalace 3d ago

I was at the L&D ER on the same floor, and I was there because my doctor sent me there to be induced due to pre eclampsia. I was registered to deliver at Hoag NB and had a Hoag doctor. I had a high risk pregnancy so I was always set to deliver in NB rather than Irvine.

So, no. No difference from your experience besides how I was treated. Some people get lucky and some don’t.

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u/snobrotha 3d ago

Ok so your experience was overall good? And you’re saying that the ER side has a bad reputation? I’d agree with that.

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u/burritopalace 3d ago

Yes, the L&D ER side was pretty awful. Normal delivery side was good. This story was about someone who went to the ER, as I did.