Lauren and Steve Banks never would have chosen to have their baby born at a gas station between pumps four and five. But after the hospital refused to admit the pregnant mom, that’s exactly what happened. When contractions hit at 39-weeks pregnant, Lauren Banks knew it went time. So she and her husband, Steve, did exactly what you’d expect someone in their situation to do. They headed to the hospital!
“Without a doubt, she was in labor,” Steve recalled. “Anybody could tell that.”But Steve and Lauren didn’t get the reception they were expecting. They say the hospital turned them away. “She was denied admittance to labor and delivery a couple of times, and she was in obvious pain and labor,” Steve said. According to the couple, a doctor evaluated Lauren but refused to admit her because she only measured four centimeters dilated.
They claim the doctor told them she wouldn’t be admitted unless she was five centimeters pregnant. Lauren’s contractions became more strong as the examination progressed. Lauren explained, “At this point, I’m weeping my eyes out on all fours on the bed.” Despite this, the couple claims the hospital forced them to leave.
Lauren remembers the doctor telling her, “He stated he was sorry I was in pain, but I was providing him no medical reason to detain me.” “Your blood pressure is fine, but I can’t keep you due to pain,” he explained. The surprised couple turned around and drove back to their house. Lauren’s water broke roughly 30 minutes after they returned. Lauren and Steve Banks were taken back to the hospital after a neighbor came over to watch their daughters.
On the way, though, it became evident that there wouldn’t be enough time. Baby Banks was born in the petrol station as a result! “Right there in the parking lot, I watched my wife give birth to my son,” Steve recounts. Steve Banks dialed 911 and pulled into the parking lot of a gas station. Lauren gave delivery in the car, between the fourth and fifth pumps. And it had been a scary experience.
“He came out and he was purple, and he wasn’t making a lot of noise,” Steve recalled. “I was concerned on top of everything else going on.” Thankfully, God sent just the right people at the right time. An EMS team pulled in just as the baby was being born at the gas station. “They came up and saw what was happening and jumped into action,” said Steve.
“I’m sure that they are a large part of the reason why everything went as smoothly as it did and there were no complications. I can’t thank them enough.”Lauren and Steve Banks are overjoyed with their newest addition — Truett. And they’re incredibly grateful he’s healthy and safe, thank the Lord. But they remain baffled over why their baby had to be born at a gas station rather than in the hospital.
“Someone just please explain to me why this happened,” Steve said. “My baby deserved better than that,” Lauren remarked. “So many things could’ve happened.” Though the couple currently has a difficult time reliving the story of how their baby was born at the gas station, they plan on laughing about it later when Truett is older.
“I think we’ll find the joy in it when we explain it to him, so he never has to live through that stress,” Lauren said.The hospital has said it “cannot legally comment on patient matters or concerns.” But like the Banks family, we are just grateful that God kept this little one safe. “For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him” 1 Samuel 1:27