Glasgow dad gets 'surprise of a lifetime' as he is forced to deliver daughter in fast-food car park in LA

A Scots dad said he had the “surprise of a lifetime” when his wife began giving birth to their daughter in a fast-food car park in Los Angeles.

Darren Campbell, 38, moved to California from Glasgow in 2019 for a job based at LA airport.

He married Michelle Cisneros, 36, in 2024, and the couple have a four-year-old son, Lenox.

On July 24, the couple made their way to Hoag Hospital in Newport, as pregnant Michelle was experiencing regular contractions – despite being 15 days away from her due date.

Michelle was assessed and monitored for an hour before being discharged.

Speaking to STV News, Darren said: “Before we had even left the hospital grounds, her contractions became much more intense and were coming every three minutes.

“We immediately returned to Labor and Delivery, where I insisted that my wife be admitted because I was concerned about how quickly things were progressing.

“She was examined again, given morphine for the pain, monitored for another hour, and then discharged for a second time as she was only three centimetres dilated.”

The couple reluctantly left the hospital and returned home, but just 45 minutes after leaving the hospital, Darren felt something was wrong.

Michelle holding her newborn baby, Valentina, in the front seat of her car. Darren Campbell.

He said: “My wife was in extreme pain, so we rushed back into the car and headed toward the hospital.

“We only made it about two miles before my wife shouted, ‘She’s coming!’

Darren was forced to pull into a Jack in the Box car park on the Pacific Coast Highway and received instructions from a 911 operator on how to deliver his daughter.

Asked whether the baby was crowning, he answered yes and was then asked to support his daughter’s head as his wife Michelle gave birth in the front seat of their car.

Darren said: “I was on the phone with 911, trying my best to stay calm and follow their instructions, knowing our daughter was about to be born in the front seat of our car, and I had to start the process.

“Looking back, I was probably a babbling mess, but the 911 operator was incredible.

The couple welcomed their first daughter under unusual circumstances. Darren Campbell

“They stayed calm, talked me through every step, and helped me focus on what I needed to do in that moment until the firefighters arrived. I have never been so relieved when I saw the blue lights racing towards me.”

Eventually, emergency services arrived and helped assist with the rest of the delivery. Darren praised his wife and called her a superhero, saying she had only taken two painkillers throughout the birth.

Valentina Isla Campbell was born healthy, weighing 5lbs 11ozs.