North Carolina Woman Turned Away At Hospital Gives Birth In Gas Station
It was not the birth she had planned. After being turned away at a local hospital (twice) a North Carolina woman gave birth at a gas station. Lauren Banks went…

BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 13: A general view of a petrol station as gasoline prices went up at over EUR 2.00 per litre on March 13, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The ongoing war in Ukraine coupled with the possibility of oil-related sanctions against Russia has caused international petroleum prices to jump. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
(Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)It was not the birth she had planned. After being turned away at a local hospital (twice) a North Carolina woman gave birth at a gas station. Lauren Banks went to CarolinaEast in New Bern when she started having contractions at 39 weeks pregnant. The hospital told her she could not be admitted so Banks and her husband Steve headed back. The couple returned to the hospital an hour later where they were yet again turned away.
Just 30 minutes after returning home for the second time Banks' water broke. This time they were unable to make it back to the hospital so she ended up giving birth in a gas station parking lot. Luckily soon after EMS arrived to provide assistance.
"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. They came up and saw what was happening and jumped into action. 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 EMS took the family to the hospital following the birth. The Banks' family told WRAL the hospital offered to detail their car. The reason she was turned away was due to only being 4 centimeters dilated, policy would only admit her at 5cm. Luckily baby Banks is healthy other than being treated for jaundice.
What's the craziest birth story you've heard?
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