Please note how carefully they attempt at not disclosing the legal status of the mother - The mother who lives in Juarez.


Baby born as mom, sister await help at hospital
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/16/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

When Janeth Moreno went to the hospital for the birth of her niece, she didn't know she'd end up delivering the baby herself.

The unusual incident occurred Tuesday morning in a delivery room at Del Sol Medical Center, where Moreno's sister, Erica Moreno-Muñoz, 24, had been in labor since the night before. The mother-to-be felt the baby was finally coming.

A nurse checked Erica Moreno-Muñoz and said she could see the baby's head, the sisters said. But the nurse said she couldn't do anything on her own and left to find a doctor. The sisters were left on their own for five to 10 minutes.

"I said, 'The baby's coming.' We lifted the blanket and sure enough, she was there," Moreno-Muñoz said.

Moreno said they were both yelling in the intercom for help. "I was in shock. I don't have children, so I didn't know what to do. Do I take the baby out? Do I pull?" said Moreno, 29.

When the nurse returned, the newborn was in Moreno's arms.

Carla Sierra, administrative director of marketing and physician relations at Del Sol, said she couldn't comment on the status of any patient because of federal privacy laws. "But at Del Sol, we focus on delivering the highest quality and safest care possible to all our patients," she said.

Moreno, who lives in Juárez, said that hospital personnel should have been more attentive because there were complications that could have threatened the baby's health.

"You think you're going to the hospital for medical assistance," she said. "If a doctor was not available, I think a nurse should have been there to help us."

Moreno-Muñoz said her daughter is healthy. Her name is Emily, and she weighs 7.25 pounds.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_7980808