The stork doesn’t always arrive precisely when expected.
Hollister – The stork doesn’t always arrive precisely when expected.
A native Hollister woman discovered just that when she gave birth at Casa De Fruta Friday morning while on her way to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital to deliver her baby girl.
Maria Villa, a 21-year-old waitress, moved to Los Banos in October but wanted to have her child among family and friends in her hometown. Originally, Villa and her husband had planned to stay in Hollister with family over the weekend and make an appointment to induce labor at Hazel Hawkins either Monday or Tuesday. The baby, however, had different plans.
“We’re still in shock, we can’t believe it happened,” said Julia Gonzales, Villa’s friend who served as an interpreter for Villa.
Villa’s water broke at her Los Banos home at 1:30am. Villa, her husband, sister-in-law and 1-year-old daughter Michelle got on the road to Hollister – estimating they’d have enough time to get to Hazel Hawkins before Villa started going into labor in earnest. About an hour later, however, Villa was in so much pain that her husband called 911. The dispatcher advised the family to pull over at Casa De Fruta, a tourist destination and 24-hour restaurant just off Pacheco Pass Highway, and meet paramedics halfway. While Casa De Fruta is aware of Villa’s story, no witnesses were available for comment.
“The fire department got there first,” Gonzales said. “They used the engines to block off an area in the parking lot so people in the restaurant couldn’t see Maria.”
At about 4 o’ clock, after her family parked and made her as comfortable as possible, Villa estimated that ambulances arrived on the scene to assist her give birth. She remembers being given oxygen and being frightened, but mostly she remembers what a chilly December night it was. The comforts of a hospital bed and heated room were a far-off dream for her while lying on the cold ground in the restaurant parking lot.
“She kept saying that all she wanted was a cup of coffee or hot chocolate,” said Gonzales.
Villa gave birth to a 7 pound, 6 ounce girl – Valerie Alexandria Alsaro – at 6:23am. Paramedics arrived just as she was giving birth, but didn’t even have time to get her onto a gurney and into the ambulance. After the baby was born, they were taken to Saint Louise Hospital in Gilroy where both mother and child were given a clean bill of health. Villa is staying home this week, spending time with her daughters and is being looked after by her husband and mother.
“It still feels like a dream to Maria, even though she has her baby,” Gonzales said. “She says it sounds like something out of a soap opera.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
