Mom Gives Birth to Baby in Power Outage at L.A. Hospital — Thanks to Nurses Using Flashlights!

A power outage at a Los Angeles hospital wasn’t going to stop Jacob Phoenix Villabona Ugaldo’s delivery this week.

After the power went out around 11:45 p.m. local time Monday at the Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital’s Specialty Care Center, hundreds of patients — including 28 in critical condition — were forced to be evacuated to other facilities on the hospital campus and other area hospitals, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. 

But mom Aillyn Villabona chose to stay put, counting on the hospital’s dedicated medical staff instead of boarding an ambulance at the ready outside.

Aillyn Villabona with her son, Jacob Phoenix Villabona Ugaldo.

Grace Hauser, Adventist Health White Memorial

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“I had the option to get transported, but I decided to stay because I knew my baby was already coming out,” Villabona told CBS affiliate KCAL-TV.

Villabona told the station she was in the labor and delivery room when the power went out.

“The nurses just ended up using their flashlights and phones to help us,” she added.

Eventually, little Jacob was delivered safely.

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Dad Justin Ugaldo praised the staff for keeping the family calm while he was admittedly nervous due to the outage, per CW affiliate KLTA-TV.

After the delivery, the mom and baby were among the 17 patients transported to Adventist Global Health Care in Glendale, KCAL-TV reported.

Aillyn Villabona and Justin Ugaldo with their son, Jacob Phoenix Villabona Ugaldo.

Grace Hauser, Adventist Health White Memorial

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“We’re waiting to relax,” Justin told KTLA-TV, adding, “We’re glad it’s all over.”

“Our challenges were there’s no power, there’s no elevators,” LAFD Chief Kristen Crowley said during a Tuesday news conference, per The Los Angeles Times. “Our firefighters, paramedics and fire personnel came in, identified the critical patients, moved them as quickly as possible and then had to be very innovative in how we were going to move these critical patients as well as the noncritical patients.”

Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital lost power early Monday during the worst of Tropical Storm Hilary, and backup generators meant to last for three days also failed, KCAL-TV, KLTA-TV andThe Times reported.

According to KLTA-TV, the hospital is investigating the cause of the power outage, which was restored by Tuesday afternoon.

The father joked with KLTA-TV that baby Jacob is “rocking our world as well as L.A.”

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Source: HIS Education