MAIQUETIA, Venezuela: Eliana Garcia, 38 weeks pregnant, ran with her family to a baseball field on the afternoon of June 24 when the earth shook violently in La Guaira, on the Venezuelan coast where twin earthquakes hit hard.
As they sought refuge, along with dozens of others avoiding streets lined with buildings collapsing around them, the 19-year-old felt fluid trickling between her legs.
Doctors had already told the first-time mother that she couldn’t give birth naturally because of her narrow pelvis. A cesarean section was scheduled for a week later, but then the contractions began.
“I felt like I needed to pee. But I pushed and pushed, and when nothing came out, I understood that the baby was coming,” Garcia told AFP in a shelter.
Those fleeing with her laid her down on the only sheet they managed to grab in the chaos, a protective instinct given her advanced pregnancy.
