News

Actions

Utah mom showered with gifts after giving birth in aisle at Wal-Mart

Posted at 10:06 PM, Oct 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-20 00:06:42-04

PAYSON – A mom who delivered her baby in Wal-Mart was showered with gifts by employees during a surprise baby shower Wednesday.

"Today we get to meet the bundle of joy that was born in our store, and we're going to present him and his mother with some birthday presents," said Dustin Haight, a manager at Wal-Mart in Payson.

The gifts included baby clothes, a stroller, a pack-n-play and hundreds of wipes and diapers.

“We wanted to give her a little bit of peace of mind, at least for a week or two in the process,” Haight said.

It was just earlier this month when Cecilia Rivas was at the checkout. She says she felt some labor pains, and, the next thing she knew, her water broke and she delivered her baby boy right there in the aisle.

Thanks to the help of employees and customers nearby, the delivery went smoothly and mom and baby are OK. Now that they've checked out of the hospital, they are checking back in with Wal-Mart.

"I think she knows we're doing something, I don't think she knows to what extent," Haight said prior to the event.

Employees gathered, waiting for the guests of honor to arrive. And when they did, mom was in shock.

"She is surprised but she is happy," said a Wal-Mart employee who helped interpret for Cecilia Rivas.

Cecelia said she had no idea she would receive such a warm welcome.

“We just wanted to congratulate you on having a baby here and being part of our family,” Haight told Rivas.

"She says that she is so grateful with the people at Wal-Mart and also with the presents that we're going to give her," the employee said of Rivas.

It was a big surprise with a lot of pictures. Little Matias, slept right through it.

When it was all over, the gifts were rolled to the car. Matias tried out his new car seat, and mom was all smiles.