But Wednesday morning Maribel started feeling contractions. Afraid it was a false alarm, she told the baby's father, Valeriano Reu, she wanted to wait to go to the hospital.
The proud new parents spoke to Action News through a translator.
"She asked him to wait until the contractions got a little bit stronger so that she doesn't have to go back home," the translator said, speaking for Maribel.
They did get stronger, and Maribel knew the baby was coming right away.
Valeriano drove the 12 miles to Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, convinced his child was going to be born in the backseat.
"She was saying, 'She is coming! The baby is ready to be born. I can feel the baby,'" said the translator. "Her husband said, 'Keep pushing!'"
He pulled up to the front door of the hospital and ran in for help. Security guard Mildred Lisoho came out with a wheelchair.
"So when I ran outside, it wasn't what . . . I expected to help her into the wheelchair," said Mildred. "She was already having her baby. So I told her go ahead and finish it."
Mildred delivered the baby right there, on the sidewalk in front of the hospital, at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"I was calm," she said. "Everybody said I was calm. I was a pro. No medical training. I am trained to do security work."
"He wants to thank her personally," said the translator, speaking for the baby's father, "and the doctors and nurses that came to them afterwards."
Wednesday afternoon, the new parents got the chance to thank Mildred, the security guard, and Mildred got the chance to hold the baby she delivered for a second time.
"This is something that I wasn't trained for, but I saved the mom and baby," she said. "It makes me feel good."
Little Sophie joins a baby brother who will soon have his first birthday.
Staffers at Lourdes advised Maribel if she does have a third child, she shouldn't wait. She should head to the hospital right away.
