Cypress – What started as a routine shift turned into a moment one Kroger employee says she’ll never forget.
Ashlynn Parrott was working customer service at the Kroger in Towne Lake on Good Friday when she picked up a phone call that immediately stood out.
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“She said, ‘This is going to be the weirdest call you’ve ever gotten,’” Parrott said. “And then she told me, ‘I have a friend, she’s in your parking lot, and she’s in labor.’”
The caller said her friend was in the store’s parking lot — unable to reach family — with a 2-year-old child in the backseat.
Parrott didn’t hesitate.
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“My first thought was just, how can I help? How can I comfort the mother?” said Parrott.
She gathered two coworkers and headed outside to search the large parking lot. They eventually found the woman parked in an expectant mother space with her hazard lights on.
“She was very panicked,” Parrott said.
While another employee called 911, Parrott stayed by the woman’s side — talking to her, asking questions, and trying to keep her calm as they waited for help.
“I called her name and asked her how many kids she had, ” Parrott said. “I think it might have just been a shock to go into labor in a grocery store. So I was just letting her know that I was there."
Emergency crews arrived within minutes and transported the mother and her child to the hospital.
The next morning — the Saturday before Easter — the woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
“I got a picture the next morning,” Parrott said. “We were just so glad that everything worked out.”
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Parrott says she has stayed in touch with the family friend who made that initial call, but has not met the mother or newborn in person since that day.
Still, she says knowing they’re safe is enough.
“My mom always told me, do anything that you can for somebody in any situation,” Parrott said.