Bec Oakes
With the help of fellow festivalgoers, a woman who didn't know she was pregnant gave birth to her first child at Burning Man
It's safe to say Kayla Thompson, 37, and her husband Kasey came back from Burning Man festival with more than just fond memories.
The Salt Lake City couple were sleeping in their RV camper when a sharp pain woke Kayla up in the middle of the night. Minutes later, she'd given birth to the couple's first child, a 3-lb, 9-oz baby girl.
But Kayla had no idea she was even pregnant.
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In an interview with The New York Times, the new mom explained that she 'didn't have any symptoms' of pregnancy prior to the spontaneous birth.
"Even the nurses at the hospital were like, 'You don’t look like you were pregnant at all,'" she said.
Once the baby had been delivered, Kasey ran to get help.
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"I was yelling for anyone to come help us," he told the news outlet.
Thankfully, a neonatal nurse, a paediatric doctor, and an OBGYN wearing nothing but his underwear were attending the festival and sprang into action. They then went on to help Kayla safely deliver the placenta.
Medical personnel from Burning Man soon arrived on site to offer further assistance and the new family-of-three were transferred to a hospital in Reno, Nevada. But when the air ambulance arrived, the couple were informed that there was only space for the baby to be airlifted to the hospital.
Kasey was then faced with the 'hardest decision of his life' as he was forced to choose between ensuring their child was safely onboard the helicopter or leave immediately with his wife.
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Ultimately, he chose to ride with his wife to the hospital, and when they arrived four hours later, they were met by their healthy baby girl.
"She was safe and sound, and I was so thrilled,” Kasey said.
He went on to add that he is grateful for the spirit of community at Burning Man that helped him and his wife in their time of need.
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"That’s what that community is about. [The Burners] will always have such a special place in my heart."
Kasey's family has since set up a GoFundMe page for the couple, which you can find here.
The page explains: "Since this is their first child and the pregnancy was completely unexpected, my brother and his wife don’t have anything prepared... On top of that, the unexpected circumstances have created a heavy financial burden: NICU care (with no release date yet), medical bills, and travel and lodging expenses while they are far from home.
"Anything you are able to give - no matter how big or small - will help this new little family get started on the right foot."