Burning Man attendee who didn’t know she was pregnant gives birth at US desert festival

A couple at Burning Man were met with an unexpected guest one night in their RV camper.

In a statement to Today.com, a spokesperson from Burning Man Project confirmed that a baby was “spontaneously” born August 27 in Black Rock City, Nevada, where the annual festival takes place.

Kayla Thompson told The New York Times that she was asleep with her husband, Kasey Thompson, in their RV camper when she suddenly started experiencing a lot of “pain”.

“Minutes later,” Kayla Thompson told the publication, she was giving birth to the couple’s first child in the bathroom of their camper. She was soon met with a 1.6kg baby girl.

The couple told The New York Times in the interview that they hadn’t been planning for a child, nor was Kayla Thompson aware that she was pregnant.

She explained that she didn’t appear pregnant and “didn’t have any symptoms” of pregnancy.

“Even the nurses at the hospital were like, ‘You don’t look like you were pregnant at all’,” she told the publication.

After his wife gave birth, Kasey Thompson recalled running outside the RV to call for “anyone to come help us”. He was met with a neonatal care nurse, a pediatric doctor and an obstetrician-gynecologist, as well as other festivalgoers, he said in the interview.

Medical personnel from Burning Man then arrived on site to help. According to the statement to TODAY.com, Kayla Thompson and the newborn were taken to the Burning Man emergency care facility before they were transferred to a hospital in Reno, Nevada.

The couple told The New York Times that there was only room for the baby to be airlifted to the hospital, and Kayla Thompson had to travel via ambulance. Kasey Thompson said he was faced with the decision to ensure his baby safely boarded the helicopter or leave in that moment with his wife.

Calling it “the hardest decision of my life”, he said he was encouraged to accompany his wife and chose to ride with her to the hospital.

When they arrived, the couple recalled that Kayla Thompson was taken to a room, while Kasey Thompson went to see their baby girl in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“She was safe and sound, and I was so thrilled,” Kasey Thompson said.

“Burning Man Project would like to extend congratulations and well-wishes to the family,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “In the midst of wind, heat, and storms, they brought new life into the world in Black Rock City. Of all the things we celebrate at Burning Man, bringing life, connection, transformation, and joy are dearest to our hearts.”