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Unaware Woman Gives Birth in RV at Burning Man Newborn in NICU

Published 1 September 2025

A woman who said she had no idea she was pregnant gave birth unexpectedly inside her RV at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, on the morning of Aug. 27, festivalgoers and family members said. The newborn, a girl named Aurora, was flown to a neonatal intensive care unit in Reno and is receiving care, while her parents made a long surface drive to reach her.

Kayla Thompson, identified in reports as 36 or 37 years old, told hospital staff she had experienced no typical pregnancy symptoms before waking with acute abdominal pain in the predawn hours, according to a family GoFundMe page and interviews. Her husband, Kasey Thompson, 39, said he rushed to call for help and that medical personnel who happened to be nearby responded within minutes. "It is an absolute miracle," he told reporters. "Had I known about the pregnancy, that is the absolutely last place on this planet I would have been."

Festival attendees who assisted included an obstetrician, a neonatal intensive care nurse and a pediatrician, according to accounts from the couple and the GoFundMe description. One report noted the obstetrician who helped deliver the child was wearing only underwear at the time,...

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