GoFundMe launched for "Burning Man Baby Girl" following surprise birth at festival

A crowd member unexpectedly gave birth to a baby girl during Burning Man 2025, after reportedly having no idea that she was pregnant.

According to the New York Times, Kayla Thompson and her husband, Kasey Thompson, were sleeping in their RV on the evening of Wednesday (August 27), when Kayla began experiencing abdominal pains. "Minutes later", she appeared to have gone into labour - with her husband rushing from their mobile home to call for help.

Fortunately, a paediatric doctor and an OBGYN, who was reportedly wearing “nothing but his underwear", were nearby and helped to deliver a baby girl safely, in the bathroom of the couple's RV.

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The Thompsons had been attending their first Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, and claim they had no idea that they were about to become parents. “Even the nurses at the hospital were like, ‘You don’t look like you were pregnant at all,’” Kayla Thompson told NYT. “I didn’t have any symptoms.”

The couple shared that they were "lucky" that Thompson had gone into labour when she did, as if it had been "an hour later", the couple would be been stranded by adverse weather and unable to get outside medical help, with the nearest hospital in Reno, Nevada, over 120 miles away.

The new family shared their relief at the assistance provided by Burning Man attendees. Kasey Thompson's sister-in-law has launched a GoFundMe to help support the family with medical expenses and other supplies.

Entitled ‘Help Support Burning Man Baby Girl 2025’, the crowdfunder’s description explains that the newborn is currently in NICU but is "gaining strength every day”.

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"Mom and baby are both doing okay, but she will need to stay in the hospital until she is ready to come home," the description continues. "Since this is their first child and the pregnancy was completely unexpected, my brother and his wife don’t have anything prepared — no baby supplies, no nursery, nothing at all."

"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," they add.

You can donate to Help Support Burning Man Baby Girl 2025, here.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter