Unexpected Birth at Burning Man Festival

A woman gave birth unexpectedly on Wednesday during the 2025 Burning Man Music Festival in Black Rock City, Nevada. Interestingly, she didn’t even realize she was pregnant until just before the birth.

Maureen O’Reilly, a registered nurse with 25 years of experience, played a key role in safely delivering a 3-pound baby girl in the Nevada Desert. The child’s mother, who was about 35 weeks along, was completely unaware of her pregnancy prior to the event.

O’Reilly, originally from Berkeley, shared her experience with a local news outlet. She recounted a moment when she was brewing coffee for her campmates when a friend suddenly exclaimed that someone had given birth. “I just jumped into the RV, and they lifted the baby up,” she recalled.

Alongside O’Reilly, two other strangers—a nurse and an obstetrician—assisted with the delivery. She instructed them to provide warmth for the baby before the medic could arrive. Eventually, the baby was airlifted to a nearby hospital, and O’Reilly later visited her in the NICU. While she never learned the parents’ names, they fondly referred to her as “third grandma.”

The newborn’s parents have been identified as Kayla and Casey Thompson, who had traveled from Utah for the festival. Since they were unaware of their impending parenthood, a GoFundMe page was created to help with their medical expenses and baby supplies, raising over $16,000 thus far.

O’Reilly, who has attended 13 Burning Man festivals, expressed that this year was the most memorable of her life. She noted that her presence at the event was illuminated by the sky.

This extraordinary birth came amid a murder investigation connected to the festival and the challenges posed by a severe sandstorm during the event.