They’re McLovin’ their little nugget.
A Michigan mother gave birth in a McDonald’s parking lot — and the baby’s nickname is a nod to the fast-food chain.
Alyce Rotunda had her fourth child, a daughter named Matilda, on Aug. 11, and to honor the Golden Arches entrance to the world, they gave her nickname a slight adjustment.
The Rotundas always planned on calling Matilda by the nickname “Tilly,” but with her birth certificate reflecting the McDonald’s parking lot as her place of birth, the family now calls her “McTilly.”
On Aug. 10 — which is also Rotunda’s birthday — the mom was confident that she was in labor, but hospital staff insisted she wasn’t and sent her home.
By evening, her contractions were once again coming and warning her that it was time to give birth.
At around 2 a.m. on Aug. 11, her husband, Kevin II, called her mother to let her know it was time, and she arrived at their house within 15 minutes, and they left for the hospital, Rotunda told Today.
She said the pain was something she had never experienced with her other three children. Her first was a C-section, and the other two she had epidurals.
The pregnancy was considered high-risk for Rotunda. She’s a Type 1 diabetic with a history of hemorrhaging, and she had frequent ultrasounds to make sure the baby was safe, knowing there could be complications.
“So my husband is driving, and he’s flying. At one point, he was going 100 miles per hour,” she explained.
When they realized they weren’t going to make it to the hospital, Kevin called 911 to get guidance as he pulled into the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Schoolcraft, south of Kalamazoo.
Rotunda recalled that once in the lot, she clumsily got out of the minivan as her husband tried to help her get her pants off.
“The 911 operator was yelling at me to get back in the car, and then a police officer showed up with his spotlight on us, saying, ‘You need to get back in your vehicle,’” Rotunda said, laughing. “I just screamed, ‘NO!’ There was no way I could do anything other than stand there or squat.”
She suddenly felt something between her legs — and it was a baby.
“I reach down, and her head is fully out,” she shared. “And I’m, like, ‘Kevin! Catch her right now!’ ”
In that moment, the baby “fell right out” into her husband’s hands, she recalled.
“Praise God. The second she came out, she started crying,” Rotunda said. “That was the hugest sigh of relief for us, just to know she was breathing and alert.”
Once they finally got to the hospital, both mom and baby were determined healthy, and McTilly’s blood sugar testing came back normal. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces.
“We got so lucky,” Rotunda said.