Baby Gets a Fitting Nickname After Being Born in a McDonald’s Parking Lot Following Dramatic Delivery

A baby born in a McDonald’s parking lot has been given a nickname that couldn’t be more fitting.

Little Matilda — lovingly called “McTilly” by her parents — was born on Aug. 11 after a dramatic turn of events, her mom Alyce Rotunda told PEOPLE.

It all started on Aug. 8, when Alyce thought she was in labor and went with her husband, Kevin Rotunda II, to a hospital in Kalamazoo. After being told it was a false alarm, she went home.

The next day — her birthday — Alyce began to feel “absolutely miserable.” She had nausea, a migraine, and painful contractions that came and went. By early morning on Aug. 11, the contractions were six minutes apart, and she and Kevin knew it was time to head back to the hospital.

They called Alyce’s mom to watch their three kids — Genesis, 7, Kevin III, 4, and Boone, 2 — and drove off in their van. On the way, Alyce’s contractions grew stronger, and Kevin admitted he drove 100 mph at one point. Because Alyce has type 1 diabetes, she was considered a high-risk pregnancy, and the nearest hospital where she could deliver was 45 minutes away.

“It became very obvious we were not going to make it to the hospital in time and the baby was coming,” Alyce said.

Kevin called 911 and told dispatchers he would stop at a Speedway gas station. But when they saw how brightly lit it was, they decided instead to pull into a McDonald’s parking lot.

Alyce got out of the van, and within minutes, Matilda was born.

“I reached down to feel what was happening and her head was fully out. I just remember yelling, ‘Kevin catch her right now!’” Alyce said. Luckily, Kevin was already behind her and caught the baby as she came out at 2:57 a.m.

Matilda cried right away, which gave them both a huge sense of relief.

About five minutes later, an ambulance arrived to take Alyce and Matilda to the hospital. Both were healthy and had no complications.

“This was my first birth that wasn’t induced, so we had no concept of just how quickly a natural labor would take for me,” Alyce explained.

The family said they feel grateful everything worked out. Later, relatives visited the hospital to meet the new baby. It was Alyce’s brother-in-law who suggested the nickname “McTilly,” which quickly stuck.

“Everyone gets a kick out of it,” Alyce said. “Matilda is doing great.”