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

Erin Clack, Brian BrantAugust 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Courtesy of Alyce Rotunda

Baby Matilda; Alyce and Kevin Rotunda with their four children -

A baby was given a very fitting nickname after she was born in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Michigan on Aug. 11

The baby's mother, Alyce Rotunda, details the dramatic birth to PEOPLE

As for the baby's nickname, Alyce says, "It’s stuck with a few people, and everyone gets a kick out of it"

A baby, who was born amid the glow of the golden arches in a McDonald's parking lot, has been given a fitting nickname.

Little Matilda — or "McTilly," as her parents have decided to affectionately call her — made her arrival on Aug. 11 after a dramatic series of events, which mom Alyce Rotunda details to PEOPLE.

It all began on Aug. 8, when Alyce, believing that she was in labor, went to the hospital in Kalamazoo with her husband, Kevin Rotunda II. She had been having contractions, but the hospital staff later sent her home, assuring her it was a false alarm.

However, the following day, which happened to be Alyce's birthday, she was feeling "absolutely miserable" as she experienced "intense irregular contractions," along with nausea and a migraine.

She began to time the contractions, and as they increased to six minutes apart by 2 a.m. on Aug. 11, she and Kevin knew it was time to head to the hospital again.

Courtesy of Alyce Rotunda

Baby Matilda

The pair called Alyce's mom to come and watch their three older children — Genesis, 7, Kevin III, 4, and Boone, 2 — and then hit the road in their van.

During the drive to the hospital, Alyce's contractions grew in pain and intensity, prompting her worried husband to hit the gas pedal.

"He later told me at one point he was going 100 mph on a stretch of highway where there was nothing around, as he didn’t want to get stuck being by nothing if the baby decided to come then," she recalls.

Due to Alyce's pregnancy being classified as high-risk because she has type 1 diabetes, the closest hospital she could receive care at was 45 minutes away, making the situation even more stressful.

"It was during that time that it became very obvious we were not going to make it to the hospital in time and the baby was coming," Alyce tells PEOPLE.

Courtesy of Alyce Rotunda

Kevin Rotunda II and his three older children with baby Matilda

Kevin called 911 and explained the emergency situation. He told the dispatcher they were going to pull into a Speedway gas station in the next town and to send paramedics there.

But as the couple got closer to the Speedway, they saw that it was still open and "completely lit up," making it far from ideal for an impromptu parking lot delivery. The couple ended up stopping at a McDonald's further down the road.

Alyce got out of the van, as Kevin rushed to her side to help, and within minutes, Matilda made her arrival.

Courtesy of Alyce Rotunda

Baby Matilda

"I reached down to feel what was happening and her head was fully out. I just remember yelling, 'Kevin catch her right now!' Alyce recalls. "I didn’t know, but at that exact moment, Kevin was already standing behind me, bending down ready to grab her. I didn’t even have to push — she honestly just fell out into Kevin’s arms."

Matilda was born at 2:57 a.m.

"We had a huge sigh of relief when she came out and immediately started crying. She was breathing and alert, so I was at peace," Alyce tells PEOPLE.

About five minutes later, an ambulance arrived at the McDonald's, and Alyce and her newborn were taken to the hospital to be checked out.

"Neither Matilda or I had any complications from the whole experience, which is just the biggest blessing considering how things have played out for me in the past," Alyce says. "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."

Courtesy of Alyce Rotunda

The Rotunda family

"We are just so thankful and blessed that everything played out the way it did," she continues.

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The couple's family members later came to the hospital to meet their newest member, and it was Alyce's brother-in-law who suggested the nickname McTilly.

"It’s stuck with a few people, and everyone gets a kick out of it," Alyce tells PEOPLE, adding: "Matilda is doing great."

on People

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Source: “AOL AOL Lifestyle”