Baby born in McDonald's parking lot, gets a cute and fitting nickname

You know how you think of babies being born in peaceful hospital rooms with soft lighting and cute crib setups? Well, flip that scene around entirely, because little Matilda decided to make her grand entrance in the most unexpected of places: the parking lot of a McDonald’s.

And yes, her nickname pretty much says it all: “McTilly.”Mom-to-be Alyce Rotunda, who has type 1 diabetes and a high-risk pregnancy, thought labor was finally upon her back on August 8. She headed to the hospital in Kalamazoo with her husband, Kevin, only to be sent home. Fast forward to her actual birthday (August 10)—and imagine feeling absolutely miserable with intense contractions, nausea, and a migraine, People reported. Early on August 11, the contractions ramped up, coming every six minutes by around 2 a.m. With the hospital still a daunting 45 minutes away, the pair called Alyce’s mom to watch their three older kids (Genesis, 7; Kevin III, 4; and Boone, 2), and hit the road. Kevin wasn’t messing around, reportedly hitting 100 mph on an empty highway, because he knew they wouldn’t make it. "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 told PEOPLE.

Panic ensued: Kevin called 911 and planned to stop at a Speedway gas station. But the brightly lit stop felt anything but private for a delivery zone. Instead, the couple quietly pulled into a nearby McDonald’s. And moments after Alyce stepped out of the van, Matilda arrived, in Kevin’s arms, like the golden-arched VIP she was. No pushing required, she pretty much fell right out. At 2:57 a.m., little Matilda made her debut. The relief was immediate, she started crying, alert and robust, and paramedics shortly arrived to whisk Mom and baby off to the hospital.

Thankfully, both were healthy with no complications—especially a huge blessing considering this was Alyce’s first natural (non-induced) labor. "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."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 told the media outlet. "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."As if the story couldn’t get sweeter, Alyce’s brother-in-law suggested the nickname "McTilly" (a playful nod to the beloved golden arches). Turns out, everyone absolutely loves it—it’s quirky, heartwarming, and utterly perfect.