Mom Rushes to Hospital After Going Into Labor 5 Weeks Early. Then She Gives Birth While Checking In (Exclusive)

“My body was pushing the baby out,” Katie Rakes recalls of the moment she welcomed her son Arlo

NEED TO KNOW

• Katie Rakes gave birth to her son Arlo just moments after arriving at the hospital five weeks early
• The dramatic birth was captured on hospital security footage and has since gone viral on TikTok
• Rakes credits her husband Kyle’s quick thinking and support during the unexpected delivery

One mom was in for a surprise when she didn’t even make it past the hospital check-in before her baby arrived.

When Maine-based parents Katie Rakes, 29, and Kyle Bruns, 31, showed up at the hospital five weeks ahead of their son Arlo’s due date, they didn’t expect their baby boy’s arrival to be as quick as it was.

Rakes tells PEOPLE that she and her husband rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night, both feeling “nervous and scared” that Arlo was coming so early.

Not only did Arlo arrive ahead of schedule — but he didn’t even let Mom and Dad finish checking in at the reception desk before he was on his way out. Thanks to hospital security footage, Arlo’s unlikely birth was captured on-camera, and the video has since gone viral on Rakes’ TikTok page.

“We pulled up to the emergency department (that’s the only way to labor & delivery at a certain point in the night), and we were met by security who asked us if we needed a wheelchair, and Kyle shouted out, ‘She’s in labor,’ “ Rakes recalls. “After security helped me into the wheelchair, he rolled me in, and that’s where the video begins. I was at the reception desk for about 30 seconds before something felt off.”

“The receptionist gave me a big smile and said, ‘Hi, what’s going on tonight?’ and without thinking I said, ‘I’m here to give birth.’ Looking back, I should have given more indication that I was planning on giving birth. I should have said that I was in labor and the baby was coming any second.”

Right as Bruns returned from parking their car, Arlo started to make his way into the world.

“The first 10 seconds Kyle stands next to me is when I start to feel the baby coming out,” she says. “Our son was 35 weeks and 2 days old. When he was born, he was 6 lbs.”

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In the moment, Rakes tells PEOPLE she felt what she could only describe as a “pop and then a rush of adrenaline, as I looked down, I could see the bulge of my son’s head being born.”

“My body was pushing the baby out without me trying,” she continues. “I turned to Kyle and said, ‘Honey…the baby, the baby is coming out.’ Thankfully, the security guard heard all of this and ran to get the closest ER nurse. By the time she was next to us, Arlo was making his entrance into the world.”

While Arlo’s birth came as a surprise, Rakes says her husband’s quick reaction and stellar dad-instincts didn’t shock her much.

“Kyle, in that moment, he was determined to help deliver our son. He (per usual) showed why he was always meant to be a dad,” says the mom of two. “He has always been my knight in shining armor; that day he proved it more than ever.”

“Kyle said the only thing going through his mind was. ‘Help Katie, Help the baby.’ Not a moment passed where he thought, ‘What should I do? Who should I tell? Where should I go? Should I step back?’ He knew that he wasn’t there to be a bystander,” adds Rakes, who also shares son Leon with her husband.

Once baby Arlo was delivered, the first thing Rakes did was apologize to the receptionist.

“I looked over to the horrified receptionist who was not prepared to watch a stranger have a baby 8 ft. from her,” she says. “‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry to cause a scene, I got blood on your mat, I’m so sorry’ is all I could say as they pushed me down the hallway.”

Once more nurses arrived, they checked Arlo’s lungs and wrapped them both in a warm blanket. His umbilical cord was still attached, and they let Bruns cut the cord before they helped Rakes deliver the placenta.

“Afterwards, my midwife came in. I felt terrible because she came in and Arlo had already been born. I’m grateful for the strong group of women that have cared for me and my babies during both pregnancies; any remaining worries I had went away the second she stepped into the room,” she adds.

The mom of two says they checked into the hospital on Wednesday morning and were able to leave by Saturday afternoon. Nurses wanted to monitor Arlo since he arrived early, especially his bilirubin levels as he was born slightly jaundiced.

“The medical staff was so considerate, accommodating, respectful, and reassuring,” she adds. “We almost didn’t want to leave!”

The couple didn’t initially think to post the video of Arlo’s birth, only showing it to family and friends who “assumed we were overexaggerating until they saw it themselves.”

“We agreed that if we still thought it was a good idea, we would post the video on Arlo’s first birthday,” says Rakes.

Now that the video has gone viral a year later, Rakes says she’s “beyond surprised” by the reaction.

“We had an idea it would be seen but not to the extent that it has,” she adds. “We never once assumed it would get as much attention as it has.”

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