“Citizen Zero” GoFundMe raises over $10,000 for baby girl born at Burning man

At this year’s Burning Man festival, which takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, an unanticipated event occurred, as a baby girl was born on the Playa.

Dubbed “Citizen Zero” by long-time festivalgoers, the baby girl was born in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 27, after her mother, who did not know she was pregnant, gave birth while attending the nine-day art and cultural gathering.

Family members said the baby weighed in at 3 lbs, 9.6 ounces, and measured 16.5 inches at birth. She is currently in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where she continues to grow stronger. The mother and baby are said to be stable, though the baby will have to stay under medical care for the indefinite future.

a baby was born at Burning Man and the festival people dubbed him Citizen Zero, what a legacy pic.twitter.com/mPGzrBPAbD

— 𝙁𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 (@_fuckylucky) August 30, 2025

To help lessen the weight of this burden, the baby’s aunt, Lacey Paxman, started a GoFundMe campaign called “Help support Burning Man Baby Girl 2025.” In her post, Paxman explained:

"Since this is their first child and the pregnancy was completely unexpected, my brother and his wife don’t have anything prepared—no baby supplies, no nursery, nothing at all. On top of that, the unexpected circumstances have created a heavy financial burden."

By Friday morning, the fundraiser had raised over $10,000. The money will help cover a large amount of expenses like NICU costs, travelling, temporary places to stay, and some baby items. Paxman mentioned that the family is thankful for any help, whether it is a financial donation or if people share the link to the campaign.

A look into the sudden and unprecedented birth of Citizen Zero

This birth was truly dramatic as the mother went into labor, and the festivalgoers jumped into action. According to a Reddit post, there was an obstetrician and a pediatric trauma nurse camped nearby, and they immediately assisted in the delivery.

After the birth, the parents drove to the festival's medical tent, and they were both airlifted to a major hospital with specialized care.

"Mom and baby are both doing okay, but she will need to stay in the hospital until she is ready to come home... We are also choosing not to share photos of their newborn right now to respect their privacy, but please know she is safe, beautiful, and deeply loved," Lacey Paxman added.

According to medical experts, these scenarios are frequent with respect to cryptic pregnancies, a condition in which women don’t know they are pregnant until they are later into pregnancy or even until delivery. This happens in about 1 in 500 pregnancies, usually with factors such as irregular periods or signs that look like other conditions (Cleveland Clinic).

The birth has drawn lots of attention online, and many people have expressed shock at this rare birth, as the baby grows strong in the NICU, her story is already folklore at Burning Man.