Katie Murphy gave birth in the family car before paramedics arrived, turning an urgent hospital trip into an unusual delivery story.
BROMSGROVE, England — A baby boy made an unexpected entrance in a KFC parking lot after his parents realized they would not reach the hospital in time, leaving the newborn with a fast-food-inspired nickname his family believes could follow him for years.
Katie Murphy, 33, gave birth to her son Cody at 9:35 p.m. Aug. 29 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, while her partner, Stephen Kirby, 32, helped deliver him in their car. Paramedics arrived about five minutes later and took mother and baby to a hospital. Cody was reported healthy and weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces. The unusual location soon inspired relatives to call him “Colonel Cody,” a reference to KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.
The delivery followed a long day for the couple. Murphy and Kirby, who also have a 4-year-old daughter, had gone to the hospital earlier after Murphy began having contractions. They returned home at about 4 p.m. after being told it was still too early for the baby to arrive. Her contractions continued over the next several hours, and by about 9 p.m., the couple decided they needed to make the roughly 30-minute trip back to the hospital.
They did not get far enough. About halfway through the drive, Murphy realized the baby was coming quickly. Kirby contacted emergency services while looking for somewhere safe to stop. With few convenient places available along their route on the A38, he spotted a KFC restaurant in Bromsgrove that the couple regularly visited and pulled into its parking lot.
Murphy said the delivery unfolded within moments of their arrival. Kirby went around to her side of the car and was there as Cody was born in the front seat. “It all happened so fast,” Murphy later said. An ambulance reached the parking lot shortly afterward and transported them to the hospital.
The birth quickly became memorable for more than the family. Murphy said hospital staff heard about where Cody had arrived and the story became a topic of conversation among the midwifery team. The coincidence also gave the family an obvious theme for the baby’s nickname. Although his given name is Cody, his parents began calling him “Colonel Cody.”
The family has already joked about keeping the KFC connection alive as Cody grows up. Murphy said they plan to take him back to the restaurant for his first birthday and joked that he might one day have his first weekend job there. She said she expects the “Colonel Cody” nickname to remain with him for years.
KFC also acknowledged the unusual birth. A company spokesperson said the chain was honored that one of its restaurants had become the setting for Cody’s arrival and said the family would receive merchandise and vouchers. The company also said it hoped to welcome them back for a future meal marking the occasion.
The family has since been photographed together with Cody, including outside the KFC where he was born. Reports attributed to news agency SWNS said both Murphy and the baby were doing well after the delivery. What began as a rushed second trip to the hospital instead became an unexpected roadside birth with an unusually fitting family nickname.
Author note: Last updated September 22, 2026.