Following social distance rules, family celebrates birth outside center

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    MERRIAM, KS (WDAF) — Social distancing didn’t stop one Olathe family from “being there” for a birth.

The Burdolski’s welcomed their second bundle of joy into this world at the Advent Health Birth Center on Saturday. In light of coronavirus, their experience wasn’t anything close to what they were expecting nine months ago.

“We kind of forgot about the virus for a little,” mom Brittany Burdolski said.

Pictures that will go in 7-pound, 12-ounce Jordan Burdolski’s baby book will look a little different from brother Jayden’s.

Instead of family visiting and holding Brittany and Dusty’s new baby boy, they’re standing outside on a picnic table waving from afar.

“Our family kept accumulating,” Brittany said. “So what started out as four then grew to mom and dad showing up. Mom, dad, my other sister and her three kids.”

“My other sister and her three kids,” Dusty added.

The tailgate party sat outside the hospital the entire time Brittany was in labor. Inside they received texts prompting Dusty to reenact a scene from the Lion King.

“So they couldn’t see anything, but they were all waiting for Dusty to hopefully hold Jordan up like Simba,” Brittany said laughing. “We just never got a chance to do it.”

“I didn’t think the doctors would like it very much if I took my boy from my wife and held him up to the window right away,” Dusty said. “But they sure got kick out of seeing everybody out there.”

Brittany admits her big family offered a great distraction from the anxiety she was feeling about the changes COVID-19 delivered.

“We knew about the shutdown coming up,” Brittany said, “And it was just like, let’s have this baby, get home and be locked down together safely.”

Before they were allowed in the hospital that morning, a worker checked their temperatures and asked about travel history.

The biggest difference though? Each mother was limited to two support people.

“It’s hard when you have a new born baby because you want to show him off to the world,” Brittany said.

But two was enough for Brittany and Dusty.

“You didn’t even think about what was going on outside that hospital and just focused on him,” Dusty said.

Even with all the change caused by COVID-19, Brittany said the birth was smooth thanks to the staff.

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