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Aussie woman gives birth to surprise baby in blackout during hurricane

Aussie woman gives birth to surprise baby in blackout during hurricane

An Australian couple is stuck in Florida after welcoming a surprise baby while on a dream holiday due to a highly unusual legal headache.
NSW parents Dayna and Tony, from Raymond Terrace, flew to the US for a trip to Disney World before deadly Hurricane Milton made landfall.

But the wild weather wasn’t the biggest shock during their holiday, with Dayna giving birth in the hotel bathroom in the middle of a blackout.

Dayna welcomed her baby girl Audrey in a hotel in Florida. (Weekend Today)

Dayna had no clue she was 41 weeks pregnant when she went into unexpected labour at 5am at their hotel in Orlando, Florida on October 10.

“We were inside, we were all bunkered down, trying to stay safe,” Dayna told 9News.

“I [felt] really bloated, going to go to the bathroom, I took a laxative.”

Dayna welcomed a healthy baby girl named Audrey Sly in the bathroom as a once-in-a-century storm lashed the area outside.

“All of a sudden, then I knew when the baby was crying,” Dayna added.

Her fiancé Tony was asleep when Audrey arrived and he woke up to the bizarre news.

“When I first woke up I thought, ‘This is the weirdest dream ever’,” he said.

“Good morning, you’re a dad.”

It was 5am when Audrey arrived and there was no power and the elevators were down as Milton continued to rage outside.

Hurricane Milton aftermath in Florida

Submerged streets leave residents to slog through floodwaters after hurricane

Paramedics stretchered Dayna down four flights of stairs and rushed her to a nearby hospital.

Thankfully, despite the extraordinary birth, Audrey was healthy.

“I can’t believe how well she’s doing, considering some of the stuff mum was doing like going on rides and on a plane at 41 weeks pregnant,” Dayna told Weekend Today.

“I had absolutely no idea and really had no symptoms.”

Her birth comes with a few complications for her Australian parents, as Audrey was born in the USA.

Dayna and Tony said they’re now in the middle of an administrative nightmare as they figure out how to bring her home.

“We’ve got travel insurance, thank God, but the main concern is trying to get back to Australia,” Dayna said.

“She’s technically got an American birth certificate and at the moment we’ve been trying to contact the Australian authorities and we were jumping through some hoops yesterday just to get some help.”

Dayna said getting Audrey’s citizenship, despite having two Australian-born parents, isn’t as simple.

Australian parents welcome surprise baby in Florida
The NSW couple are stuck in Florida playing the waiting game until they can bring Audrey home. (Weekend Today)

“When we got the paperwork, it’s asking us questions like ‘can you confirm if you’ve known this person for 12 months?’ Dayna said.

“How’s that possible with a newborn that’s two days old?” Tony added.

They said authorities warned it could be months before they can get Audrey back Down Under.

“They said it could be anywhere from a minimum of two months to 5-7 months,” Tony added.

“We’re Australian citizens… we [can’t] live here for almost a year. We would love to go back to Australia “

The couple said they only had accommodation booked for another 10 days.

Dayna added: “We’re quite stressed about it. I’ve got to get home… We don’t know if they’re going to let us home.”

Australian parents welcome surprise baby in Florida
Their newborn has an American birth certificate. (Weekend Today)

The couple said the Australian government hadn’t confirmed when they could legally bring baby Audrey back to Australia.

For now, they have to just wait it out.

According to Home Affairs, a child born outside of Australia to one or more parents who are Australian citizens can claim descent and apply for a citizenship and passport.

Applications are assessed on a “case-by-case basis” and can take time to process.

9news.com.au has contacted Home Affairs for comment.

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