Baby boy born at Krispy Kreme gets sweetest surprise

By Yi-Jin Yu

An Alabama mom welcomed her newborn son in the parking lot of a Krispy Kreme shop in Dothan earlier this month, and the doughnut chain is celebrating the family in the sweetest way by offering them free doughnuts for a year and a birthday party for the boy every year until he's all grown up.

Sha'Nya Bennett, 23, told "Good Morning America" she was surprised when she delivered her baby boy Dallas at the Krispy Kreme on Jan. 22, because she was supposed to be induced the following day.

The mom of two said she first started feeling contractions last Wednesday, and as the day went on, she and her boyfriend Keon Mitchell, Dallas' dad, decided it was time to head to Flowers Hospital in Dothan, about 20 minutes away from their home.

Courtesy Sha’Nya Bennet

Sha’Nya Bennett gave birth to a baby boy named Dallas on Jan. 22 at a Krispy Kreme parking lot in Dothan, Alabama.

But as ABC News affiliate WDHN reported, a historic snowstorm had passed through the region the day before, leaving roads in the Dothan area in a treacherous state.

"We had to wait on the car to defrost because of the snow and the ice," Bennett recalled. "As we were getting closer to the hospital, the contractions, they were just coming back to back to back."

As Mitchell drove Bennett and their 4-year-old son Legend, they were also on the phone with a 911 operator -- but baby Dallas couldn't wait till they could all make it to the hospital.

Courtesy Sha’Nya Bennett

According to Krispy Kreme, Dallas is the first known baby to have “Krispy Kreme” listed as their place of birth on their birth certificate.

"By the time we got to the turn light by Krispy Kreme, that's when I felt his head coming," Bennett recounted. "[Mitchell] did a U-turn into the Krispy Kreme parking lot and we heard the sirens down the road but by the time he parked, probably like a few seconds later, Dallas started coming out."

Bennett said Mitchell helped deliver the baby, and after first responders arrived, they transferred Dallas to nearby Flowers Hospital for a checkup.

"He is doing great," she said. "We got there. They did have to warm him up [with] him being in the cold. But besides that, everything went great."

Courtesy Sha’Nya Bennet

Sha’Nya Bennett gave birth to a baby boy named Dallas on Jan. 22 at a Krispy Kreme parking lot in Dothan, Alabama.

In addition to Dallas receiving the VIP treatment from the doughnut chain, Bennett said big brother Legend is also excited about Dallas' sweet entrance, considering Krispy Kreme is one of his "favorite places."

"Well, Krispy Kreme is one of his favorites places, so he was very excited to hear that. He loves to tell everybody, 'That's where my brother was born,'" Bennett said.

According to Krispy Kreme, Dallas is the first known baby to have Krispy Kreme listed as their place of birth on their birth certificate.

Krispy Kreme Chief Growth Officer Dave Skena also said in a statement, "We're just so happy that Dallas, Sha'nya and Keon are all doing great. We're in the business of sharing joy and sweetness, but the arrival of Dallas at a Krispy Kreme shop during a once-in-a-century snowstorm might be the sweetest ever."

"Dallas's birth certificate will be the first we know citing Krispy Kreme as 'place of birth,'" he added. "And we'll be thrilled to celebrate that with the family every January 22."