Woman Gives Birth On 11-Hour Transatlantic Flight

Long flights are usually uneventful and somewhat boring, but that wasn’t the case during a recent United Airlines flight from Ghana to Washington, D.C. It’s not every day a woman gives birth during an 11-hour flight 30,000 feet in the air, but that’s exactly what happened this week!

The mom in question delivered a healthy baby boy mid-air thanks to the help of a fast-acting airline crew and a Ghanian doctor on board the aircraft.

Journalist Nancy Adobea Anane was on board the flight as the situation unfolded, and shared a video of the mom and her “lovely baby boy” on her Facebook page.

“The baby Who was due late February decided to arrive 34,000 ft above (sea) level,” she wrote in her post.

Anane tells NBC News that the doctor was practicing in the U.S. and volunteered to help with the delivery after a pilot issued a call for assistance from any medical personnel on board. A flight attendant who was also a former nurse assisted with the delivery as well.

And around 3:40 a.m. ET on Jan. 30, a “bouncy baby boy was delivered 2 hours to landing,” Anane writes.

“Our crew was amazing – they acted quickly, assisted the medical professionals on board, and ensured everyone stayed safe throughout the flight,” a spokesperson for United Airlines said in a statement.

Woman gives birth on United Airlines Flight from Ghana to US.

A Ghanaian doctor practising in the United States of America, was the hero of the day when he delivered a baby on a flight en route to the US from Ghana. pic.twitter.com/yu6bNmoB7h
— Zhikay Ikejunior (@zhikayikejunior) January 31, 2022

“And we were especially thrilled to see the plane land with one extra, especially beautiful, customer onboard,” the spokesperson said.

Last year, a woman in labor didn’t make it to her flight, but instead gave birth in the airport. The mother was initially scheduled to hop on a connecting flight to Honduras, but there was…a delay, you could say. She gave birth to a baby girl right inside the restroom near her gate at Miami International Airport.

The best part of that particular story (aside from the mom and baby girl remaining healthy) is the baby’s name. In honor of the airport where she took her first breaths, mama named her little girl “Mia.”

No word yet on whether this week’s baby will have a name like “United” or “Mile High,” but both mama and baby are doing just fine after paramedics were waiting for them as the plane landed at Dulles. They both received immediate medical care and are doing well.

“The delivery was uneventful other than being at 30,000 feet,” a United representative told ABC News.