Mum gives birth mid-flight in Frontier Airlines plane toilet
When a mother went into labour unexpectedly, one flight attendant jumped into action. Photo / 123rf
A Frontier Airlines flight attendant has been celebrated after helping a passenger give birth to a healthy baby girl during a flight earlier this year.
The US carrier announced the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“A Frontier flight attendant is the toast of the airline after recently helping a passenger give birth to a healthy baby girl in flight,” said the post. It was later confirmed the incident occurred in January this year.
The post continues, explaining how a Shakeria Martin went into an “early and unexpected labour” during a flight from Denver to Orlando.
Martin woke up during the flight experiencing contractions. Flight attendant Diana Giraldo didn’t waste time and immediately helped the mother-to-be into the bathroom at the back of the plane, where, after she helped deliver the baby.
Speaking to American news channel TODAY, Martin said the delivery took “two big pushes”.
Flight attendant Giraldo said, as an older sister, it was pure instinct to help the young woman stay calm and safe.
“I saw this young woman, she was frightened, she was uncomfortable and=d when she told me she was scared there was no comfort,” Giraldo told TODAY.
“There was no space inside of me for any doubt. I just had to make sure that I was there for her.”
Meanwhile, captain Chris Nye transferred controls and flying duties to his First officer and rerouted the flight to Pensacola Airport where a team of paramedics were called to assist when they landed.
After the emergency stop, the flight continued on to Orlando.
“This was a job well done, and I was happy to see everyone working together to successfully deliver a newborn on an aircraft!” said Nye in the statement.
As luck would have it, the mother gave birth on N717FR, the ‘Lily and Luna plane’, which features a picture of a wolf and her pup on the aircraft’s tail.
After naming her ‘Jada’, the mother chose to give her the middle name ‘Sky’ to mark the incredible birth story.
The mother is reportedly from the Orlando area.
Read More: Mum gives birth mid-flight in Frontier Airlines plane toilet