- A woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy while flying between Ghana and Washington, DC.
- The baby was a few weeks early, and the woman was assisted by a doctor and nurse on board.
- Mid-air births are unusual, but flight crews are trained to handle a range of medical emergencies.
A woman who boarded a plane pregnant arrived at her destination a new mom, thanks to her son's early delivery 34,000 feet above sea level.
The woman, whose name isn't public, was traveling from Ghana to the DC area via United Airlines over the weekend, several news outlets reported.
She was assisted by a doctor, nurse, and nurse-turned-flight attendant, and greeted by more medical professionals upon landing. Both mom and baby are healthy.
"Our crew was amazing," a United Airlines statement said. "They acted quickly, assisted the medical professionals onboard and ensured everyone stayed safe throughout the flight. And we were especially thrilled to see the plane land with one extra, especially beautiful, customer onboard."
The woman delivered in the exit row
The woman's baby was due later this month, but she went into labor about six hours into the 11-hour flight, United Airlines told CNN.
Fellow passenger Tiani Warren of Los Angeles told CNN she woke up to moaning in the exit row behind her. "I got out of my seat, and I saw someone on the ground. A nurse was over her," Warren said.
Warren said a doctor on board started helping her, and the woman received an IV.
"She was moaning and yelling, but half the people on the plane didn't know what was going on," Warren said. "I just started praying over her out loud as she was starting to push. She was crying. Before you knew it, the baby came out."
The doctor, Dr. Stephen Ansah-Addo, told ABC News the experience reaffirmed his career choice.
"This is the reason why you go into medicine, to help people," he said. "This is someone that really needed help, because there was nobody else there. This is the kind of medicine where you can make a difference in people's lives."
Another fellow passenger, journalist Nancy Adobea Anane, captured the happy aftermath on a video she posted to Facebook. A "bouncy baby boy was delivered 2 hours to landing," she wrote.
In the video, the mom expresses her gratitude. "Thank you so much to the crew, the doctor, the nurse," she said.
Flight crews are trained to deal with medical emergencies on board
Last spring, a Utah woman gave birth on a Hawaii-bound Delta flight. A doctor and three NICU nurses on board helped deliver the baby, who was just 29 weeks. The clinicians warmed the newborn with microwaved bottles, and measured the his heart rate with an Apple Watch, the doctor said in a press release.
The story went viral when another passenger posted a TikTok video about the saga.
According to Insider's Rachel Gillett, flight attendants undergo emergency preparedness training including how to use an AED, perform CPR, and think on their feet.
"I could deliver a baby if I have to," Annette Long, a flight attendant with more than 16 years of experience, told Insider.
Still, doctors recommend pregnant women stop flying after 36 weeks, according to the Mayo Clinic.