PORTLAND, Ore. — Talk about an early arrival.
A woman went into labor on Friday while on a flight from Atlanta to Portland, Oregon, giving birth 30 minutes before the plane landed, officials said.
Brielle Renee Blair arrived two weeks ahead of schedule, and the Boeing 737 jet landed at Portland International Airport about 20 minutes early, The Associated Press reported.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, actually,” Tina Fritz, one of the two paramedics who helped deliver the 5 1/2-pound baby girl, told KOIN.
Ashley Blair, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was a passenger aboard Flight 478, which was traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and headed to Oregon, the AP reported. She went into labor shortly before 10 p.m. PT, and was tended to by Fritz, fellow paramedic Kaarin Powell and Delta flight attendants, according to USA Today.
A flight attendant made an announcement over the intercom asking for any medical personnel to ring their service bell, KOIN reported.
Fritz and Powell, who were returning from their vacation in the Dominican Republic, responded and learned about the expectant mother’s condition.
“Then the steward came up to us and he goes, ‘Hey, we have a lady up front who thinks she’s going into labor. Contractions are about three minutes apart. Can you guys check her out?’” Fritz told the television station.
Fritz asked for an obstetrical kit and blankets, but neither was available and she had to improvise, KOIN reported.
“So I was like, ‘OK, we need to get blankets from passengers,’” Fritz told the television station. “I need some shoestrings. So the flight attendant took his shoestring out, cut it for us.
“(The mother)’s like ‘I gotta push, I gotta push.’ And within three really good pushes, the baby was out and doing perfect.”
The baby was born at 3,000 feet above the ground, Fritz said in a social media post. United, which took off with 153 passengers, now had 154.
“Mom was a rock star, like, mom did so good,” Fritz told KOIN. “I cut the cord and we wrapped her up, and they’re like, the plane is touching down, so Kaarin grab the seat. And I grabbed the seat. We didn’t get anything buckled, and we just landed. Then, we gave baby back to mom, and we taxied in, so the whole plane cheered for mom. It was great.”
As the plane taxiied to the runway, the paramedics handed the baby to Ashley Blair. A responding crew from Portland Airport Fire & Rescue “found the mother and baby healthy, and the new family was transported to a local hospital for observation,” Port of Portland spokesperson Molly Prescott said in an email to the AP.
According to Delta’s website, there are no restrictions for flying while pregnant. Pregnant passengers do not need to carry a medical certificate or note from their doctor to fly Delta, USA Today reported.
According to the Mayo Clinic, flying anytime before 36 weeks is generally considered safe, as long as there are no complications.
“We extend our sincere thanks to the crew and medical volunteers on board who stepped in to provide care to a customer onboard prior to landing in Portland,” Delta spokesperson Sabrina Cole said in a statement. “The health and safety of our customers is always our top priority, and we wish the family all the best.”
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