If you’ve been on a flight, you’ve most likely witnessed some bizarre passenger behavior in one way or another. And although flight attendants are trained to deal with odd requests and disgruntled behavior, helping someone give birth is probably not in the training materials.
TikTok via @pinkangel876
Such was the case on an American Airlines flight leaving New York’s JFK airport for the Dominican Republic last week when a woman went into labor mid-flight, prompting an emergency landing and delivery of a baby boy.
A TikToker named Kendall (@pinkangel876) is going viral for documenting her sister giving birth and recounting the story to viewers in a series of videos that have together garnered millions of views.
Kendall says that while she was on the way to the airport with her family, her sister joked that she was going to have the baby in the car since the bumpy road was causing pain on one side.
@pinkangel876 Welcome baby air #baby #air #airplane #airbaby #americanairlines #birthonairplane #foryou #trending #vacation #trip ♬ original sound – rayeem_
The pain continued at the airport and worsened once she was on the plane.
“Being pregnant, if you sit a certain way, you get cramps. If you sit a certain way, your back hurts. If you sit a certain way, you’re feeling pain somewhere — so we didn’t take it as anything,” the sister explained.
@pinkangel876 Part 2 #baby #air #sky #borninthesky #airbaby #foryou #fyp #jamacantiktok ♬ original sound – kendaleerhoden
After takeoff, while in the air, her sister’s water broke. They alerted a flight attendant who called for doctors and medical professionals on the flight. They rushed the pregnant woman to the back of the plane where she proceeded to birth her child.
“It was like 30 minutes. It was quick, it was real quick,” her sister said. “Even every passenger on the plane was like, ‘she’s finished already?'”
The flight attendants announced that a boy had been born and the entire plane erupted in applause before the plane emergency landed and the woman was wheelchaired off the plane.
@pinkangel876 To the 4 heroes, thank you #airbaby #sky #skybaby #Dominicanrepublic #a#americanairlinesm#momb#baby ♬ original sound – kendaleerhoden
The child has jokingly been nicknamed “baby air” and “sky” with others claiming the baby was “born to travel.”
American Airlines confirmed that the birth took place on one of their flights in a statement to Newsweek.
“On Sept. 7, American Airlines flight 2443 from New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ) declared an emergency before landing due a medical emergency on board,” the airline told the outlet. “First responders met the flight upon landing and the customer was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.”
The woman and her son are reportedly in good health, though it is noted that the baby was originally born prematurely.
