Baby born on Emirates flight
2012-08-31 08:14
Going into premature labour is a nightmare for most mothers, but having it happen on an international flight - well that's even worse.
However, the unthinkable happened to a Filipina woman earlier this month when her little baby boy was born in the toilets of an Emirates aircraft at only 27 weeks. In honour of his special birthplace, his mother named him EK after the Emirates flight code.
Huffington Post reports that the Filipina woman and her husband were en route from Manilla to Dubai to deliver the baby where it would be more affordable.
A nurse who happened to be on the flight told Gulfnews's XPRESS that she spotted the woman walking to the plane's toilet and knew she had to help. "When I saw the mother walking toward the toilet, she seemed to be in pain. The father was restless... walking back and forth, nearly in tears, so I offered to help," she said.
The baby was born in the toilet and two nurses aboard, as well as flight attendants, tended to mother and child.
After clearing the amniotic fluid from the baby's mouth, nose and ears, oxygen masks were given to the pair, the Daily Mail reports.
The airline had to perform an emergency landing at the Ho Chi Minh airport in Vietnam. Mother and child were rushed to hospital where mother is recovering nicely, but EK is still in critical care.
