A woman gave birth to a baby boy thousands of feet above the Atlantic during a United Airlines flight from Ghana to the United States.
Journalist Nancy Adobea Anane was in her seat when she noticed a woman pacing up and down the aisle.
“She was going to and from the bathroom,” Anane told TODAY Parents. “She looked very distressed and I thought she was just uncomfortable.”
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Around an hour later, the pilot made an announcement asking if there was a doctor onboard.
A Ghanaian doctor practicing in the US had volunteered to help with the delivery along with a flight attendant who was a former nurse.
“I heard, ‘Push, push!’ and all the encouragement,” the Ghana-based journalist told TODAY.
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A healthy baby boy was delivered early Sunday morning at around 3:40 a.m. ET with the flight landing at around 5:40 a.m. ET.
In a Facebook post, Anane shared video of the mother with her newborn as she celebrated the successful delivery of a “lovely baby boy” on the flight.
“The baby Who was due late February decided to arrive 34,000 ft above (sea) level,” she wrote in her post.
Upon arrival at Dulles International Airport, paramedics were waiting for the mother, who was only identified by Anane as “GG” and as a Ghanaian living in New York.
In a statement, United Airlines said its crew had “acted quickly” to help ensure the delivery could be carried out safely on Flight 997, which left Accra, Ghana, on Saturday and landed at the Washington Dulles International Airport early Sunday morning.
“We were especially thrilled to see the plane land with one extra, especially beautiful, customer onboard,” the airline said.
