Mid-air birth first for Rotorua helicopter

A baby girl from the East Cape has been born with her head in the clouds - literally.

The little girl took her first breaths on a flight in the Tenon rescue helicopter after it was sent to remote Waihau Bay when her mother went into labour yesterday.

It was the first time a baby had been born on the Rotorua-based helicopter and one of just a few mid-air births on rescue helicopters in New Zealand.

The Tenon helicopter was headed for Whakatane Hospital when the baby was born. Pilot Barry Vincent said the two St John ambulance officers aboard coped admirably well.

"The crew hoped to make Whakatane because it makes life a little bit more challenging for them," he said.

The helicopter was called to Waihau Bay at 11am.

Mr Vincent said the 30-year-old mother had gone into labour and was having contractions when the helicopter arrived. He cut the flight short when she gave birth about two-thirds of the way to Whakatane Hospital.

"We were on the ground in a couple of minutes."

Mr Vincent had received permission to fly at half the usual height of about 1000ft (304m) in case the baby came quickly.

He landed the helicopter in a caravan park about 10km from Opotiki, saying he deliberately chose somewhere with people around.

The St John staff cut the umbilical cord and stabilised the mother and baby, and the helicopter got back in the air soon afterwards.

Mr Vincent said the woman and child were both "comfortable and stable" when the helicopter arrived.

However, a Whakatane Hospital spokeswoman said they were transferred to Starship Hospital in the afternoon. The baby was in a serious but stable condition. Other rescue helicopter services said mid-air births were very unusual and some had never had it happen.

Greg Brownson, operations manager of Auckland's Westpac Rescue Helicopter, said a baby was born on a flight in 2002.

A midwife was aboard and delivered the child without complications on the flight from Great Barrier Island to Auckland City Hospital.

Mr Brownson said there had been several other "near misses" when babies were born immediately after the helicopter touched down and the mother was loaded into an ambulance.

A baby was also born on the Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance in 1997.

The pilots of the Tauranga-based Trustpower Tect and Taupo-based Lion Foundation rescue helicopters said they could not recall babies being born on a flight.