The passenger didn't know she was pregnant until she went to the bathroom and began having contractions. Photo / Unsplash
The passenger didn't know she was pregnant until she went to the bathroom and began having contractions. Photo / Unsplash
A woman surprised fellow passengers and herself during a KLM flight from Guyaquil, Ecuador to Amsterdam when she gave birth to a baby mid-flight.
Unaware she was pregnant, the woman started experiencing stomach pains a few hours before the aircraft landed in the Netherlands. MAfter two contractions, she gave birth,assisted by two doctors and a nurse from Austria who had been on board the flight.
Both the new mother and baby are “doing well” according to a KLM spokesperson, who said they were grateful to fellow passengers who helped during the delivery.
The mother, identified only by her first name, Tamara, was supposed to take a second flight to Spain. Instead, she was immediately taken to Spaarne Gasthuis Haarlem Zuid hospital after landing at Schiphol Airport, with her new baby.
“Tamara had no idea she was pregnant and was quite taken aback by the event,” said the hospital. After experiencing generous help from doctors and nurses on the flight, Tamara decided to name her baby Maximiliano, after one of them.
“Both Tamara and Maximiliano were fortunately in good health,” the hospital confirmed.
“The team in the birthing department did everything possible to ensure that both received proper care and were on their way for the necessary paperwork for Maximiliano,” it stated on its website.
“As soon as possible, Tamara and Maximiliano will travel on to Madrid. The Spaarne Gasthuis wishes them well!”
Flight KLM 755 started on Wednesday with a one-hour shuttle from Quito to Guayaquil. From there, the Boeing 777-200 flew 11 hours to Schiphol Airport and arrived around midday on Thursday.
This isn’t the first accidental birth on a flight in 2022. In January, a Frontier Airlines flight attendant helped a passenger give birth to a healthy baby girl during a flight from Denver to Orlando.
Like Tamara, the delivery took just “two big pushes”.
