Miracle production at 30,000 feet: 26-year woman gives birth in plane restroom

Baby in stable condition (Photo: CCTV)

A 26-week pregnant woman recently gave birth on an airplane, and thankfully, there were medical professionals on the flight, making the woman and her baby safe and sound, which gave the newborn baby a name that signifies well-being.

A woman surnamed Zhang experienced an unexpected delivery on August 3, following an hour-long flight when she suddenly felt uncomfortable and went to the toilet, according to CCTV news.

The flight crew then urgently called for help looking for medical personnel from fellow passengers. Fortunately, there was a nurse surnamed Chen from the neonatal department and two doctors from other hospitals aboard the same flight.

Chen said that when she hurried to the restroom, the pregnant woman had already delivered and was holding a hand-sized fetal membrane containing the placenta and the newborn baby, CCTV news said.

Due to the lack of medical supplies on board, several medics used gloves to manually tear away the fetal membranes, allowing the newborn to breathe.

After the performances, however, they noticed that the newborn had no breathing and pulses, and neither did the baby respond to stimulation. With safety ensured, Chen immediately conducted emergency measures on the newborn and kept the baby warm.

Thankfully, after a series of rescue measures, the baby's heart rate recovered and the plane made an emergency landing at a nearby airport.

Chen accompanied the pregnant woman to the hospital, during which she underwent chest compression for an hour and a half, with her hands numb.

After ensuring the safety of the pregnant woman and the baby, Chen was relieved and left.

When Zhang's husband was told about the story, he videoed Chen to thank her and said that his family would visit Chen when the baby was discharged from the hospital.

Netizens upon hearing the story remarked that Zhang and the baby were very fortunate to have a professional nurse on board.

Zhang and her husband named the newborn Sun Yian, symbolizing the newborn's life without danger.

Source: Global Times-CCTV