The baby boy was born over the Pacific Ocean 11 weeks prematurely and was tended to by three nurses and a doctor onboard until the plane was able to land in Honolulu.
A woman unaware she was pregnant got incredibly lucky when she went into labor during a flight that happened to have three neonatal nurses and a doctor onboard. Lavinia Mounga was on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Honolulu when she delivered a baby boy.
“We were all pretty much in shock up until we finally got the baby on mom and it kind of hit everybody. We were all just kind of tearing up and very happy that the baby was doing OK,” one of the nurses told Inside Edition.
Mounga said she had absolutely no idea she was pregnant.
Dr. Dale Glenn was also on the flight.
“I was alerted by my daughter’s elbow in my ribs,” Glenn said. “She said, ‘Dad, they just called for a doctor,’ and I was like, ‘What?’”
Glenn raced over and found Mougna had already given birth in the plane’s bathroom. The plane was over the Pacific Ocean at the time and was unable to turn around.
“We were past the point of no return. So, it was, we gotta head to Honolulu as fast as possible. And in the meantime, we’ve got to keep this baby viable for about three hours. And an airplane at 40,000 feet is not the best NICU,” Glenn said.
The nurses, who were headed to an all-girls vacation, also sprang into action. Then came the sound everyone was overjoyed to hear: Passengers broke out into applause when the baby cried.
Mounga was taken to the Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu. Born 11 weeks premature, baby Raymond weighed in at 3 pounds, 1 ounce.
