Pregnant woman forced to give birth mid-flight after waters break on plane
People are feeling moved after a TikToker revealed her sister gave birth on a flight.
When you're on a flight somewhere, all you tend to think about is how to ask the person next to you to move so you can go to the loo, whether you bought enough snacks to keep you going the entire journey, as well as hoping you don't end up sat in front of a small child who may kick the back of your seat the whole time.
Now imagine also being in your final trimester of pregnancy and not just having to worry about wetting yourself, but a whole baby springing out mid-journey.
A TikToker has revealed how her sister, Kendra Rhoden, was forced to give birth on an American Airlines airplane when her waters broke during the flight.
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Prepare to have your heartstrings pulled:
Kendra was travelling to the Dominican Republic from Hartford in early September. She was seven months pregnant, and had six weeks until her due date (23 October).
Before boarding the flight, she had been on a bumpy car journey and had experienced pain on one side of her stomach.
Her sister explained she was 'twisting and turning' after sitting down on the plane, before they switched seats an hour into the flight so she could rest her head on the side.
However, '30 minutes in' and she still wasn't comfortable. Kendra's sister joked: "Not knowing this girl was going through contractions and about to give birth."
She continued: "Fast forward 30 to 45 minutes more, she tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'My water just broke'."
The new mother told Channel 3 News: "Everything just happened so fast. It just happened so quick. [...] While I was asleep I feel someone kick me in my stomach and then my waters broke."
Kendra's family called the flight attendant who checked if there were any doctors or nurses on the plane. They were then moved to first class accompanied by four Jamaican nurses who happened to be on board.
"The whole time she was back there giving birth it was like 30 minutes, it was real quick.
"Every passenger was like, 'She did that already?'" Kendra's sister joked.
Upon the baby boy arriving, everyone on the plane erupted into applause.
Skylen - a name picked because of the circumstances in which the baby was born - and his mum are now back home, with the baby having been taken straight to hospital.
"I feel good now because I'm home and he's safe. He's where he needs to be right now," Kendra said.
After some confusion over what nationality the baby was considering he was born mid-air, it's since been confirmed the baby is a US citizen. His place of birth is listed as, 'In the air'.
Kendra's sister also posted a clip of 'one of the four ladies who helped deliver the baby' to say 'thank you' and how much her and her family 'appreciate' their help in safely delivering Skylen.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told Tyla: "On Sept. 8, American Airlines flight 2443 from New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ) declared an emergency before landing due a medical emergency on board. First responders met the flight upon landing and the customer was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
"We thank our team members and medical professionals on board for their professionalism and quick action."
Poppy Bilderbeck