Woman gives birth aboard PAL flight

source: gmanews.tv

A woman gave birth to a healthy boy while aboard a San Francisco-bound Philippine Airlines flight on Tuesday (Manila time), the flag carrier said.

PAL said Aida Alamillo, seated at 83-J, gave birth aboard flight PR-104 (Boeing 747) with assistance from three nurses on board and cabin crew members.

"Passengers cheered as the baby boy filled the cabin with his cries. The incident is considered a rarity. PAL's cabin crew, all considered 'safety professionals,' are trained in handling child-birth situations in flight," PAL said in a news release posted on its website Tuesday night.

In her flight incident report, flight purser Antonia Castañeda described the baby as having "good skin color" and that the "baby started to breast feed" and gave a "loud cry" upon getting out of his mother's womb.

Flight steward Francis Lloyd Lobo led cabin crew in helping Alamillo deliver the boy.

On the other hand, the mother was described to have had "minimal pain," even as an ambulance and a team of paramedics were alerted prior to the plane's landing.

It added Alamillo delivered pre-term at 35 weeks, and got help in doing deep-breathing and relaxation exercises, as a prelude to childbirth.

"Mother and child were assisted by the PAL Cabin Crew team, the PAL staff from San Francisco station and the medical team upon arrival in the city. Mother and child were brought to the Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame," PAL said.

The PAL PR-104 flight departed Manila at 10:24 p.m. and arrived at San Francisco 7:27 p.m. PAL said the birth occurred at 3:25 p.m., US time.

source: gmanews.tv