Toyin Ogundipe, 41, has given birth to a baby boy mid-air about 35,000 feet above sea level aboard an Air France flight.
Toyin, a banker based in the UK, was delivered of the baby four hours away from her destination Paris-to-New York.
A passenger, Dr. Sij Hemal, 27 year old, a second-year urology resident at Cleveland Clinicโs Glickman Urology and Kidney Institute, helped Ogundipe, deliver her baby on December, 17, 2017, according to clevelandclinic.org.
The mother of two who lives in the UK had gone into labour a week earlier than her delivery date, and was in birth pains and having contractions about 10 minutes apart.
โI was pretty tired from jet lag,โ recalls Dr. Hemal, who a day earlier had attended his best friendโs wedding. โI thought Iโd just have a drink and fall asleep. As it turned out, Iโm glad I didnโt drink anything.โ
โHer contractions were about 10 minutes apart, so the pediatrician ( Dr. Susan Shepherd, of Senlis, France ) and I began to monitor her vital signs and keep her comfortable,โ explains Hemal.
They also suggested Toyin be moved to the roomier first-class section, which had very few passengers. โMy ticket to first class!โ he adds, with a laugh.
While the flightโs air hostesses tended to Toyinโs traveling companion, her 4-year-old daughter, Amy, the doctors used instruments and supplies in the flightโs scanty medical kit to routinely check her vital signs, including blood pressure, oxygen rate and pulse. Very soon, however, their activities heightened.
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Within the course of an hour, Toyinโs contractions accelerated; they occurred seven, then five and finally two minutes apart. โThatโs when we knew we were going to deliver on the plane,โ Hemal recounts.
Although his practice area is urology, Hemal delivered seven babies during medical school, never on the floor of a jetliner.
โWe are trained to stay calm and think clearly in emergency situations,โ he adds.
โI just tried to think ahead to what might go wrong, and come up with a creative solution.โ
Toyin recalls being rather composed throughout the delivery, thanks to the calm manner of the two doctors and the professional treatment they provided: โI was relaxed because I knew I was in safe hands.
โThey did everything a doctor or midwife would have done if I was in the labor room in the hospital. Even better, if you ask me.โ
After about 30 minutes of pushing, Toyin gave birth to a boy, whom she named Jake.
Hemal safely removed the placenta, used a surgical clamp (and a shoestring) to tie off the umbilical cord, and then cut it off with a pair of scissors.
Dr. Shepherd assessed Jakeโs health, which appeared to be normal; soon, he began nursing on his mother.
Upon arrival at JFK, Toyin, Jake and Amy were whisked away by ambulance to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, just four miles from the airport.
Toyin was released later that day, and is recovering with her children at the home of friends in New Jersey.
