Delta Delivers: Baby Born On Board

Published by Bobby Laurie | 4 comments

It’s most flight attendant’s worst nightmare. In training, its the one thing the instructors breeze through, sometimes just showing you a quick video about child birth, and then moving on to other topics. But, for Susan Carnes that video came in handy.

On a Delta Airlines flight from Africa to Atlanta, somewhere over Africa at 36,000 a passenger by the name of Katherine Oyedoh started having contractions and went into labor. Passengers alerted the crew to screaming woman and that’s when Susan responded.

I saw her and just the way she was leaned over and moaning, I just knew. I said, do you feel like your water has broken and she said ‘Yes,’ and that’s when I knew, OK we’re having a baby.

Carnes jumped on the public address system and asked passengers if there was a doctor on board, and Dr. Patrick Ojukwu, an OB/GYN from Georgia, offered his assistance.

Carnes began directing other flight attendants to get supplies like gloves, paper towels and hot towels from business class. She grabbed her galley gear bag and the scissors she had inside which came in handy to cut the cord. A glass of SKYY Vodka was used to sterilize instruments, like the scissors, before using them to assist Katherine and her new baby boy.

Finally, a short time later the flight diverted to Dakar where the proud mother and her newborn were sent to a hospital.

For those fellow flight attendant’s out there — can you imagine this happening on your flight? Do you think your cool, calm and collected persona would still reign through or would childbirth just put you over the edge? I found it interesting that Susan took control of this situation and decided she was going to deliver the baby. On a flight from Africa to Atlanta you would figure there would be at least 10 more crewmembers. Or.. maybe this situation was juniored down? Or.. you know the rule about fires: Whoever finds the fire, fights the fire.

Anyway, props to Susan! In my eyes she did an amazing job handling two situations flight attendants worry about: a woman going into labor, and children.