Passengers were stunned when a woman suddenly gave birth on a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific flight from Dubai.
One of them, Missy Berberabe Umandal, recounted how the “normal” flight became an unforgettable one as one of her fellow passengers, who was pregnant, started having contractions and gave birth to a baby girl while they will still five hours away the Philippines.
Even the woman herself was surprised as she was still two months away from her expected due date.
“Flight attendants started calling for medical assistance, and luckily, there were two nurses among the passengers. She was already crowning, so she was brought to the more spacious area in front of the plane,” Umandal narrates in a Facebook post, which is quickly going viral.
“We only heard one semi-loud screech, and a few seconds later, there were tinier, cute screeches, and it was when we knew the baby was born. Luckily, she [passenger] only had to push once,” added the passenger.
screengrab: Missy Umandal Facebook
According to ABS-CBN news, the woman then returned to her seat after giving birth while her fellow passenger gave her infant clothes.
“One of the passengers had a suitcase full of infant clothes and necessities, which could not have come at a better time. They had a sterilized shelf filled mineral water as a makeshift wash basin to clean the baby in,” Umandal continued.
Learn more about this amazing airborne birth story on the next page
She also claims the baby has been granted free flights for life, as is a common practice for most airlines, but Cebu Pacific has yet to confirm this.
As for the baby’s name, Umandal claimed in her Facebook post that the baby was named “Haven”.
screengrab: Missy Umandal Facebook
Though she was born over India, she will have a Filipino citizenship, in accordance with the rules of the United Nations Convention on International Civil Aviation, under the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which states that a baby born on a ship or aircraft will take the “citizenship” of the ship or airline. (Cebu Pacific is based and registered in the Philippines.)
Though women beyond 6 months along in their pregnancy aren’t usually allowed to board planes, some airlines already allow this so long as they have clearance from their OB-Gyne.
One of the airline’s flight attendants on duty describes the experience as one of the “most fulfilling” of her career thus far. Below is a screenshot of her facebook post taken with her permission.
screengrab: Trisha Villegas Facebook
READ: Amazing: In just 2 years this mom birthed 3 sets of twins
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