Flight Attendant Helps Woman Give Birth Shortly After Plane Takes Off: 'It Was Magical'

Mar. 15, 2025

Brussels Airlines/Instagram

A woman gave birth mid-flight with some help from a flight attendant and two medical professionals onboard.

A cabin crew member “quickly realized these weren’t just stomach cramps,” but contractions, the company said.

Jennifer Joie, a flight attendant, put out a call for any passengers who could help Ndeye, the mom, according to the websitesMotherlyandThe Bump.

The flight attendant, a doctor and a 22-year-old nurse who recently graduated were on the flight and helping the mom through breathing exercises when her water broke, according to the reports.

The pilots were alerted and turned the flight back around to Dakar, Brussels Airlines said. But before they could land, Ndeye gave birth.

“The first moments were tense — was she okay? Was she breathing?” the airliner wrote on LinkedIn. “And then, the most beautiful sound filled the cabin: her first cry.”

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“As a cabin crew member, you train for everything, even childbirth — but nothing prepares you for the real thing,” Jennifer explained, according to the airline. “But we stayed calm, worked as a team, and followed our procedures.”

She added, “If I hadn’t become a cabin crew member, I think I would have been a midwife.”

On LinkedIn, the company said, “Stories like these remind us that being cabin crew is more than just flying — it’s about caring for people, no matter the situation.”

source: people.com