A young mother gave birth to her baby boy — 36,000 feet in the air.
Kendria Rhoden, 21, of Hartford, Connecticut, was cleared to fly by her doctor at 32 weeks with her due date set for Oct. 23.
She decided to take a trip in September with her family to enjoy the warmth of the Dominican Republic sun before welcoming her baby boy.
As the American Airlines flight took off from New York City, the health-care worker began experiencing cramps in her airplane seat.
“These carried on and 34 minutes into the flight, my waters broke,” Rhoden told Caters. “The cabin crew were such a big help.”
A mother went into labor while flying to the Caribbean and welcomed her baby boy midflight.
The pregnant woman was sitting next to her sister Kendalee, 26, as she twisted and turned throughout takeoff until she realized that her water broke.
“I was shocked,” Kendalee admitted. “I kept asking if she was sure until she stood up, and the entire seat was drenched!”
The stunned sister immediately informed the rest of the family who was on the flight, and pressed the panic button when the “flight attendants rushed over to the scene.”
The crew “pleaded” for medical assistance when four people rushed to the woman in labor.
Kendria Rhoden, 21, began experiencing cramps as the plane was taking off but soon realized she was going into labor. Caters News Agency“She was taken to the back of the plane, and after an extremely stressful 20 minutes, an announcement was made that we’d got a new passenger aboard, a beautiful baby boy named Skylen,” Kendalee said.
Skylen Kavon-Air Francis, who was named after his airborne arrival, was carried off the plane as everyone clapped and welcomed the new passenger.
“I just remember everyone filming us when we were coming off the plane, and they were all saying congratulations to me,” the new mother said.
The newborn had to spend the first four days in the neonatal intensive care unit following his premature arrival as his family scrambled to determine Skylen’s nationality and create a plan to get him back home.
The Rhoden family went to the American embassy to confirm the newborn’s American nationality and expedite his emergency passport — which lists his birthplace as “in the air.”
Doctors directed that the new mother and child stay on the Caribbean island for a few weeks, but the family has since returned home safely.
“I feel good now because I’m home and he’s safe. He’s where he needs to be right now,” Kendria told KKTV. “So, I would say I’m happier than I was in the Dominican Republic.”
Aunt Kendalee shared several clips of the amazing story on TikTok, which went viral. Caters News AgencyNew aunt Kendalee shared several clips of the incredible story on TikTok in September, with millions of people tuning in to follow the unbelievable story.
“Born in the air is the biggest flex,” jacquesangy wrote.
“Now that gives a new meaning to airborne,” Russel Rush9881 joked.
“Not the baby being AirDropped,” ChristianDior commented.
