Airborn
October 25, 2022 1:39 PM Subscribe
"Debbie fought the contractions at first, hoping to reach Europe and a hospital, but it soon became clear that her baby would touch down before the plane did." -- What happens to babies born on planes?
(CW: labor complications, premature births, abandoned babies. That's the worst of it though.)
(CW: labor complications, premature births, abandoned babies. That's the worst of it though.)
What happens to babies born on planes?
Let me guess - they have to pay for their own seat?
(going to read the article now)
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:57 PM on October 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
Let me guess - they have to pay for their own seat?
(going to read the article now)
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:57 PM on October 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
If they knew there was a woman with a near term pregnancy aboard, I bet airlines could reduce the incidence of inflight births by letting the cabin pressure drop to the 5,000 - 7,000 ft level typical for cruising cabin pressure more slowly than simply by letting it follow the gain in altitude up to those heights.
posted by jamjam at 2:22 PM on October 25, 2022
posted by jamjam at 2:22 PM on October 25, 2022
For Mother's Day this year TAP Air Portugal made this lovely little movie
posted by chavenet at 3:51 PM on October 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 3:51 PM on October 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
Well that's generally a happy event ... my nephew recently flew home from Spain and a passenger died en flight. The attendants discretely covered the person and re-seated them in first class.
Flying is stressful enough these days. I'd rather not encounter close life & death events while in the company of surly strangers in a tubular capsule hurtling through the sky.
posted by madamjujujive at 4:17 PM on October 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
Flying is stressful enough these days. I'd rather not encounter close life & death events while in the company of surly strangers in a tubular capsule hurtling through the sky.
posted by madamjujujive at 4:17 PM on October 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
my nephew recently flew home from Spain and a passenger died en flight. The attendants discretely covered the person and re-seated them in first class.
Probably the only way I will ever end up there.
Less seriously, I propose that any babies born in airplanes are citizens of the sky and therefore are not allowed to touch the ground. At first it will be complicated, but pretty soon it will be like Sky Captain or something, and we will have floating cities everywhere. Ok, it turns out that I may have overestimated how many babies are actually born mid-flight.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:17 PM on October 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
Probably the only way I will ever end up there.
Less seriously, I propose that any babies born in airplanes are citizens of the sky and therefore are not allowed to touch the ground. At first it will be complicated, but pretty soon it will be like Sky Captain or something, and we will have floating cities everywhere. Ok, it turns out that I may have overestimated how many babies are actually born mid-flight.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:17 PM on October 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
Most airlines won't let you board if you're 36 weeks or more along; international ones may be even more restrictive. So basically it'll have to be early births (or some other unusual circumstance). Babies come when they want, but most of them don't want quite that early.
On preview, it seems like actually does let you fly up to 40 weeks. They *recommend* you not, but it's just a recommendation.
posted by nat at 7:00 PM on October 25, 2022
On preview, it seems like actually does let you fly up to 40 weeks. They *recommend* you not, but it's just a recommendation.
posted by nat at 7:00 PM on October 25, 2022
I've experienced (perceived) medical emergencies on 3(!!) recent flights - once was me! I fell asleep hunched over the seat back and I think between my position and the N95 I ran out our oxygen and passed out on the dude next to me! In another case, something similar seemed to have happened to another passenger. I am a nurse so answered the call for medical help: It was me, a retired nurse, and a respiratory therapist. We all sort of weirdly panicked. I'm a nurse case manager and haven't been at the bedside in years - maybe the same was true for retiree nurse who kept saying extremely dumb things like, "that's a sign of a heart attack!" and didn't know what to do. The RT I assumed would lead the show because I know RTs like, participate in codes and stuff, but he got really obsessed with trying to put his Apple Watch on the person to see if he could get an EKG(??!!). I finally realized I was the most capable medical person so took over but I confess I also got spooked when I couldn't feel her pulse. She was fine! Just passed out for some reason. Meanwhile the flight attendant of course completely kept her cool, somehow revived the passenger, but meanwhile the pilot had decided to land the plane. This was at the peak of when flights were all fucked up a couple months ago - sorry to everyone who missed their connections!
posted by latkes at 7:21 PM on October 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by latkes at 7:21 PM on October 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
Re-seated who in first class?
posted by gottabefunky at 7:29 PM on October 25, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 7:29 PM on October 25, 2022 [14 favorites]
Also makes you think about the logistics of having to say where you're born on passports and things.
"IN THE AIR" is the U.S. passport option, but I've never seen it in the wild. I did have an applicant born "AT SEA" many years ago.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 7:38 PM on October 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
"IN THE AIR" is the U.S. passport option, but I've never seen it in the wild. I did have an applicant born "AT SEA" many years ago.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 7:38 PM on October 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
he got really obsessed with trying to put his Apple Watch on the person to see if he could get an EKG(??!!)
The Apple Watch can record an ECG; it will monitor pulse and identify a proper sinus rhythm and identify signs of atrial fibrillation, but the app explicitly says it does not and cannot check for signs of a heart attack. Doing this would've been awkward anyway; at least on my older Gen4 watch, you need to have the watch strapped to your wrist, and then rest a finger on the crown with your other hand for 30 secs while it does its thing. I would imagine that someone else holding a passed-out person's hands in the proper position would interfere and make any readings basically useless...
posted by xedrik at 7:45 PM on October 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Apple Watch can record an ECG; it will monitor pulse and identify a proper sinus rhythm and identify signs of atrial fibrillation, but the app explicitly says it does not and cannot check for signs of a heart attack. Doing this would've been awkward anyway; at least on my older Gen4 watch, you need to have the watch strapped to your wrist, and then rest a finger on the crown with your other hand for 30 secs while it does its thing. I would imagine that someone else holding a passed-out person's hands in the proper position would interfere and make any readings basically useless...
posted by xedrik at 7:45 PM on October 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
"IN THE AIR" is the U.S. passport option, but I've never seen it in the wild. I did have an applicant born "AT SEA" many years ago.
In the air has the rarity going for it, but at sea has the romance.
posted by Literaryhero at 9:27 PM on October 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
In the air has the rarity going for it, but at sea has the romance.
posted by Literaryhero at 9:27 PM on October 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
Starting a pool for the first space birth, or the first submersible birth. Sign up in the break room.
posted by not_on_display at 10:28 PM on October 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by not_on_display at 10:28 PM on October 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
Probably the only way I will ever end up there.
Spain?
posted by chavenet at 12:46 AM on October 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
Spain?
posted by chavenet at 12:46 AM on October 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
* A newborn baby is extremely slippery. You will likely drop it if you're not expecting that. And if you are expecting that, the baby is slippier than you expect.
* Do not try to use an Apple watch on a person having a medical emergency. It is a waste of time.
posted by neuron at 5:44 PM on October 27, 2022
* Do not try to use an Apple watch on a person having a medical emergency. It is a waste of time.
posted by neuron at 5:44 PM on October 27, 2022
I was charmed last year by the story of a baby who was born on a plane that happened to be holding a doctor and a team of 3 NICU nurses. What a team to have aboard. They also used an Apple watch as one of their tools!
posted by mosst at 7:55 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mosst at 7:55 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Re-seated who in first class?
The deceased person. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to get an upgrade, imo.
posted by madamjujujive at 3:11 PM on October 30, 2022
The deceased person. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to get an upgrade, imo.
posted by madamjujujive at 3:11 PM on October 30, 2022
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posted by jenfullmoon at 1:49 PM on October 25, 2022 [1 favorite]