A Hartford, Connecticut woman gave birth mid-air during a flight to the Dominican Republic. Kendria Rhoden was only 7 months pregnant, but that didn’t stop her baby boy from making his debut 36,000 feet in the air.
In September, the 21-year-old was traveling with her family six weeks ahead of her due date when her water broke on an American Airlines aircraft, WFSB reported. She said she felt her baby kick while she was asleep and the rest is history.
“Everything just happened so fast, it just happened so quick,” Rhoden told the news outlet.
According to KKTV, the aircraft had been in the air for 34 minutes when the healthcare professional began experiencing cramps. She went into full labor immediately after.
The cabin crew and nurses on board jumped into action, assisting with the child’s delivery .
“They were like, ‘Oh, don’t push, don’t push because we don’t see any head.’ I’m like ‘The baby’s coming!'” said Rhoden, per WFSB.
In honor of the miraculous birth, the new mother named her son Skylan.
Rhoden’s sister, Kendalee, who was also on the flight, documented the experience
across several videos on TikTok.@pinkangel876 Welcome baby air #baby #air #airplane #airbaby #americanairlines #birthonairplane #foryou #trending #vacation #trip ♬ original sound – RAYEEM
Following Skylan’s premature arrival, Rhoden and her new bundle of joy were carried off the plane in the Dominican Republic, where she spent the first four days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The Rhoden family made their way to an American embassy to not only ensure Skylan’s American citizenship, but to receive a limited-validity emergency passport that lists his birthplace as “in the air.”
Rhoden’s sister posted another TikTok expressing her gratitude to the four “heroes” who helped bring her nephew into the world safely.
“Thank you. We appreciate you for all the hard work you did that day because we know how things really could have went left,” Rhoden’s sister said.
@pinkangel876 To the 4 heroes, thank you ❤️ #airbaby #sky #skybaby #Dominicanrepublic #a#americanairlinesm#momb#baby ♬ original sound – kendaleerhoden
Another video was posted to share an update about the new mom and her baby.
@pinkangel876 To everyone who ask how there doing #air #airbaby #sky #skybaby #travel #foryou #fypシ ♬ Me Alright – Mavado