A Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland became an impromptu delivery room when passenger Ashley Blair gave birth to Brielle Renee Blair — a healthy 5 1/2-pound girl — about 20 minutes before landing. Two paramedics on board, Tina Fritz and Kaarin Powell, assisted using blankets and a shoelace to secure the umbilical cord after requested medical supplies were unavailable. Portland Airport Fire & Rescue later found both mother and baby healthy and transported them to a hospital for observation. Delta thanked crew and volunteers, though a paramedic said no doctor was on board.
Baby Born Onboard Delta Flight: Paramedics Help Deliver Healthy Girl Minutes Before Landing
In these photos provided by Tina Fritz, Ashley Blair holds her daughter Brielle, who was born April 24 on a Delta Air Lines flight just before landing in Portland, Oregon. - Tina Fritz/AP
A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Portland turned into an impromptu delivery room when passenger Ashley Blair gave birth to a healthy baby girl just before the Boeing 737 landed at Portland International Airport.
The newborn, named Brielle Renee Blair, weighed 5 1/2 pounds and arrived roughly 20 minutes before touchdown — about two weeks earlier than expected.
Paramedics, Crew and Passengers Team Up
Two paramedics on board, Tina Fritz and Kaarin Powell, were returning from vacation in the Dominican Republic when flight attendants asked them to check on Blair. The pair had been helping a nurse with another passenger at the rear of the cabin but responded after learning Blair was in active labor.
With the cabin nearly full (153 passengers, soon to be 154), crew moved nearby passengers to make space for the delivery. The paramedics requested an obstetrical kit and extra blankets, but when those supplies weren’t available they improvised: fellow travelers provided blankets and a flight attendant supplied a shoelace to clamp the umbilical cord. Powell even tore a shoelace from her own shoe to fashion a tourniquet and begin an IV.
“OK, it’s time. I got to push,”
Fritz said Blair delivered the baby after three strong pushes. Powell cut the umbilical cord and held the newborn while Fritz sat nearby. At that moment the aircraft’s wheels touched down on the runway.
“Baby pinked up right away,” Fritz recalled. “She was gorgeous. Mom was a rock star.” After the plane taxied to the gate, passengers celebrated and took photos as the paramedics handed the baby back to Blair.
Aftermath
Portland Airport Fire & Rescue responded and, according to Port of Portland spokesperson Molly Prescott, found both mother and baby healthy. The new family was transported to a local hospital for observation.
Delta issued a statement thanking the crew and medical volunteers who helped onboard prior to landing and said a doctor and two nurses assisted flight attendants. Fritz told reporters that no doctor was present and that the only nurse on board remained with the other ill passenger; Delta did not immediately respond to requests for clarification.
Fritz said she has kept in touch with Ashley Blair since the birth and that Blair has been overwhelmed by the attention. “I feel like we’re friends now forever,” Fritz said.
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