Baby Born on Air New Zealand Aircraft Dies

On Friday, a baby was born prematurely on an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland from Brisbane. The passengers helplessly watched as the woman from New Zealand, being 34 weeks pregnant, birthed a stillborn baby with the help of fellow travelers, crew members, and 2 nurses. The 2 nurses on the flight helped the woman, using shoelaces to tie the umbilical cord off, however, they were not able to save the life of the baby. A spokesman for Air New Zealand said that there wouldn’t be anymore comments made on the event, having respect for the family of the baby. He declined to say if the guidelines for pregnancies, which allows women to travel as far into the pregnancy as 36 weeks, will be reviewed. However, Middlemore Hospital information pointed out that the baby was stillborn.

Carriers can make their own guidelines about travelers who are pregnant, but many advise that 36 weeks is a safe cut-off period for getting onto a plane. Alec Ekeroma, the leading obstetrician, said on Sunday that flying during the 34 week pregnancy period would not be considered as risky, unless there were earlier complications in the pregnancy. He said that passengers who are pregnant usually get a certificate to show how far along they are in their pregnancy from their doctors, but some get onto their flight without telling the carriers. Ekeroma also said that he would be shocked if there weren’t any signs of labor before the flight departed since the flight was relatively short. However, he continued, that would depend on if the woman has a history for having fast labor.

Learn more at: www.airnewzealand.co.nz