A Wisconsin woman’s water broke about 30 minutes after her flight took off. The plane was diverted to Salt Lake City, where the woman gave birth at a local hospital.
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Ju Il / EyeEm
Allison Peery, 36, of Madison told the Associated Press that she and her husband were returning home after from visiting his family near San Francisco on Wednesday when she went into labor 30 minutes into their flight.
"I was scared, very concerned for the baby because it was early," Peery told the AP.
The flight crew cleared the row and asked over the loudspeaker if a doctor was on board. A pediatrician responded to the call and helped take care of her as the plane changed course for Salt Lake City.
Flight attendants helped her breathe through contractions, which were coming a minute apart.
When the plane landed Peery was quickly loaded into an ambulance in a special chair and taken to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.
The plane refueled and continued to Minneapolis.
At the hospital, medical staff saw the baby's foot and realized he was in a breech position, which can increase birth risks. Instead the baby was delivered via cesarean section at 10:36 a.m. MT, about three hours after her flight took off in California.
Karl William Peery weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces. Though he was described as doing well, he's expected to be hospitalized for at least a month, and probably until what was supposed to be his March 5 due date.
"He's amazing, just so sweet and wonderful. I'm so thankful that he's OK," Perry told the AP. "Things could have been different."
The couple said they were hoping to take him to Wisconsin, but may end up spending more time in Salt Lake City.
Allison Peery said doctors aren't sure why her son was born early because she had an uneventful pregnancy and was cleared to fly.
"We feel really lucky that we were able to be with the people who took care of everything so rapidly," she said.
Peery said she had been feeling lower back pain the night before, but thought it was because she had been walking more during the visit to the Bay Area.
"I thought, 'It's not going to be a great plane ride, I should get some pillows and stuff,'" she said.
