Vietnam woman names son born mid-air after captain
When it came to name her newborn son, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga instantly thought of the captain of the flight on which she has delivered the baby some 10,000 meters above the ground.
Nga, 26, residing in the central province of Quang Nam, gave birth to the boy mid-flight from Ho Chi Minh City to the central city of Danang, with the assistance of Fiona Sutton Julia, a foreign doctor.
The boy is named Xuan Dang, the pilot in command of that unusual flight, and Jetstar, the low-cost airline they traveled with, is the nickname of their little boy, the mother told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on March 5.
Nga recalled the life-changing experience to Tuoi Tre as she is resting at the Hospital for Women and Children in Danang.
 |
| Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga and her family are pictured at the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children on March 5, 2016. |
On March 11, Nga and her husband, Duong Van Vo Phuc, decided to return home to prepare for upcoming birth of their baby, whose delivery was due on March 26, she recounted.
While they normally travel home by passenger bus, the couple decided to go by air this time as Nga also has a 19-month-old baby.
As there is no Ho Chi Minh City – Quang Nam air route, the couple had to take the service to the neighboring city of Danang with Jetstar Pacific.
“About 15 minutes after takeoff, my waters broken even though I did not have any symptom of abdominal pain,” the mother continued.
As the husband panicked and called for help, the flight attendants quickly broke the news to see if there was a doctor among the passengers.
Dr. Julia, and a foreign traveler introducing herself as an Air France stewardess, offered their help, and the 2.7 kilogram boy was eventually delivered after about 25 minutes, with some members of the cabin crew also taking part in the efforts.
“That was the most intense moment in my entire 23 years of working as a flight attendant,” Tran Thi Hue, chief stewardess of the flight, told Tuoi Tre.
Hue recounted that she was extremely worried when Phuc approached and informed her of the situation, as the fetus was only 30 weeks old, while Hue herself had very little experience in childbirth.
“I felt like a huge burden was removed from my shoulders when knowing that both the mother and her child remained healthy after the delivery,” she said.
“I cannot imagine what the situation would have been without the help of the doctor,” Hue said.
The flight landed at around 4:15 pm on Danang International Airport, and Nga and her baby were immediately brought to hospital for further care, the stewardess added.
