Sometimes life surprises you in the most unexpected moments. A young woman, when she boarded a flight to Hawaii, did not yet think that her life would change in a matter of minutes.
Lavinia Mongua gave birth to her baby boy on the plane, even though she didn’t know she was pregnant. The young woman had a sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ ᴄʀᴀᴍᴘ after taking off the plane, so she went to the toilet. She had been in ᴘᴀɪɴ for a long time, but she had no idea she was actually in labor.
Even though many cannot believe that there is such a thing that someone does not know about their pregnancy, this condition does exist. Experts usually associate it with ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴀʟ ɪᴍʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇs, with about 400 of them involved in this case.
Lavinia’s little son, Raymond, was born in non-routine circumstances at 29 weeks and, as a premature baby, needed professional health care as soon as possible. Luckily, there were five medical professionals on board the plane who quickly treated little Raymond until he landed.
Lani Bamfield, Amanda Beeding, and Mimi Ho were experienced neonatal intensive care nurses and provided professional care for the little one and the mother in a matter of moments, depending on the circumstances. Dr. Dale Glenn, a general practitioner at Hawaii Pacific Health, also played an important role in the postpartum moments.
“The baby didn’t breathe perfectly and didn’t cry as usual. With the help of hot water bottles, we managed to create an ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛᴜ ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ, so the improvement started in a matter of seconds,” said Dr. Glenn.
Little Raymond got his second name from the Cayman Islands, symbolizing the power of the sea, as he was born right above the Pacific Ocean. After landing, Lavinia and Raymond were taken to the Kapi’olani Center for Gynecology and Pediatrics for professional examination and care.