Woman Gives Birth on American Airlines Flight and Names Baby in Honor of Surreal Birth Story

A young mother gave birth to her baby while on a flight and it all gives new meaning to the word “airborne.”

According to the New York Post, 21-year-old Kendria Rhoden, of Hartford, Connecticut, was cleared to fly by her doctor at 32 weeks with her due date set for Oct. 23.

With the all clear to fly, Rhoden decided to take a trip in September with her family to the Dominican Republic before welcoming her baby.

The surreal moment began while on the American Airlines flight that took off from New York City, which saw Rhoden in the beginning stages of experiencing intense cramps while seated.

“These carried on and 34 minutes into the flight, my waters broke,” Rhoden said. “The cabin crew were such a big help.”

Luckily, her sister, 26-year-old Kendalee, noticed how much her sister would twist and turn in her seat throughout takeoff only to be told by Rhoden that her water had just broke.

“I was shocked,” Kendalee admitted. “I kept asking if she was sure until she stood up, and the entire seat was drenched!”

According to the New York Post, the sister was speechless and immediately informed the rest of the family who was on the flight, and pressed the panic button, when the “flight attendants rushed over to the scene.”

The scene soon became a dire one where the crew “pleaded” for medical assistance when four people rushed to the woman in labor.

“She was taken to the back of the plane, and after an extremely stressful 20 minutes, an announcement was made that we’d got a new passenger aboard, a beautiful baby boy named Skylen,” Kendalee said.

The baby, Skylen Kavon-Air Francis, was named after his airborne arrival, and was carried off the plane as everyone clapped and welcomed the new passenger, the outlet reported.

“I just remember everyone filming us when we were coming off the plane, and they were all saying congratulations to me,” the new mother said.

Despite spending the first four days in the neonatal intensive care unit and a scramble to determine the baby’s nationality and get him back home, both mother and baby are back on U.S. soil.

“I feel good now because I’m home and he’s safe. He’s where he needs to be right now,” Rhoden told KKTV. “So, I would say I’m happier than I was in the Dominican Republic.”