Condition of baby born mid-air stable

A baby girl born mid-air in a Manila-bound flight and forcing the plane to land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on medical emergency is now healthy, stable and is recuperating in a private hospital. A 32-year-old woman passenger, who was pregnant and travelling to Manila with her mother from Dubai on August 14, in the Cebu Pacific Air flight went into a labour on board the flight and gave birth to a premature but healthy baby girl mid-flight. The plane's crew had to make an impromptu landing at Hyderabad after the flight was diverted due to a medical emergency. The baby was completely blue and cold and had severe breathing difficulty when the specialised transport team first received her at the airport, a statement from Apollo Cradle here said, where the baby and her mother were admitted. "Baby was estimated to be 32 weeks of gestation and weighed a mere 1.6 kgs when born. In the NICU, baby was rapidly rewarmed, connected to mechanical ventilation and given medications, which started to improve her blood pressure. The baby is now healthy, all the follow-up evaluations have been normal and mother is being trained for breastfeeding," said CVS Lakshmi, Chief Neonatologist, Apollo Cradle. Speaking about the condition of the mother, Prameela Sekhar, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecology, Apollo Cradle, said a team of gynaecologist, anaesthesiologist and radiologist ensure that she has a quick recovery from the complications post the unexpected delivery. "She has been clinically discharged," Sekhar said. "At present, the baby is stable and the mother is being trained in feeding and taking care of the baby as babies born pre-term require specialised care," said Sunil Kumar, Center Head Apollo Cradle (Jubilee Hills). "The child is still recuperating in the hospital and will be discharged once it gains weight and mother is comfortable in handling the baby," Kumar said.