Aurora Starchild
A TUMS isn’t going to fix that. A woman gave birth mid-flight and she had no idea she was even pregnant.
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It’s difficult to imagine how stealth pregnancies can happen. Carrying a child for 9 months usually comes with nausea, cramps, cravings, and really obvious body changes. Like, you know, a belly that’s sticking out so far that you can’t see your thighs.
But there are exceptions. One woman had the surprise of a lifetime as she was traveling on an airplane from Ecuador to Spain. Prior to a layover just outside of Amsterdam, KLM passenger Tamara had a bit of a belly ache.
Tamara went to the bathroom, probably thinking she was going to do a number two. But not this kind of number two!
“A few hours before landing in the Netherlands, her stomach hurt, and she decided to go to the toilet. To her great surprise, after two contractions, she suddenly had a baby in her hands,” said a spokesperson for the Spaarne Gasthuis Haarlem Zuid hospital in the Netherlands. “Tamara had no idea she was pregnant and was quite taken aback by the event.”
A Nurse and Two Doctors Helped the Mom and Newborn After She Gave Birth Mid-Flight
According to the NL Times, an Austrian nurse and two doctors were also aboard the KLM flight. Luckily for Tamara, she had a proper medical crew available, and they helped her after she delivered her own baby in the bathroom.
Tamara named her newborn “Maximiliano” after one of the three medical professionals that helped her. A KLM spokesperson gave a nod to the impromptu medical team’s help, stating “we are very grateful to them.”
After landing at Schiphol Airport just before 1 pm, and fortunately ahead of schedule, the mother and baby were rushed to Spaarne Gasthuis hospital in an ambulance.
“Both Tamara and Maximiliano were fortunately in good health,” the hospital said in a statement. “The team in the birthing department did everything possible to ensure that both received proper care and were on their way for the necessary paperwork for Maximiliano. As soon as possible, Tamara and Maximiliano will travel on to Madrid. The Spaarne Gasthuis wishes them well!”
Stealth pregnancies, or cryptic pregnancies, are rare — but not as rare as you might think. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 1 out of 475 pregnancies are unnoticed until halfway through the 9-month gestation period. And 1 out of 2,500 pregnancies are complete surprises until the mom gives birth. Giving birth mid-flight adds a whole new element to the statistics, though!
