US Mom-to-be Gives Birth on Flight; Responders Use Shoelaces to Save Baby

A pregnant woman experienced intense labor on a Delta Air Lines domestic flight on the 24th. Fortunately, two first responders on board assisted her using borrowed blankets and shoelaces to tie the umbilical cord. A healthy baby girl weighing about 2,500 grams was born, and both mother and daughter are safe. Ashley Blair, the mother, was flying from Atlanta to Portland to be with her own mother for the birth. However, labor started about 30 minutes before landing in Portland. First responder Tina Fritz and her colleague Kaarin Powell, who were returning from a vacation in the Dominican Republic, stepped in to help. They found that Blair was about to give birth but there were no blankets or obstetric kits available. They borrowed blankets from other passengers and used a flight attendant's shoelace to tie the umbilical cord. Powell even used one of her own shoelaces as a tourniquet for an IV. After three strong pushes from Blair, the baby was born smoothly just as the plane touched down in Portland. The baby, named Brielle Renee Blair, was born about two weeks early. Portland Port Authority confirmed that the family was taken to a hospital upon arrival and is in good health. Delta Air Lines expressed gratitude to the crew and volunteers for their heroic actions.