While onboard Flight 868 to Charlotte, North Carolina last month, Nereida Araujo went into labor. And by the time the plane landed safely at its destination, Araujo was the proud mom of a baby girl.
According to the GoFundMe Nereida set up, she and her family were on their way to Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with her “grandmother, Shirley Fisher, who was diagnosed with cancer.” However, as she admitted, they were not prepared for what was about to happen mid-way through their trip.
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Mom Goes Into Labor Minutes After Plane Lands
Shortly after landing, while still on the airplane, Nereida gave birth to her daughter, whom they aptly named Lizyana “Sky” Taylor. Grace Nelson, a spokesperson for Mecklenburg EMS Agency, confirmed the news of the delivery to USA Today:
“The Charlotte Fire Department and paramedics assisted in the delivery of a healthy baby girl at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on the jetway.”
In an interview with WSOC, Nereida explained that at 38 weeks pregnant, she was cleared by her doctor to fly home for the holidays. “I was sleeping and I felt like a pop in my lower back. I just felt like liquid and I woke my husband up.”
Thankfully, as WSOC reports, a passenger with medical experience aided in her labor until pilots expedited the landing and paramedics were able to get on the plane. “I just want to thank them so much. Everybody was so great. They’re like my heroes. It was an experience that I will always remember.”
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And although the baby girl’s first name is Lizyana, the family plans on calling her Sky. However, the family is now raising money so that they can buy clothes, a car seat, and all the essentials they didn’t have with them in order to continue traveling safely with their newborn. Nereida wrote on GoFundMe:
“The doctor said that for the safety of baby Sky, we shouldn’t fly since she is only a few days old, and it’s flu season. We didn’t come prepared for this. It’s cold outside, and we have no baby clothes, car set, etc. We only have what the hospital has available, and we are going to need a rental car. Please help us get baby Sky reunited with our family back home!”
The family, who lives in Florida, is expected to be released from the hospital on December 6.