Lucky mum helped to deliver baby at King Shaka airport

A pregnant woman was fortunate to be surrounded by a team of medical professionals aboard a flight from Durban to Cape Town, who helped deliver her baby. Picture: Tumi Pakkies/African News Agency(ANA)

A pregnant woman was fortunate to be surrounded by a team of medical professionals aboard a flight from Durban to Cape Town, who helped deliver her baby. Picture: Tumi Pakkies/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Jun 21, 2024

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A pregnant woman was fortunate to be surrounded by a team of medical professionals aboard a flight from Durban to Cape Town, who helped deliver her baby.

Doctor Demira Padayachee, a medical researcher based in Cape Town, was one of the people that helped the “cool, calm and collected” mother deliver the baby in the skywalk between the aeroplane and the airport on Tuesday.

Padayachee said the real hero was the mum, who remained composed throughout the birthing process.

This, in turn, said Padayachee, kept everyone else calm.

“She was amazing, truly. It was almost as if her instincts kicked in and she just knew what to do. Another colleague, Jessica Berry, who I did my residency with, was aboard the same flight. So we both got up to help the woman. We did not have any equipment, so we did the best with what we had. We tried to make the mum as comfortable as possible,” Padayachee said.

The POST