WATCH: There are many ways to make an entrance, but the baby of a Canadian couple surprised everyone — including her parents. The baby made her first appearance at 36,000 feet, on board a flight from Calgary to Japan. Mike Drolet has the story.
TORONTO – A 23-year-old Canadian woman—who had no idea she was 37 weeks pregnant—gave birth to a baby girl aboard an Air Canada flight from Calgary to Tokyo after going into labour over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
Ada Guan and Wesley Branch have been dating for about a year, and had no idea they were about to be parents, according to Branch.
The couple, who live in Victoria, B.C., told Global News Guan gained a bit of weight a few months ago, took a pregnancy test, and it came back negative. Branch said they also saw a doctor a few weeks before their flight—who also didn’t detect the pregnancy.
The baby was delivered with the help of a doctor who volunteered after crew members asked passengers for medical help. Branch says the couple was very lucky; there were three doctors aboard their flight.
“She told me, ‘Something fell out of me.’ I lifted up her pants and I saw a head and then I heard, ‘Wah.’
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, I think we have a kid,’” said Branch.
Branch’s mother, Sandra, lives in Penticton, B.C. and is happy to be a grandmother.
“We’re still in shock and we’re happy,” she said.
“This is our first grandchild and we couldn’t be happier.”
READ MORE: Penticton couple proud grandparents of child born on Air Canada flight
The AC009 plane arrived at Narita Airport 30 minutes ahead of schedule after it was given priority to land.
“I couldn’t imagine. This happened completely unexpectedly. It turned out to be a beautiful baby girl,” Branch told a Japanese television station.
A tweet by Air Canada on Sunday said both mother and daughter were doing well as they arrived in Tokyo. Guan and baby Chloe were taken to a hospital where they remained overnight.
According to Air Canada policy, any woman with a normal pregnancy and no previous history of premature labour may travel up to and including her 36th week, though Calgary department head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Dr. Douglas Wilson cautions against flying long-distance trips after 34 weeks of pregnancy.
Watch Above: While she is making headlines for going into labour mid-flight, the real story could be that the mother didn’t even know she was pregnant. Heather Yourex reports.
Wilson said surprise pregnancies are very rare, and home pregnancy tests are typically very accurate.
“The vast majority of women will have early nausea, will have breast tenderness and things like that and also missing a period,” he said.
“Sometimes if you don’t think it can happen to you, you’re going to deny some of those very normal symptoms and put them down to indigestion, or the flu, or one of those types of things.”
He said if a woman doesn’t know she’s pregnant, the main risk would be that the mother hasn’t prepared herself with the appropriate nutrition and folic acid to protect against birth defects.
“You might not be eating properly; some women may smoke, some may take alcohol, or other forms of over the counter medication that could have some potential risks.”
With files from Angela Jung and Heather Yourex
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