Paramedics on Atlanta-Portland flight help Ashley Blair give birth to ‘gorgeous’ Brielle Renee just before landing
When baby Brielle Renee was born, new mom Ashley Blair was flying high – quite literally. Blair unexpectedly went into labor shortly before her full Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland touched down on Friday night.
The surprise birth was just one of two medical emergencies on board that emergency medical technicians Tina Fritz and Caarin Powell responded to during the flight, capping the end to their vacation in the Dominican Republic, the pair told the Associated Press. They were helping another passenger when flight crews called for assistance for Blair.
The EMTs quickly established Blair was in labor and sprang into action, switching seats with passengers seated in her row and borrowing blankets from others. Powell started an IV using her own shoelace as a tourniquet.
Three “super, really good pushes”, Fritz told AP, the baby came out quickly. “It was nice,” she added. “Baby pinked up right away … she was gorgeous. Mom was a rock star.”
