Woman gives birth aboard airplane

LOS ANGELES – The birth of a baby boy onboard a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday morning was not only a surprise to passengers, but the mother as well.

Ken Marshall, who said he was a passenger on the flight, said most people aboard Flight 623 didn’t realize the woman was in labor until they heard the baby crying and her husband calling a flight attendant for help.

He said the woman told the surprised flight attendant: “I just had a baby.”

Moments later, a doctor and a nurse who happened to be onboard scurried to help. The flight crew gathered blankets to cover the baby and asked passengers if they had something sharp to cut the umbilical cord. One passenger searched her cosmetic bag and offered a pair of beauty scissors, which were used to cut the cord, Marshall said.

Soon after, the pilot announced that the woman had given birth to a baby boy, at which point the passengers cheered, he said.

The 6:24 a.m. flight left San Francisco heading to Phoenix, but it was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after a flight attendant told the pilot the plane needed a cleaning, Marshall said.

There was no information on how far along the woman’s pregnancy was or if the baby was premature. Her name was not released.