Woman Gives Birth On Flight To Hawaii, Had No Idea She Was Even Pregnant

Being pregnant is a milestone in a woman’s life that she will never forget. However, it is true that there are some women who were never aware that they were pregnant until they give birth. That happened to this mom who was on a flight to Hawaii.

Lavinia “Lavi” Mounga was on a plane from Salt Lake City to Honolulu, Hawaii when she was shocked to learn that she was 29 weeks pregnant. She ended up giving birth to her first child midway through the flight on April 28.

In an interview released by the Hawai‘i Pacific Health to FOX Television, she said, “I just didn’t know I was pregnant. And this guy just came out of nowhere.”

Passengers on that flight were also shocked. One of them is 52-year-old Dr. Dale Glenn. He was with his family and they were seated in the back of the airplane on the same Delta flight when he heard over the speakers that a doctor was urgently needed.

He was then informed by the flight attendants that a woman was giving birth in the bathroom towards the front of the airplane!

The doctor said that by the time he got to the bathroom, three NICU nurses – Lani Bamfield, Amanda Beeding, and Mimi Ho, were already helping Mounga who gave birth to a premature baby boy at 29 weeks. Thankfully these nurses were also on board as they were on their way to Hawaii for a vacation.

In an interview with FOX Television Stations, the doctor said, “The baby had been out before any of us got there. It was a very small baby delivered very quickly.”

He said that he and the nurses quickly helped Mounga who passed out. Her son wasn’t responding.

Dr. Glenn said, “Baby was out. Cord was still attached. We needed to clamp and cut the cord and start resuscitating baby.”

Throughout the flight, the doctor and the nurses worked to keep the baby warm and alive. They used the airplane’s oxygen supply to help him breathe. The mother also regained consciousness and was finally reunited with her child.

Dr. Glenn also said that the pilots changed their flight plans and arrived at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport 45 minutes ahead of schedule. And before the mother and son were escorted off the flight, they were overjoyed that the baby finally cried!

He said, “It was such a great feeling and I think everyone around just clapped because, for the first time in three hours, we’re hearing this baby cry.”

Both mother and son are now recovering at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu. Doctors said that the baby will have to remain in the hospital for several more weeks for further observation.

Mounga said that she’s grateful that the doctor and the other nurses were on her flight. She said, “I had no idea they were there. I don’t think he [Raymond] would be here so I’m very blessed.” A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help Mounga with the medical expenses.

She named her son “Raymond Kaimana Mounga.”

According to Dr. Glenn, what happened to Mounga was a “cryptic pregnancy.” This is common among first-time mothers. They are not aware of the physical changes and symptoms that their body is going through during pregnancy.