Baby born on Delta airplane, midflight from Atlanta to Portland

This article was written by Vince Ybarra with KPTV

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) -- A Delta flight took to the skies from Atlanta with 153 customers in tow, but there was one more passenger on board once the plane landed at Portland International Airport on Friday.

It was a normal night in the sky for Delta Flight 478 when the unthinkable happened.

“It was pretty wild just to see it all happen,” said an eyewitness.

Atlanta resident Jess Cushenberry was traveling to Portland with her daughter, Taylor, when there was a medical emergency in the back of the plane Friday night.

Cushenberry said flight attendants were able to assist the passenger.

But then, shortly after — less than a half hour from landing at PDX — there was another emergency.

“I actually didn’t know what was going on at first. And then somehow my seatmate found out that there was a baby being born,” said Cushenberry.

Cushenberry said there were no signs of any distress, and she was just a few rows away from where the birth took place.“I’ve given birth, and I’ve given birth naturally, so I know it is not a comfortable situation. And she wasn’t yelling or screaming or anything,” Cushenberry said.

Port of Portland and Delta Air Lines officials confirmed the details with FOX 12.

Delta added that flight attendants jumped into action to help with the birth, along with a doctor and two nurses on board.

When the crew asked someone for a blanket, Cushenberry said she offered her own.

She also said the whole experience was extraordinary and praised the in-flight crew.

“I mean, they probably went home and probably had a drink,” she said with a laugh. “But they really did a great job of doing their jobs and keeping everybody calm and sorted and organized.”

Port of Portland officials said mom and baby were in stable condition once the plane landed and EMTs made contact with them.