'Shock and applause' as woman gives birth on plane

A pregnant woman who unexpectedly gave birth on a plane flying from Ghana to the US was met with "shock and applause" from those around her, a passenger has told the BBC.

The new mother, who has not been named, gave birth prematurely to a baby boy on board the flight and received further medical care upon landing in Washington DC.

Journalist Nancy Adobea Anane told BBC News Pidgin of the initial confusion among passengers when an on-board announcement was made.

"Most of them heard the call for assistance from medical personnel but didn't know what was going on," she said. "I became anxious for the safety of the baby and mother, and the possibility of a detour for an emergency landing."

Hearing the request for help, a Ghanaian doctor who practises in the US, set about converting Business Class into temporary maternity unit.

"Myself, a nurse and the flight attendants... took [the mother] slowly through the process and she delivered a beautiful baby boy," Dr Stephen Ansah-Addo said.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Nancy Adobea Anane