A woman who was 35 weeks pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy on a flight over Alaska, has named her son something special to remember his story. When you think of where you plan to give birth, it is typically at home or in the hospital, but for one woman, those two options were way out of reach, thousands of feet above ground to be exact. While on a plane over Alaska, the pregnant mom gave birth during her flight.
On August 5, Chrystal Hicks hopped on a plane to be transported to a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska due to her experiencing painful contractions. Hicks, a mom of three already, was 35 weeks pregnant when her contractions began. Usually, she would drive to Anchorage for the births, but things took a turn this time around for her fourth pregnancy. Hicks told KTUU her contractions would not stop while in flight and continued to get stronger, but everyone thought she would make it to the hospital to give birth. To everyone’s surprise, however, Hicks’ baby boy was ready at that moment.
Only a few minutes after the plane took off, her water broke. A short 20 minutes later, Hicks’ baby boy joined the world, thousands of feet in the air. Hicks says she was shocked and did not know what to think. Everyone on the plane kept talking about the baby, she says. Because of her baby boy’s unique birth, Hicks wanted to give him a name that remembered the experience, so she decided to go with Sky Airon Hicks. He was born with a lot of hair, she says, which is quite different from her three other children.
As if picking out a name wasn’t hard enough, Hicks says filling out the birth certificate was also difficult. She wondered what location should be put on the birth certificate since baby Sky was born quite literally in the sky at 18,000 feet. The pilot suggested doing the latitude and longitude that was noted where Sky made his entrance. But, Hicks decided to go with Anchorage, instead of in the sky or on a plane. The two made their arrival at the hospital safely where Sky weighed in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces.
He was also born a month earlier than his due date and had to be put on a breathing machine. The Hicks family is hoping to return home soon so they can all be together. Hicks can’t wait to introduce baby Sky to his siblings, ages 11, 9, and 3. The siblings have only been able to meet their baby brother through FaceTime. Hicks’ sister, Genevie Goodlawtaw, recalls receiving a call around 2 a.m. about her nephew being born in the air. She says she is proud to have a nephew who is already famous. She says Sky is gorgeous and precious with his full head of hair, adding she can’t wait for them to come home.
Hicks thinks that when Sky is older, he may be embarrassed by his birth story at first, but will grow to love it and even find it funny. She believes he will always be known as the baby born on a plane.
Source: KTUU