Baby born in coastguard helicopter

By Hollie Ewers on 22 August 2018 Labour

A Newquay coastguard helicopter doubled up as a maternity unit when a woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy some 14,000ft above Cornwall.

The woman had been visiting the Isles of Scilly on Saturday (18 August) when she went into labour. But with no midwife present on the islands that evening the woman and her partner had to be evacuated to a hospital on the mainland.

According to HM Coastguard’s aeronautical operations coordination centre, a helicopter was scrambled and a midwife was collected on route to the Silly Isles, where the team picked up the woman and her partner before heading to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

However, the baby could not wait and was born onboard mid-flight with the help of the midwife and aircrew at just before 9pm.

Aeronautical operations controller for HM Coastguard Jonathan Mustard said: ‘This is the second time in recent times, that a baby has been born on board a coastguard helicopter. The last one was born over Lunna Holm, Shetland in 2012. 

‘We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to have played a part in the birth and are pleased that mum and baby are doing well. It’s rare to hear that our helicopter launched with seven people on board, but were preparing to land with eight!’