U.S. Airmen Help Pregnant Afghan Deliver Baby Aboard Evacuation Flight

U.S. airmen helped a pregnant Afghan mother deliver her baby in the cargo bay of a U.S. Air Force C-17 during an evacuation flight from the Middle East on Saturday, U.S. officials said. 

The flight had already taken off from an Intermediate Staging Base in the Middle East when the mother went into labor and began having complications, the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command said. 

The aircraft commander made the quick decision to lower the C-17’s altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft. The move helped stabilize the mother and save her and her baby’s life, according to officials. 

After the aircraft landed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, airmen from the 86th Medical Group came aboard and delivered the child in the C-17’s cargo bay. 

The mother, who was on the flight with her family, and her baby girl were transported to a nearby medical facility and were in good condition, officials said.