
Lindsey (left), her friend Eunice (middle) and Lena (right) worked together to deliver and resuscitate a baby aboard a plane. (Kingston Health Sciences Centre photo)
Lindsey Kilgore, a dedicated NICU Nurse at Kingston Health Sciences Center, found herself in an unexpected situation during her journey home to Gananoque from Thailand.
Two hours before landing in the United Arab Emirates, Kilgore was called upon to assist a passenger who had gone into labor mid-flight.
Despite her plans for some rest during the long journey, Kilgore, along with a NICU Nurse from Ottawa and a medical resident from Austria also onboard, stepped up to deliver the baby girl safely.
“She was having contractions every two minutes, and we were two hours away from landing,” explained Kilgore. “Right away, it was obvious that this was going to happen on the plane. We made a plan.”
“We dried her off with blankets, trying to get her to cry,” Kilgore recounts.
“Fortunately, the plane had some medical equipment, so we were able to use suction and provide oxygen. Once she started to cry and we knew she was breathing, we checked her blood sugar which was quite low, helped mom breastfeed, and made some makeshift heat pads to help keep her warm. These are typical issues we see with deliveries; we just had to make it work on a plane,” she added.
Lindsay and the others who helped were gifted with a first class upgrade for the remaining portion of their trip home.
We will be speaking with Kilgore about her heroic actions next week and sharing that conversation here. (With files from Tim Baltz)