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28 August 2014 10:17
Pregnant women usually have to provide a letter of consent or a letter from a doctor or midwife if flying within a month of their due date
A passenger jet was forced to make an unscheduled landing when a pregnant woman went into labour shortly after take-off.
The Boeing 767-300, flying from Amsterdam to Atlanta, had to touch down in Ireland less than an hour into the journey on Sunday.
Crew on board the Delta Airlines transatlantic flight declared a medical emergency as the plane soared above Blackpool.
Pregnant women usually need to provide a letter of consent or a letter from a doctor or midwife if flying within a month of their due date.
Adequate pregnancy travel insurance can protect mothers-to-be both in the sky and at their destination. So, if they have the baby while they're away, they'll both be covered to travel home at any time.
Such policies also cover the costs of medical expenses and cancellation just in case complications like pre-eclampsia or emergency Caesarean arise. But pregnant women must always check with their carrier that they'll be allowed on board in the first place.
In this case, the woman gave birth at University Maternity Hospital Limerick after the plane, carrying 230 passengers and crew, was diverted to Shannon Airport in County Clare, where paramedics were waiting.
There were fears she would give birth on the plane because her contractions were getting closer and closer.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there is no significant risk associated directly with air travel during pregnancy, even at advanced gestation, while there is no evidence that flying causes early labour or a woman's water to break.
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