JetBlue Flight Diverted After Woman Goes Into Labor

A pregnant woman went into labor aboard a JetBlue flight earlier this week, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

The flight was en route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Orlando International.

Pamela Diaz thought she had plenty of time to return to her home in Florida, where she planned on giving birth. But her son had other thoughts.

The pilots declared a medical emergency and diverted the plane to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. From there, Diaz was transported to the University of North Carolina’s REX Hospital in Raleigh, where she gave birth to Avianne Rodriguez a few hours later.

“It was kind of scary at first, and I was freaking out because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Diaz said in a statement released by UNC Healthcare. “I owe a big ‘thank you’ to everyone at JetBlue and at UNC REX. Everyone at the hospital made me feel very safe.”

“He was the one who decided he wanted to be born here,” she added. “It was just a crazy experience.”