Quick-thinking nurse saves life of premature baby delivered mid-flight to Beijing

Nurse performs CPR on newborn girl for more than 60 minutes to save her life in China

A nurse in China is being praised for her quick thinking that saved the life of a premature baby born mid-air in the toilet of a plane.

A 26-week pregnant woman gave birth to a girl, who weighed just 820g, in the toilet of a Southern Airlines flight en route to Beijing on 3 August.

Chen Shanshan, a neonatal nurse at the Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, responded immediately to the emergency call of flight attendants.

The nurse found the mother, surnamed Zhang, holding a palm-sized baby in her hand, who wasn't breathing, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The baby was still wrapped in the fetal membrane, which Ms Chen tore off to help the baby breathe. She was aided by two other doctors on board the flight that departed from Haikou in Hainan province.

Upon failing to feel a pulse, Ms Chen performed CPR on the newborn and gave her supplemental oxygen. She asked the crew members to fetch a hot water bottle and cabin bag to keep the baby warm to prevent the risk of death.

"Premature babies must be kept warm. Even one degree of decrease in body temperature could lead to sepsis, and the mortality rate could rise," Ms Chen told the broadcaster.

The plane made an emergency landing in Changsha, central Hunan province, for the safety of the mother and her newborn.

Ms Chen continued to perform CPR for more than an hour, till the baby was admitted to the emergency room, according to China Daily. “It was only as I saw the baby taken into the rescue room that I realised my arms were numb,” she said.

The newborn's father rushed to the Changsha hospital when informed about the birth of his second daughter. He said the infant gained 50gm during her two-week stay at the hospital.

He expressed his gratitude to the nurse through a video message, saying: "Thank you for being there at the critical moment. We will tell our kid and she will remember you forever."

Ms Chen thanked the two doctors in a comment she left on a social media post. “Without their assistance, I couldn’t have finished this emergency task smoothly,” she wrote.

The airline provided Ms Chen with a letter of thanks for her timely help.