OMEN
01-10-2009, 01:28 PM
A transcontinental flight to Boston and a London Tube station doubled as maternity wards over the holiday season.
In London, a Polish woman became only the second person to give birth in the underground network's 146-year history.
Julia Kowalska was traveling with her sister on the network's Jubilee line on 19 December when her contractions started.
She got off at a station in northwest London, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the supervisor's office, assisted by an ambulance crew.
The only other birth recorded on the 275-station underground network happened in 1924 when Marie Cordery was born at Elephant & Castle, operator Transport for London said.
Meanwhile, a Ugandan woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane from Amsterdam to Boston.
Since the plane was technically flying over Canadian airspace, the child is believed to be eligible for Canadian citizenship.
Sasha was born last Wednesday to the applause of other amazed Northwest Airlines passengers, as flight 59 flew over Halifax, Canada.
The mother, whose name was withheld by the airline, was assisted in giving birth by two doctors who were returning from vacation, The Boston Globe newspaper reported.
'She (Sasha) looked perfect. She opened her eyes and she was very happy,' Dr Natarajan Raman told the newspaper. 'Even though we didn't have a labour room delivery set up, everything went perfect.'
At 2.7kg (6.7lbs), Sasha was born five minutes after her mother went into labor and about 90 minutes before the Boeing 757 landed in Boston, where child and mother were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital as a precaution.
US officials said that since Sasha was born over Canadian airspace, she should be a Canadian citizen.
Calls to Canada's immigration ministry were not returned.
RTE
In London, a Polish woman became only the second person to give birth in the underground network's 146-year history.
Julia Kowalska was traveling with her sister on the network's Jubilee line on 19 December when her contractions started.
She got off at a station in northwest London, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the supervisor's office, assisted by an ambulance crew.
The only other birth recorded on the 275-station underground network happened in 1924 when Marie Cordery was born at Elephant & Castle, operator Transport for London said.
Meanwhile, a Ugandan woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane from Amsterdam to Boston.
Since the plane was technically flying over Canadian airspace, the child is believed to be eligible for Canadian citizenship.
Sasha was born last Wednesday to the applause of other amazed Northwest Airlines passengers, as flight 59 flew over Halifax, Canada.
The mother, whose name was withheld by the airline, was assisted in giving birth by two doctors who were returning from vacation, The Boston Globe newspaper reported.
'She (Sasha) looked perfect. She opened her eyes and she was very happy,' Dr Natarajan Raman told the newspaper. 'Even though we didn't have a labour room delivery set up, everything went perfect.'
At 2.7kg (6.7lbs), Sasha was born five minutes after her mother went into labor and about 90 minutes before the Boeing 757 landed in Boston, where child and mother were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital as a precaution.
US officials said that since Sasha was born over Canadian airspace, she should be a Canadian citizen.
Calls to Canada's immigration ministry were not returned.
RTE