KLM passenger didn’t know she was pregnant, gives birth on flight from Ecuador

The birth of a baby during a KLM flight from Guyaquil, Ecuador to Amsterdam took everyone in the aircraft by surprise earlier this week. An airline spokesperson said Saturday night that medical professionals assisted in the delivery, "for which we are very grateful to them. Mother and child are doing well."

The new mother, Tamara, and her child were admitted to the Spaarne Gasthuis Haarlem Zuid hospital after they landed at Schiphol Airport. Tamara was flying from Ecuador to her destination in Spain, with a stop at Schiphol Airport outside Amsterdam.

"A few hours before landing in the Netherlands, her stomach hurt and she decided to go to the toilet. To her great surprise, after two contractions, she suddenly had a baby in her hands,” the hospital said. She named the boy Maximiliano. “Tamara had no idea she was pregnant and was quite taken aback by the event."

There were two doctors and a nurse from Austria on the plane who were able to help the mother after this surprising delivery, according to the Spaarne Gasthuis. The baby was named after one of these people.

The flight, KLM 755, began on Wednesday as a one-hour shuttle that departed Quito for Guayaquil. The Boeing 777-200 then continued on an 11-hour journey to Schiphol Airport. It arrived at 12:55 p.m. on Thursday, about 25 minutes ahead of schedule.

Upon arrival at Schiphol, the mother and newborn boy were taken by ambulance to the Spaarne Gasthuis. "Both Tamara and Maximiliano were fortunately in good health," wrote the hospital.

“The team in the birthing department did everything possible to ensure that both received proper care and were on their way for the necessary paperwork for Maximiliano. As soon as possible, Tamara and Maximiliano will travel on to Madrid. The Spaarne Gasthuis wishes them well!" the hospital stated on their website.