Flight Passenger Who "Had No Idea She Was Pregnant" Gives Birth in Mid-Flight 

An international flight added an additional passenger in midair last week when a woman who didn't realize she was pregnant gave birth during a flight from Ecuador to Spain. The woman, identified as Tamara, had a stomachache during the flight and went to the bathroom, where she gave birth. Doctors and a nurse who were on board were enlisted to help, and the mother and baby were transported to a hospital immediately upon landing. Read on to find out what happened, why the baby's name has special significance, and why the event isn't as singular as it may seem.

The KLM Royal Dutch flight was en route from Guyaquil, Ecuador, to a layover in Amsterdam before heading to Spain when things took an unexpected turn for Tamara. "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," a spokesperson for the Amsterdam hospital Spaarne Gasthuis Haarlem Zuid told NL Times. "Tamara had no idea she was pregnant and was quite taken aback by the event."

Two doctors and a nurse were on the plane and assisted Tamara after she delivered the healthy baby boy. "We are very grateful to them," an airline spokesperson said. Tamara has named her son Maximiliano after one of the passengers who came to her aid. Both mother and baby are currently "doing well," according to KLM.

When the flight touched down at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport shortly, the mother and baby were taken to a nearby hospital. "Both Tamara and Maximiliano were fortunately in good health," a hospital spokesperson said. "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 representative added.

In September, another story of a woman who didn't realize she was pregnant until she went into labor—technically known as a cryptic pregnancy—went viral. A 23-year-old TikTok user named Britt shocked viewers with her story of giving birth to a daughter at 7.5 months pregnant—after having no idea she was expecting.

"POV: You admit yourself into the ER for stomach pain after work and get told that you're in labor after 7.5 months of not knowing," said Britt, who posts on TikTok with the handle @bkillvh. Her video has racked up more than 2.6 million views.

Britt shared photos of herself in the weeks before her baby arrived, and she wasn't obviously pregnant. She explained that she didn't think anything was out of the ordinary: Her periods had always been irregular, and she hadn't gained any weight. "I've had a lot of other things to factor in and a lot of things that was already occurring to me," she said in another video. She noted that she suffers from anxiety and depression and may not have been entirely in tune with her body.