Nurse performs CPR mid-air to save premature baby born in plane toilet

A nurse saved the life of a newborn baby by performing CPR for more than an hour after she was born in an airplane bathroom.

The premature baby girl was reportedly born weighing just 1.8lbs (820g) when her mother went into labour on board the Southern Airlines flight.

The story was published on messaging app WeChat by China’s state broadcaster China Media Group, on Tuesday.

Nurse Chen Shanshan, who works as a neonatal nurse at a hospital in Hainan province, southern China, was on board the flight from Haikou to Beijing on August 3, China Daily reported.

After flight attendants put out an emergency call for medics, Ms Chen rushed to help.

She found a woman, reportedly in a plane bathroom, who had given birth to a baby who was only around 25 weeks old, and was still wrapped in the foetal membrane. A baby is considered full term at 37 weeks.

The newborn was unable to breathe and had no pulse.

Two doctors on board the plane also rushed to the baby’s aid.

They freed the baby from the sac and Ms Chen administered CPR, asking the plane crew to bring a hot water bottle to help keep the baby warm.

"Premature babies must be kept warm,” she later told China Daily. “Even one degree of decrease in body temperature could lead to sepsis and the mortality rate would rise.”

The medics managed to get the baby’s heart beating as normal.

The plane made an emergency landing in Hunan province, and the baby was taken to hospital.

Ms Chen went with her, continuing to administer CPR for around an hour-and-a-half.

In the following fortnight, the baby put on around 50g in weight.

Her family has been in touch with Ms Chen to thank her, as has the airline.

Ms Chen commented on the Wechat post, thanking the doctors and plane crew for their help.

"Without their assistance, I couldn't have finished this emergency task smoothly,” she wrote, according to China Daily.