A Navy Sailor delivered something much more valuable than a strike against terrorists on the water this past Sunday. The baby delivery was entirely unexpected as well, considering that the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier patron never reported the pregnancy to authorities. Nobody along the chain of command knew anything about it until it happened.
This all happened while the carrier was in the middle of ISIS operations in the Middle East, giving personnel aboard the vessel double responsibility. Now they are in charge of preserving the lives of their allies as well as taking care of a new life recently delivered among them.
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The Navy Sailor, a third class petty officer from Carrier Air Wing 3, had been supposed to report her pregnancy by the 20th week, or within two weeks of a doctor’s confirmation. 13 News Now states that what makes the baby delivery so much more momentous is the fact that she was born on September 11 on the 15th anniversary of the fall of the World Trade Center. She was born at seven pounds, and both she and her mother are healthy and safe, according to an official email from Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Bill Urban.
As soon as the Eisenhower knew about the baby, they flew diapers, formula, and an incubator to the carrier to help care for the girl, whose name hasn’t been released for privacy reasons.
A U.S. sailor delivered a baby at sea — in the middle of the ISIS war https://t.co/rXASEWgbNA pic.twitter.com/5bzK98C7rz
— Navy Times (@NavyTimes) September 12, 2016
Urban told the press that it would have been preferred had the Navy Sailor followed protocol for the baby delivery and the pregnancy.
“While it would have been preferred to send her to her homeport earlier, per policy, we are now focused on caring for the health and welfare of our sailor and the newest member of our Navy family. The family practitioner aboard Ike, who delivered the baby, is certified in child birth and has experience delivering babies. A number of personnel assigned to Ike medical department have received training to deliver and care for a newborn.”
It isn’t often that a military unit would need to shift their focus between war and childbirth, but due to the Navy Sailor’s lack of communication, it was made necessary. It might have even been a good omen for the men and women aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower to have been in the presence of the miracle of life 15 years after one of the United States’ greatest man-made tragedies on home soil.
Navy: Sailor gives birth to baby on aircraft carrier at sea https://t.co/RNUSpVHgrY pic.twitter.com/oZJysIxNIt
— Ann Nyberg (@AnnNyberg) September 15, 2016
Both the Navy Sailor mother and her baby girl were airlifted to a shore-based hospital for further care, and possibly to ensure that they wouldn’t go down with the ship in case of an ill-timed attack.
The Navy has stated that it wasn’t clear whether the mother had even known she was pregnant before the emergency aboard the aircraft carrier, says CBS News . This might explain why she hadn’t told anyone in the chain of command, as she might not have known about it herself. It may very well have been that the Navy Sailor hadn’t been aware until she checked into the medical facility aboard the carrier with stomach pains.
US Navy sailor complains of stomach pain… And gives baby in the middle of combat mission in Persian Gulf https://t.co/dMgQt9Yhwz
— RT (@RT_com) September 14, 2016
For now, we can only hope that the Navy Sailor mother and her newborn little sailor continue to live in good health and bless the Eisenhower with the experience.
[Featured Image via Derek Gordon/Shutterstock.com]
