Pilot makes emergency detour mid-flight to let Florida woman deliver baby at UNC REX

Avianne Rodriguez is just two days old, but he has already had an adventure.

UNC REX spokesperson contacted WRAL News to report that Avianne's mother, Pamela Diaz, was flying home to Orlando on Wednesday after visiting family in New York.

While on board a JetBlue flight home, her water broke. The pilot made an emergency detour to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to let her give birth.

An ambulance brought Diaz to UNC REX, where obstetrician Dr. David Ryan helped bring her son into the world a few hours later.

“It was kind of scary at first, and I was freaking out because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Diaz said. “I owe a big ‘thank you’ to everyone at JetBlue and at UNC REX. Everyone at the hospital made me feel very safe.”

Diaz had only visited North Carolina once before, for a trip to Charlotte when she was a kid. She credits her son for his unexpected arrival at UNC REX.

“He was the one who decided he wanted to be born here,” she added. “It was just a crazy experience.”