A B744 crew with a passenger in labor took the company doctor's advice and continued to destination.

Attributes
ACN	520984
Time
Date	200108
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ord.airport
State Reference	IL
Altitude	msl single value : 37000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B747-400
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : relief pilot
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 194 flight time total : 5714 flight time type : 1277
ASRS Report	520984
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	cabin event : passenger illness
Independent Detector	other other : purser 4
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Passenger Human Performance Company Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Passenger Human Performance

Narrative:

I was the relief pilot in the left seat in cruise when the purser informed us of a passenger who was in labor with contractions 1-2 mins apart. We gave dispatch a heads up and woke the captain 1 hour early. The purser indicated it was serious and no medical personnel were answering her PA for assistance. As the captain was getting dressed we told dispatch to have a doctor standing by and we would call him back from an air phone near the laboring woman. The captain got in the seat and I went to the call dispatch near the woman. After determining from the doctor that we could probably continue to ord I went back to the cockpit to apprise the captain of the status of the situation. They told me they were unable to join the conference call and that the dispatchers were dealing with another medical emergency. Both the dispatcher and we had become focused on the determining whether to stop short of ord for medical attention and did not complete the redispatch until after we determined we were continuing to ord and slightly after the redispatch fix. We knew the WX in ord was VFR and we would have approximately 30000 pounds of gas on landing at ord. Supplemental information from acn 520982: fuel was not a factor as we were only slightly below planned. We continued to ord and paramedics met the flight with no further incident.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B744 CREW WITH A PAX IN LABOR TOOK THE COMPANY DOCTOR'S ADVICE AND CONTINUED TO DEST.

Narrative: I WAS THE RELIEF PLT IN THE L SEAT IN CRUISE WHEN THE PURSER INFORMED US OF A PAX WHO WAS IN LABOR WITH CONTRACTIONS 1-2 MINS APART. WE GAVE DISPATCH A HEADS UP AND WOKE THE CAPT 1 HR EARLY. THE PURSER INDICATED IT WAS SERIOUS AND NO MEDICAL PERSONNEL WERE ANSWERING HER PA FOR ASSISTANCE. AS THE CAPT WAS GETTING DRESSED WE TOLD DISPATCH TO HAVE A DOCTOR STANDING BY AND WE WOULD CALL HIM BACK FROM AN AIR PHONE NEAR THE LABORING WOMAN. THE CAPT GOT IN THE SEAT AND I WENT TO THE CALL DISPATCH NEAR THE WOMAN. AFTER DETERMINING FROM THE DOCTOR THAT WE COULD PROBABLY CONTINUE TO ORD I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT TO APPRISE THE CAPT OF THE STATUS OF THE SIT. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE UNABLE TO JOIN THE CONFERENCE CALL AND THAT THE DISPATCHERS WERE DEALING WITH ANOTHER MEDICAL EMER. BOTH THE DISPATCHER AND WE HAD BECOME FOCUSED ON THE DETERMINING WHETHER TO STOP SHORT OF ORD FOR MEDICAL ATTN AND DID NOT COMPLETE THE REDISPATCH UNTIL AFTER WE DETERMINED WE WERE CONTINUING TO ORD AND SLIGHTLY AFTER THE REDISPATCH FIX. WE KNEW THE WX IN ORD WAS VFR AND WE WOULD HAVE APPROX 30000 LBS OF GAS ON LNDG AT ORD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 520982: FUEL WAS NOT A FACTOR AS WE WERE ONLY SLIGHTLY BELOW PLANNED. WE CONTINUED TO ORD AND PARAMEDICS MET THE FLT WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.