Phoenix woman gives birth onboard Spirit Airlines flight

A 36-week pregnant Phoenix woman gave birth onboard a Spirit Airlines flight after telling flight attendants she wasn't feeling well about thirty minutes after takeoff.

According to a Spirit Airlines press release, Phoenix resident Cristina Penton was onboard the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas when she alerted flight attendants that she wasn't feeling well about 30 minutes into the flight.

"Everything started happening very quickly," Penton said. "I didn't think I was having the baby because it was too soon, but after a few minutes I knew I needed medical attention."

The flight was then diverted to New Orleans where emergency medical crews were dispatched to meet the plane. However, Penton gave birth to baby Christoph Lezcano while still onboard the airplane.

Both Cristina and her new baby were taken to a nearby hospital where both are doing fine.

"A baby being born during a flight is very rare, but our flight attendants are trained to handle medical emergencies in-flight and they have access to doctors on the ground via in-flight communication," Spirit spokesman Paul Berry said.

Baby Christoph weighed in at 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches tall.