“I breastfed a stranger’s baby inflight”

Flight attendant goes beyond the call of duty

Content Editor / November 12 2018

A flight attendant is being hailed a hero after coming to the aid of a passenger and her baby mid-flight.

The baby’s mother had run out of formula and was getting desperate when flight attendant Patrisha Organo stepped in and offered to breastfeed the infant.

Shortly after take-off on the Philippine Airlines flight, Organo said she heard the baby crying.

“I heard an infant’s cry, a cry that will make you want to do anything to help. I approached the mother and asked if everything’s okay,” she wrote on Facebook.

“Teary-eyed, she told me that she ran out of formula milk… I felt a pinch in my heart. There’s no formula milk onboard. I thought to myself, there’s only one thing I could offer and that’s my own milk. And so I offered.”

At first, Organo planned to pump milk for the baby, but as the baby grew hungrier and more upset, with the mother’s permission, she fed her directly herself.

“I saw the relief on her mother's eyes. I continued to feed the baby until she fell asleep,” Organo wrote.

Organo has a nine-month-old baby and describes herself as a 'breastfeeding advocate'.

The mother’s flight had been delayed by several hours, which is why she had run out of formula. She was also flying alone with her baby, who is only one month old.

Organo’s post quickly went viral and has made headlines around the world.

Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.