Skyborne sisterhood: UCAN flight nurses bond as new moms

For the University of Chicago Medicine Aeromedical Network flight nurses who travel by helicopter to the most critical emergencies, their jobs demand focus, clinical excellence and cooperation.

Recently, five of these nurses — Sarah Imbruone, Kendra Johns, Caitlin Kilcoyne, Michelle Lambright and Alex Tang — shared a deeper connection.

Over a period of several months, each of them learned they were pregnant.

“Every milestone, every trimester, every emotional and physical change, there was always someone else either a step ahead or right behind you,” said Tang, who has worked for UCAN since 2019.

The expectant mothers — who this month were featured on "Good Morning America" — weren’t able to keep their news a secret for long.

“In the early stages, when most people keep it quiet, we really couldn’t,” Tang said, with a laugh. “If you’re nauseous on a 12-minute trauma flight or exhausted before sunrise, your crew knows something’s up. Instead of feeling exposed, we felt supported.”

'We each got to pay it forward'

The work of UCAN, which last year marked 40 years in operation, is intense. Crews respond to calls that can range from neonatal intensive care unit transfers to high-speed highway traumas. The hours are long.

The nurses leaned on each other to make it through. That meant stepping in to cover a shift when one of them needed rest. They shared tips on flying while pregnant, what gear to pack and how to advocate for themselves.

“There’s no ‘warming up’ into your shift,” Tang said. “You walk in, drop your gear and you’re on a flight. It’s physically demanding, and when you’re pregnant, it’s a whole new level.”

Even small gestures made a difference.

“When I started to panic about flying while pregnant, my partner knew exactly what to say,” Tang said. “Later, I passed that same reassurance to someone else. We each got to pay it forward.”

And the goodwill continues: A sixth UCAN flight nurse, Juli Heiple, is expecting.

Navigating motherhood together

When the first nurse of the bunch went out on maternity leave, a group text was born. It quickly became a safe haven filled with daily check-ins, middle-of-the-night newborn questions, pumping hacks and honest confessions.

As the new moms transitioned back to work, Saturdays unofficially became “mom days,” a time when three of them often overlap on shift, trade baby photos between trauma calls and swap toddler sleep advice over coffee.

“We always say to our kids, ‘You flew in this helicopter before you were even born,’” Tang said. “Someday, we’ll show them a picture and say, ‘These were your first teammates.’”