The United States Air Force Major Lauren Olme, who was 19 weeks pregnant at the time, and her husband, the United States Air Force Major Mark Olme, went to work together a few days after Thanksgiving last year. Bombers of the B-1 Lancer variety carried both of them through the air together high above the Nevada desert.

Lauren, who was wondering how much longer she would be able to fit into the cramped cockpit of the bomber that she was piloting, remembers saying, “I looked over my shoulder and gave him a little wave before I peeled off to go back and land.” Lauren was the one who was wondering how much longer she would be able to fit into the cockpit.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, she gives an exclusive interview in which she says that the experience of flying in formation with her husband and going supersonic together while she was carrying their child is one that she will never forget.

Mark further elaborates, saying, “Looking over and knowing that I’m following my wife and baby around in that other airplane beside me was just… awesome. I was so proud of her.”

For the Olmes, who are both graduates of the United States Air Force Academy, also known as the Air Force’s version of Top Gun, it was obviously just another day at the office. Weapons School of the Air Force.

Because of a new policy implemented by the Air Force, Lauren, who is 33 years old and pregnant, was able to return to flying during the second trimester of her pregnancy. This policy enables female pilots to continue flying and, more importantly, maintain their level of proficiency during a time when they would normally be required to remain on the ground.

Because of a new policy implemented by the Air Force, Lauren, who is 33 years old and pregnant, was able to return to flying during the second trimester of her pregnancy. This policy enables female pilots to continue flying and, more importantly, maintain their level of proficiency during a time when they would normally be required to remain on the ground.

As a flight instructor at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas alongside her husband, who is 34 years old, Lauren was ecstatic when new regulations gave her the go-ahead to fly until she reached the 28th week of her pregnancy. Her husband also works there as a flight instructor.

Lauren, whose unborn child has logged 9.2 flight hours, sometimes flying faster than the speed of sound, says that she didn’t want to fall behind because “you’re always working toward being the best,” and she didn’t want to fall behind.

She goes on to say, “I can’t express how grateful I am that I get to continue pursuing my dream.”

After discovering that Lauren was expecting in August of 2017, the couple, who had met as sophomores at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and who had been married in 2012, discussed whether or not Lauren should hang up her flight suit until after the birth of their baby, which is due on April 21.

Mark explains that the fumes, the noise level inside the cockpit, and the possibility of ejection were the primary concerns for his team.

However, once Lauren’s physician and the medical team from the Air Force determined that the risks were low, Lauren, who had spent the first trimester of her pregnancy dealing with morning sickness (“It was actually all-day sickness,” she says), was soon back doing what she loved.

Any concerns that she had allowed herself to become rusty in her piloting skills were quickly put to rest. She claims that “as soon as I sat in the seat,” everything came flooding back to her.

And not too much longer after that, she found herself in possession of a bespoke flight suit.

“I stayed in the normal flight suit that was just a size bigger until my coworkers started telling me that I was stretching the bandwidth of it, so I got a maternity flight suit with a little bit more room in the belly area,” says Lauren, who intends to return to flight “ready to rock and roll” after her twelve-week maternity leave after giving birth to her first child. “I stayed in the normal flight suit that was just a size bigger until my coworkers started telling me that I

When asked if she and her husband, both pilots, hope that their child, who already has a flight jacket, will one day follow in their footsteps, Lauren just smiles and gives the question a dismissive shrug.

She states that “it is obviously up to them to decide” as her response. In contrast, “but we’ll probably do some small subliminal messaging early on, starting with onesies with the letter ‘B-1’ written on them,”