Surprise Baby: US Woman Gets Pregnancy News An Hour Before Delivery

Katie Kropas from Massachusetts was rushed to the emergency room when she woke up with a severe lower back pain on Tuesday morning. She was admitted to a hospital in Weymouth, south of Boston, where she was told by the doctors that she was about to give birth! "They told me that I had a full-term baby, ready to come now," she said.

Unlike other women, who usually have 9 months time to prepare to finally meet their baby, Kropas had less than an hour. "I found out at 10:15 and I had her at 11:06," she said, according to CNN.

Kropas gave birth to a healthy 10 pound, 2 ounce baby girl who she named Ellie. She said she had no idea that she was pregnant because she didn't experience any symptoms associated with pregnancy. Katie's mother Karen Kropas confirmed that and added "I couldn't get my head around it, and I live with her. As a female, there were no signs."

These types of pregnancies are called "cryptic pregnancies." No one knows how common they are because different studies show different statistics about the phenomenon. One thing is for certain, they are not unheard of.

For instance, according to a study conducted in Serbia, the number of mothers who weren't aware of their pregnancies until the moment of delivery is one out of every 7,225 pregnancies.

The chair of obstetrics and gynecology Dr. Kim Dever at South Shore Hospital, where Kropas had her delivery, said they witness cryptic pregnancies a few times a year out of 3,500 annual births at the facility.

Even though it sounds mind-blowing that an expecting mother would not be aware of her pregnancy, Dr. Dever said it could happen, especially if the mother is overweight and her periods are somewhat irregular. Women might also think the movements of baby are due to intestinal gas. It seems to be the case for Kropas, who had no clue about her pregnancy. "I thought I had put on some Christmas-season weight, but I never thought I was pregnant. Never." she said.