An hour after doctors confirmed a Weymouth, Mass., woman's pregnancy, she gave birth to a 10-pound girl. Katherine Kropas, the new mom, and her entire family had no idea the 23-year-old was even pregnant.
Kropas told doctors she hadn't experienced any of the typical pregnancy symptoms, except for swollen feet. She thought those were simply the result of working 50 hours every week as a caterer over the holidays.
Kropas had been on birth control and had been getting regular periods during her stealth pregnancy. She and her boyfriend had no reason to believe she was pregnant.
The family, completely overjoyed, says they definitely have some new parent things to do—like naming the baby. Kropas is considering "Ellie," the name of her grandmother and the person who drove her to the hospital.
"We're having a lot of fun so far, and I think this is just the beginning," Kropas told New England Cable News.
As seemingly impossible as a surprise birth might seem, statistics show they're not all that unusual. Some estimate one in 600 mothers-to-be are unaware they are pregnant just before or at the time of birth. Discovery Fit & Health Channel even created a popular reality show called "Shocking Surprise Births."
Undetected pregnancies tend to happen to women who are overweight, and to busy young or peri-menopausal women, because they are not looking for signs.
Image via NECN
