Katherine Kropas or Weymouth, Massachusetts, woke up Tuesday morning expecting to go to work. However, she developed severe stomach and back pain and decided to call in to work. What she didn’t know, she was actually pregnant, and would give birth later that day.
WCVB Boston , an ABC News affiliate, is reporting that Kropas gave birth to Ellie , a healthy, 10 pound two ounce baby girl on Tuesday. Kropas spent several hours in the hospital awaiting a diagnosis, before doctor’s finally told her she was about to give birth. Kropas says she had no idea she was pregnant until they informed her that evening in the hospital. She gave birth to Ellie about an hour later.
Katherine’s mother, Karen, told reporters she always laughed at tales of unknown pregnancies, never thinking she would see it first hand.
“You laugh and you say that’s ridiculous. And then it happens to you, and you’re like, ‘This really does happen.’”
South Shore Hospital in Massachusetts says they get one or two similar pregnancies every year. A study out of Berlin, published in the British Medical Journal in 2002, determined that one in 475 women were unaware of their pregnancy until about 20 week and one in 2,455 didn’t realize it until it was time to give birth.
Kropas, who works as a catering supervisor at Gennaro’s Eatery in Quincy, Massachusetts, told the Weymouth News that she had no morning sickness or other clues that she might have been pregnant. She chalked up the few pounds she gained to the holidays. She did notice her ankles were swelling recently but figured it was due to the 50-hour weeks she’s spend spending on her feet at work.
Doctor Ben Hama delivered Kropas’ baby at South Shore Hospital, and advised there is a wide range of factors that could hide a woman’s pregnancy including body size and irregular menstruation.
ABC News medical contributor and practicing OB/GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton, says she has seen similar cases.
“It tends to happen in women who are overweight or obese to start, may have irregular periods and are less aware of their bodies. For most women who have been pregnant, they are aware of multiple physical signs and symptoms, and those signs and symptoms are not subtle. It represents a missed opportunity for the baby, which is definitely not ideal.”
Krona’s unexpected surprise continues a week of viral pregnancy news. Ellie’s birth comes shortly after video of a Minnesota couple’s pregnancy announcement went viral.
[Photo courtesy of NY Daily News ]