A Massachusetts woman gave birth an hour after she learned she was pregnant.
On Tuesday at 11:06 p.m., 23-year-old Katherine "Katie" Kropas of Weymouth gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 10 pounds and two ounces, at South Shore Hospital.
Kropas said she did not experience any morning sickness or other clues that she was pregnant over the last nine months, other than swollen feet, which she attributed to the 50 hours per week she'd been spending on her feet during the holiday season as a caterer.
She and her long-term boyfriend were shocked by the news. She said she was on birth control, and was even having a pretty regular monthly cycle.
"At the time, I was like, 'This has got to be a joke,' but I had no idea what to think," she said.
Kropas says she'll have lots of help raising the baby. She said she is considering naming her Ellie, after her grandmother who drove her to the hospital, with what she thought was just stomach pains.
"I've heard these stories over and over. You hear them and think, 'Oh my God, how did somebody not know,' and this and that, but I can tell you, this is real and true and it happens," Kropas' mother, Karen Kropas, said.
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South Shore Hospital says they've seen similar situations several times, and first-time moms such as Kropas may not know what to look for.
"They're not perceiving those symptoms, whereas when you're on the lookout for them, you're waiting for it to happen," Dr. Kim Dever said.
The family says they definitely have some shopping to do -- like getting a crib, for starters -- but add that they're overjoyed and just happy everyone is okay.
"We're having a lot of fun so far, and I think this is just the beginning," Kropas said.
