Illinois Woman Gave Birth On Christmas Day Without Even Knowing She’s Pregnant

Does it sound like a sci-fi storyline?

I can't imagine not figuring out you're pregnant. There are so many signs that it's like, in nerd terms, the evolution of a Pokemon. But that's not what happened for one suburban Chicago lady.

According to NBC Chicago, Zion resident Melanie Smith carried a baby to full term without even realizing she was pregnant. She had stomach pain on Christmas and once she got to the hospital, the docs let her know she was nine months pregnant.

She told NBC Chicago that her menstrual cycle is irregular anyway, so she didn't think much of it when she missed a period. Besides that, she didn't experience any major signs that she was pregnant. She said:

I had some minor back pains, but none of the traditional symptoms. I didn’t have any morning sickness or anything like that. I didn’t even really grow a stomach.

She went into emergency labor at a Waukegan hospital before she was transferred to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. Her baby, named Vincent, came into the world healthy, weighing in at 8 pounds.

Still, Melanie and her husband are thrilled with their new baby and call him a "Christmas miracle". When they were told Melanie was pregnant, they were scared they weren't financially prepared for a kid but one look at their new son convinced them that challenges would be worth it.

In medical terms, Melanie had what's called a "cryptic pregnancy". Researchers say those are very rare, affecting 1 in 2,500 pregnancies.