28-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to ‘Miracle’ Baby on Christmas Day Despite Not Knowing She Was Pregnant

An Illinois woman went into labor on Christmas Day, even though she had no idea she was pregnant.

Melanie Smith, 28, from Zion, Illinois, started experiencing “bad” stomach pain on the holiday and travelled to Waukegan hospital, where doctors realized, to her shock, that she was nine months pregnant, per NBC Chicago.

“I thought I was dreaming,” she said in an interview with the outlet, “A really intense dream, and any minute I’ll wake up.”

“I thought they were lying to me at first,” she said of being told she was pregnant. “I was like, ‘this is a Christmas prank. You’re just messing with me. I’ve been told I can’t have kids.’”

She was subsequently transferred to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, where baby boy Vincent was delivered, weighing a healthy eight pounds.

Smith said that although she had missed her period, she didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about, as she had an irregular menstrual cycle.

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

NBC reports that Smith experienced a “Cryptic pregnancy,” which, per Mayo Clinic, is when a woman doesn’t know she’s pregnant because of irregular periods, not knowing the common signs of pregnancy, or experiencing a false negative on a pregnancy test.

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According to the medical center, Cryptic pregnancies are rare, with studies suggesting about 1 in 475 pregnancies go unnoticed until about 20 weeks gestation, while about 1 in 2,500 pregnancies go unnoticed until delivery.

Smith described the experience of labor to NBC Chicago as “overwhelming,” particularly as she and her husband hadn’t financially prepared for Vincent’s arrival. After initially contemplating placing Vincent for adoption, they decided that they would make it work as a family.

“I saw my husband hold Vincent for the first time, and realized, ‘oh, actually this is doing things for me. I can’t give up my kid anymore,’” she said, adding that her husband called Vincent a “Christmas miracle.”

“It was the best surprise for someone who really hates surprises,” Smith said.