Talk about a post-Christmas surprise! A Massachusetts woman went to the hospital on Tuesday morning complaining of bad stomach and back pains. Less than an hour later, she was holding 10-pound, 2-ounce baby Elle in her arms. Katherine (Katie) Kropas, 23, had no idea she was pregnant [1].

According to Kropas, she thought her recent weight gain was due to extra holiday eating and her slightly swollen ankles were the result of the 50-hour weeks she spent on her feet as a caterer. But when lower-back pain became too much to handle this week, she checked into South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth, MA, and awaited test results. After a sonogram, she received the surprise of a lifetime.

"They told me that I had a full-term baby, ready to come now," Kropas told WBZ TV [2]. "So I found out at 10:15, and I had her at 11:06."

Kropas says she didn't have morning sickness, was on birth control, and was having pretty regular monthly cycles.

Even Kropas's mom, whom she lives with, was shocked. "I couldn't believe it. I couldn't get my head around it, and I live with her. As a female, there were no signs," Karen Kropas said.

Now Kropas and her boyfriend of two years are simply taking it all in and preparing for a few hectic weeks. "It's going to be a hard couple of first weeks, especially since I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but I love her," she said.