A severe abdominal pain prompted a Massachusetts woman to go to the hospital only to realize that she was expecting a child. She gave birth an hour after learning she was pregnant.

At age 47, Judy Brown did not suspect that she might be pregnant regardless that she noticed her body going through changes. She thought that the baby bump was added weight as a result of her getting older.

She only learned that she was pregnant when she went to Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Massachusetts because of a severe abdominal pain.

Brown initially believed her condition was caused by a blockage or a gallstone but medical personnel figured out she was going through labor.

"It was a little bit scary getting into the hospital thinking something was really bad was going on," Brown said. "To understand and take in that was I pregnant and was about to go into labor ... it was very overwhelming."

Brown gave birth to a healthy 8 pound, 2 ounce baby girl. She and her husband of 22 years Jason named the child Carolyn Rose after their mothers.

The couple did not have children after over two decades of marriage and the new mother admitted it did not occur to her that she could be pregnant.

While it may seem odd for a woman not to realize she is carrying a child, experts said some women do not really realize they are pregnant until they are about to give birth. Just like Brown, some women think they were just gaining weight.

The phenomenon is known as cryptic pregnancy or pregnancy denial. A British study says this occurs in about one in 2,500 pregnancies.

South Shore Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology chair Kim Dever said that the hospital has had several encounters with women who were not aware they were pregnant.

"We do about 3,500 births a year, and we probably see this a few times a year," she said.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center obstetrician and gynecologist Kimberly Gecsi said that women in their late 40s should not think that they cannot get pregnant and recommended use of contraception until their doctor advices them to stop because of menopause.

Photo: Gabi Menashe | Flickr