Oh, Baby: Woman Gets 14-Pound 'Surprise' — But How?

If you’ve always wondered how it’s possible to be pregnant without knowing it, we’ve got the answers. (Video: ABC)

A woman in Tampa, Florida made news this weekend after giving birth to a 14.1 pound baby — which is a remarkable accomplishment in its own right. But even more amazing? She did so shortly after learning she was pregnant.

Maxxzandra Ford didn’t find out she was with child until she was already 35-weeks into her pregnancy, well into her third and final trimester.

She joins a rarified club of mothers with babies that came as a near — or total — surprise. Katie Kropas of Massachusetts didn’t realize she was pregnant until she went into labor with her daughter Ellie, who was born in early January weighing over 10 pounds. And just last week, Nicole Harris of Tennessee gave birth to her 6.7 pound son in her bathtub. She thought she wasn’t feeling well but quickly realized she was actually having a baby — which she safely delivered by herself, while her boyfriend was sleeping in their bedroom. Harris told her local ABC station she was shocked by the birth because she had not experienced any pregnancy signs or symptoms.

Maxxzandra Ford’s baby boy, Avery, shortly after birth. 

While many people find themselves dually horrified and fascinated by tales like these — enough so to form a legion of fans for the show I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant — about one in every 475 women may not know she is pregnant until she is 20 weeks along, about a month and a half into her second trimester. One in every 2445 women will not know she is pregnant after 20 weeks, and one in every 7225 women will not realize she is pregnant until the moment of delivery.

How is it possible to be pregnant and not realize it?  

Holly Sternberg, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Atlanta Women’s Obstetrics and Gynecology in Atlanta, Georgia tells Yahoo Health that “the power of denial” can be very strong in some women, leading them to fail to recognize a pregnancy despite a changing body and other pregnancy symptoms.

She does note, however, that obese women or women with irregular periods may take longer to detect a pregnancy as a result of having a harder time noticing the physical changes that initially denote pregnancy.

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“Many of the signs of pregnancy are nonspecific — weight gain, increased urination, fatigue — so stories like this illustrate why it’s so important for women to know their bodies and recognize when they experience any changes,” Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Senior Director of Medical Services tells Yahoo Health. “Bleeding and spotting is not uncommon, especially early in the pregnancy as it implants. While it is unusual for it to happen regularly, not all women have regular, predictable menstrual cycles.”

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Kropas thought her baby bump was just a little bloating, perhaps from diabetes. “I had gone on birth control to lighten my periods, when they were becoming a bit lighter, I was honestly just happy, “ she said on The Meredith Vieira Show. “I had pretty much very long periods for most of my life. So seeing that, seeing a little bit of the swollen part of me thought it might have been diabetes being a bigger person.”

Placental positioning may also be a factor. Pregnant women whose placenta forms at the front part of the uterus may find themselves buffered from a fetus’ movements while in-utero, thus being slower to recognize a pregnancy, too, notes Sternberg. 

“Getting early and regular prenatal care is one of the best things you can do to promote a healthy pregnancy and birth. And having a visit with your health care provider before you get pregnant is even better, as it can help you identify behaviors and conditions that you can correct before pregnancy so that early in a developing pregnancy your health is the best it can be. If that is not possible, begin prenatal care as soon as you’re pregnant,” Nucatola adds.

“Surprise” pregnancies can have complications that pregnancies detected and monitored from the beginning do not.

“From a medical perspective there can be problems with electrolyte balance, transitional issues, and hypoglycemia in a macrosomic infant. These babies usually end up in the NICU along with the preemies,” Sternberg says.

Improper electrolyte balance can lead to metabolic abnormalities, renal failure, and decreased blood volume resulting from dehydration. These newborns are also at risk from hyperosmolarity, an emergency condition caused by dangerously high blood glucose levels. Macrosomic infants, or those who weight more than 8 lbs, 13 oz at birth, are at increased risk for the hyperosmolarity as well. Breathing problems, including respiratory distress syndrome, are the most common sign of a newborn having difficulty transitioning to life outside the womb.

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Furthermore, Sternberg adds, “If someone doesn’t know they’re pregnant until 35 weeks they may be continuing unsafe behaviors or medications that would be contraindicated in pregnancy. They would also miss any medical or genetic testing that could impact the pregnancy such as thyroid issues or infectious diseases.  In a perfect world this woman would have been treated for diabetes and the growth of her baby would have been monitored for months.”

And while an extra-large newborn may seem novel — and adorable — Sternberg notes that if “a large baby is born vaginally to a mother with presumed gestational diabetes there is a higher risk of shoulder dystocia (where the head comes out but the shoulders can’t fit). This is a very dangerous situation that can lead to permanent disability or even death of the infant in extreme cases.”

Fortunately for Ford, who, with her husband, is already the mother to a 5-year old and a 1-year old, both she and baby Avery are healthy and complication-free, though she admits it wasn’t easy — Ford told reporters she was “cussing up a storm” while delivering her strapping baby boy.

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