BEVERLY, Mass. — Judy and Jason Brown received news they were definitely not expecting to hear when they arrived at Beverly Hospital Wednesday night

Judy, 47, was having abdominal pain. She thought she had an intestinal issue.

In fact, she was having a baby.

“I was in a little shock,” she said.

Doctors delivered the news around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday; Judy gave birth to Carolyn Rose about an hour later. 

Carolyn, weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long, is perfectly healthy despite the fact that her mom didn’t know she was on the way. Wearing a pastel pink-and-white outfit and knit hat, the newborn barely fussed as her father held her.

“Now I have a new purpose in life,” Jason, 48, said as he held his new daughter, the couple’s only child. “I’m already a big kid myself, so now I have one to be with.”

While it may seem difficult to believe that a woman could carry a baby to term without knowing she is pregnant, a 2011 British study said that the phenomenon, typically referred to as cryptic pregnancy, occurs in approximately 1 in 2,500 pregnancies. 

Nancy Coffey, a nurse at Beverly, said the hospital has dealt with several similar scenarios, but nothing quite like the Browns’.

“It’s fun and exciting,” she said.

Judy said that beyond some noticeable weight gain, there were no other indications of her pregnancy — no morning sickness or strange food cravings. The weight gain she explained away with age.

The couple is understandably unprepared for their newest addition, but family and friends have already stepped up to help, with a new car seat to take Carolyn home in, planned for Friday, and a bassinet, along with other baby essentials.

Susan Ballentine, Judy’s sister-in-law, described the news of her new niece as “miraculous.”

“I’m over the moon right now,” Ballentine said.

Jason, a warehouse worker who also drives a taxicab part time, said he has some time off from work. Judy, who isn’t working at the moment, will be a stay-at-home mom.

Children were not high on the couple’s priority list. Married 22 years ago, they said if they ended up having children, that would be great. If they didn’t, that would be fine.

“We got married to be together,” Jason explained.

Now, faced with a stunning surprise, Jason said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Arianna MacNeill writes for the Salem (Massachusetts) News.