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I thought my back pain was a kidney stone... I was shocked to discover I was nine months pregnant and in labor READ MORE: I didn't know I was pregnant until I went into labor in the bath By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, US SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER Published: 20:43 GMT, 6 November 2025 | Updated: 20:46 GMT, 6 November 2025 When Rebecca Johnson woke up with back pain, she thought nothing of it at first. The Virginia special education teacher, 37, figured it was just 'an old mattress' or sciatica, pain in the sciatic nerve, which runs between the hip and the buttock on each side of the body. But by the time she got to school that morning in September, she was struck by debilitating pain that reminded her of when she went into labor with her two daughters, ages nine and one. She soon struggled to walk and felt like she needed to urinate constantly, which made her think she had kidney stones. classic signs of kidney stones. About one in 10 Americans suffer kidney stones in their lifetime, and left untreated, they can lead to permanent kidney damage and infections. Johnson and her husband rushed to their local hospital, where she felt a rush of fluid between her legs. She and doctors assumed IT was urine, But when she sat on the toilet, she felt a mass moving through her. Nurses suddenly shouted: 'That's a head!' The fluid was Johnson's water breaking, and she was in labor, despite not knowing she was pregnant. Rebecca Johnson, a 37-year-old teacher from Virginia, gave birth to her third daughter in September after not knowing she was pregnant. Johnson is pictured here with all three girls Johnson told the Washington Post: 'I'm going through the panic in my brain.' Her husband, meanwhile, 'had gone sheet white.' 'I looked at my husband, and I'm like, "What is going on?"' she added. The surprise birth came after several years of infertility struggles, with treatments that can include IVF eventually resulting in their oldest daughter, Clara, in 2016. Eight years later, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Cecilia, who was conceived naturally, to their surprise, in 2024. Oh the irony! Woman from SURPRISE, Arizona, says she didn't know she was pregnant until she was in labor Johnson noticed her breast milk supply had begun to dwindle in February 2025, which can happen during a new pregnancy due to an influx of hormones like progesterone, which suppress prolactin, the hormone that stimulates breast milk production. However, she thought to herself there was no way she could be pregnant again. Her period also hadn't returned since giving birth to Cecilia, though menstruation can take several months to become regular again. She also struggled with fatigue and to lose the weight from her last pregnancy, though none of those signs seemed out of the ordinary. Johnson took two pregnancy tests just in case, both of which came back negative. 'Never once did pregnancy cross my brain,' she said. Johnson had what is considered a cryptic pregnancy, when a woman doesn't know she is pregnant until late in the third trimester or during birth due to a lack of typical symptoms such as weight gain, a missed period and nausea. Baby Carlee Evangeline, pictured here, was born at seven pounds and eight ounces. Doctors estimate she was 38 to 40 weeks gestation Johnson and her husband are pictured with all three girls. Johnson said: 'I wouldn't want the story to go any other way. It's who I get to come home to' Those who have recently given birth or have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which Johnson has, are most at risk because missed periods are typical in those instances and make it harder to detect weight gain. About one in 2,500 pregnancies in the US go undetected until birth. According to CBS 6 News, the baby girl, Carlee Evangeline, was born weighing seven pounds and eight ounces. Doctors believe she was born between 38 and 40 weeks gestation, meaning she was full term, despite the lack of prenatal care. Johnson said: 'She ended up perfect. We were told we weren't going to have a kid naturally. The second one was a blessing, and this one was just a straight up miracle.' Johnson said all three of her daughters are 'doing well' and adjusting to the new addition. She hopes the story will give hope to other families experiencing fertility struggles. She said: 'I wouldn't want the story to go any other way. It's who I get to come home to.' Share or comment on this article: I thought my back pain was a kidney stone... I was shocked to discover I was nine months pregnant and in labor Add comment
