Eric Wilkinson, Washington: Many new mothers don't know what to expect during pregnancy. But Amanda Brisendine didn't know she was expecting at all.

"He was hiding. He was our big surprise," Jason Britt, the father of the kid, said.

Amanda Brisendine was 37 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Alexander, via c-section, on Sunday. She says she had no idea she was pregnant until doctors told her 36 hours before she gave birth.

"I had nothing. No preparation at all. We were talking about names on the operating table. I was just like, 'you are lying, you are kidding'," says Amanda.

And she wasn't really aware. Amanda isn't completely clueless about childbirth. She has a 14-month-old daughter, but she says this pregnancy provided none of the standard symptoms. "I had normal periods, no morning sickness. I was working right up until Thursday," she claims.

So, obviously the question everyone is asking is how can a woman be nine months along and not know she's pregnant? Well, doctors here say it's more common than you might think. "It's not a rare event. We probably see it even at our local hospital every couple years," says Dr Jim Haines at Overlake Medical Center.

Doctors believe Amanda was fooled by pre-existing problems with her ovaries that produce irregular menstrual cycles. She says she never felt the baby kick, no cravings. But what about the weight gain? "I quit smoking, so I thought that's why. And my gramma likes to use a lot of butter and sugar in her cooking, so I blamed her too," Amanda says.

Ironically, Amanda was worried she might not be able to have another baby because of those ovary problems. But, she's not worried about that anymore. "He is so perfect. We are so lucky," Amanda beams.