'Utter shock': FedEx employee didn't know she was pregnant, gives birth at work

An Iowa woman who went to work last week at the FedEx facility in Grimes, Iowa, says she was in "utter shock" after she unexpectedly gave birth at the end of her shift — and she never even knew she was pregnant.

Key Takeaways:

Amethyst Blumberg was working a shift at FedEx when she suddenly went into labor.
Blumberg hadn't known she was pregnant — a phenomenon known as a "cryptic pregnancy."
Her son, Onyx King Easterlie, was delivered safely and both mom and baby are recovering.

The Details:

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Amethyst Blumberg said she was finishing her shift at the FedEx facility around 8:00 a.m. on January 26, when she went into the bathroom — and realized she was in labor. Remarkably, Blumberg did not know she was pregnant, even though she has been pregnant before.

“I was in utter shock,” Blumberg said. “The only time I felt anything was when my back started hurting from back labor.”

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"With my first one, I had all the symptoms,” she told KCCI. “With this one, I had nothing at all. I was losing weight at work."

After calling for help, Blumberg ended up delivering her son, Onyx King Easterlie, on the floor of her workplace. First responders arrived in time to assist the mom and baby, who were transported to a local hospital to recover.

“I seen a lot of things in my field, so I don’t get too much surprise anymore,” said Nick Pearson of the Johnston-Grimes Fire District. “I’m just very happy she was healthy, and the baby was healthy.”

"He's perfect. He's our FedEx baby," Blumberg said.

Zoom In:

Blumberg's experience of giving birth without even knowing she was pregnant is known as a cryptic pregnancy (or stealth pregnancy). While the concept is rare, it's not unheard of — according to the Cleveland Clinic, about one in 2,500 pregnancies go unnoticed until delivery.

Go Deeper:

Live Action News has covered other surprising deliveries after cryptic pregnancies:

A decade after she was told she'd never give birth, she got a Christmas surprise

UK woman who didn't know she was pregnant gives birth on vacation

'Absolute miracle': Woman didn't know she was pregnant, has baby at Burning Man

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