Noronha islanders welcomed a baby girl to its shores in what is believed to be the first birth to occur in 12 years on the remote Brazilian island, and the parents were not expecting the child, BBC News reported.
With its pristine beaches and rich biodiversity, Fernando de Noronha is considered to be one of Brazil's most beautiful island's, but growing tourism has threatened the island's biodiversity, the World Wildlife Federation noted.
A small population of around 3,000 inhabit the Fernando de Noronha island and because of the vulnerability of the island, strict controls are in place to ensure overpopulation does not occur.
There are no maternity wards on the island and expectant mothers are requested to travel to the mainland in order to give birth. But an unidentified woman defied this rule when she gave birth unexpectedly at her home over the weekend.
The 22-year-old said she was not even aware that she was pregnant, The Guardian reported.
"On Friday night I had pains and when I went to the bathroom I saw something coming down between my legs," she said. "That’s when the child’s father came and picked it up. It was a baby, a girl. I was dumbstruck."
The local administration confirmed the birth of the baby, which was later taken to a local hospital.
It is not uncommon for a baby to be born to unexpecting parents.
In 2015 a Weymouth, Massachusetts, woman gave birth to a 10-pound, 2-ounce daughter
Katie Kropas woke up with "crazy lower back pain" and went to the hospital in South Shore Weymouth, where she was shocked to find out she was carrying a full-term baby.
These pregnancies are called "cryptic pregnancies" and according to a British study occur once in every 2,500 pregnancies.
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