'Never once did pregnancy cross my brain'

Johnson and her husband married in 2011 and spent years trying to start a family, ultimately using fertility treatments to welcome their first daughter, Clara Snow, in 2016.

"We were told after that we weren't going to be able to have kids without intervention," Johnson said.

But eight years later, the couple was surprised when they learned Johnson became pregnant naturally with their second daughter, Cecilia Lyn, who was born in August 2024.

"We just thought this was never going to happen again and it was a big fluke," Johnson said.

In February 2025, Johnson noticed that her breast milk dried up earlier than she expected, which can sometimes happen with a new pregnancy, but the same thing had also happened six months after her first daughter was born. Johnson took two pregnancy tests to be safe, and both were negative.

In April, Johnson started having pain in her lower abdominal area, but assumed it was an ovarian cyst since she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

"I took one day off work and a couple hot showers and I was fine," she said, adding that her period hadn't returned since she gave birth to her second daughter, something that can be normal.

"It can take up to a year to get your cycle back," Johnson said.

Over the next few months, Johnson said everything seemed normal. She was often tired, but she attributed that to caring for a toddler while working full-time as a special-education teacher. Johnson also noticed she hadn't lost much of her baby weight from her previous pregnancy, but she believed that was a result of her PCOS.

"Never once did pregnancy cross my brain," she said.

The kidney stone that was actually a baby

On Sept. 9, Johnson woke up with back pain she thought was either a result of her old mattress or sciatica. "I took a Tylenol and went to work," she said.

However, by the time she got to school, the pain had increased significantly. "I'm telling my husband it feels like labor pains, but there's no way it's that," she said.

It wasn't long before it hurt too much for Johnson to even walk — her back throbbed in pain and she felt a constant urge to urinate. Given those symptoms, she thought she had a kidney stone, something she'd never had before.

The nurses moved Johnson to a stretcher to deliver the baby. "I was screaming so loud," she said. "I delivered within three or four pushes."

The hospital staff was as shocked as the parents once the baby had arrived. TriCities Hospital doesn't have a labor and delivery unit, so Johnson was transferred to another hospital that evening.

"Everyone was very kind and very loving," Johnson said. "Everyone came down to see the crazy baby who was born out of nowhere."

Carlee Evangeline was born weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces, and doctors said they believe Johnson was between 38 and 40 weeks pregnant.

A 'cryptic pregnancy'

According to the Cleveland Clinic, around 1 in 2,500 pregnancies go unnoticed until delivery in what's called a "cryptic pregnancy." However, TriCities staff said cases like Johnson's happen more often than you might think.

"We see at least one every year," said Ashley Cundiff, CNO at TriCities Hospital. "It was a really fun morning."

Cundiff said that Johnson had a "precipitous delivery," when childbirth happens rapidly and sometimes unexpectedly.

"It unfolded so quickly," said Brittney Dillard, nursing director of TriCities's ED, who was present at Johnson's delivery. "There was definitely shock among everybody."

Johnson said her baby "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 miracle."

Johnson added that her three girls are "doing great" and adjusting well. "Everybody is happy and healthy," she said.

While Carlee's birth was a shock, Johnson said now her family feels complete.

"I wouldn't want the story to go any other way," she said. "It's who I get to come home to."