Nun Gives Birth To Baby Boy, Says She Had No Idea She Was Pregnant

A nun who gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday says she had no idea she was pregnant.

The 31-year-old Salvadorean woman was initially rushed to hospital in the Italian city of Rieti with stomach cramps, reports the BBC.

The baby was 9 pounds and both mother and child are said to be doing well - he has reportedly been named Francis after the Pope.

She is reported to be keeping the baby.

The nun said: "I did not know I was pregnant. I only felt a stomach pain," the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The nun belongs to the "Little Disciples of Jesus" convent in Campomoro near Rieti, which manages an old people's home.

In a wonderful understatement, other nuns at the at the convent said they were "surprised".