British soldier gives birth in Afghanistan CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A British soldier who said she didn't realize she was pregnant gave birth to a boy while serving on the front line in Afghanistan, military officials said. The woman, whose name wasn't reported, said she didn't know she was pregnant until she had stomach pains Tuesday at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, the BBC reported Thursday. "Mother and baby are both in a stable condition," said Britain's Ministry of Defense in a statement, though the baby was born five weeks premature. It is not military policy to allow servicewomen to deploy on operations if they are pregnant. In this instance the (Ministry of Defense) was unaware of her pregnancy," the department said. "This unusual case may well fuel further debate over whether more medical checks are needed before the armed forces deploy women to the front lines," the statement continued. A German study in 2002 found 25 out of 475 expectant mothers don't realize they are pregnant until they go into labor, the BBC reported. In such cases, many women don't have a "baby bump" and may continue to have periods throughout their pregnancy.