Local News
The couple was preparing to set sail on a cruise when they got the surprise of a lifetime: they were going to be parents.
July 19, 2026 | 9:14 AM
1 minute to read
While on vacation in Florida, a Rhode Island couple picked up an unexpected souvenir — a new family member.
Lauren Siwinski and Gary Glenn had just arrived in the Tampa Bay area to set sail on a cruise when Siwinski began experiencing severe abdominal pain, HCA Florida Brandon Hospital said on Facebook. Doctors at the emergency room told her she was pregnant and in labor, much to their surprise.
Neither parent knew they were expecting, according to the hospital. Siwinski was on birth control and hadn’t experienced any signs of pregnancy.
“I had no symptoms at all. Nothing whatsoever,” Siwinski told WPRI. “I had no idea there was a human inside of me.”
Hours later, they welcomed a baby boy, who they named Sebastian — though family members joked that he should be nicknamed “Cruise.” As they waited for his birth certificate, Sebastian’s grandmother flew down to Florida to meet her new grandchild, according to the hospital.
“Sometimes life has a way of changing every plan in the most beautiful way,” the hospital said. “This little boy may not have made it onto the cruise, but he’ll forever be the best vacation souvenir his parents could have ever brought home.”
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