A US navy officer deployed to the Middle East only realised she was pregnant after going into labour aboard an aircraft carrier. 

The third class petty officer gave birth to a baby girl aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower early on Sunday, nine hours after she had checked into the ship's medical clinic complaining of stomach pains.

Neither the mother nor her commanding officers knew she was pregnant, the Navy Times reported. 

US navy rules state that pregnant sailors are only allowed to stay aboard ships until 20 weeks of pregnancy, and the unexpected birth caught the ship's crew by surprise. 

As soon as medics realised that the woman was pregnant, the ship had nappies, baby formula and an incubator flown in. The mother and her baby were subsequently flown to Bahrain with a medical escort. 

"While it would have been preferred to send her to her homeport earlier, per policy, we are now focused on caring for the health and welfare of our Sailor and the newest member of our Navy family," a US navy spokesman said. 

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