LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Doctors in Long Beach said they're looking for a positive outcome after a 17-year-old girl gave birth in a shower and then walked to the hospital.

Authorities said the girl gave birth secretly at home, then walked four blocks to a hospital with the baby still attached by its umbilical cord.

Doctors said the boy is normal and "eating like a champ."

The teenager said she was alone and taking a shower around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to get ready for school when the contractions took over.

She said she didn't call 911 because the home phone was disconnected and she didn't want to wake the neighbors.

Doctors praised her for taking quick action.

The girl is a sophomore at Long Beach Poly High and said she had kept her pregnancy a secret because she was afraid of being thrown out of the house.