Talk about breaking news.
A pregnant upstate New York news anchor broke the news that her water broke live on air – and continued to host her show for another three hours, according to social media posts and reports.
Olivia Jaquith, an anchor with WRGB, a CBS affiliate in Albany, made the announcement just before 6 a.m. on Wednesday that her water had broken moments before the newscast began, NBC News reported.
Jaquith and her co-anchor, Julia Dunn, went on Facebook Live just minutes before going on air to break the news and explain what had just happened.
“This isn’t April Fools, Olivia’s water broke – in the newsroom, right?” Dunn asks.
“In the newsroom,” Jaquith confirms.
Dunn hands the phone to Jaquith and tells her she needs to explain what’s going on.
“I don’t know what’s going on, this is my first time, I’m new here,” Jaquith jokes.
Then Jaquith explained that she felt some discomfort the day before and went to the doctors, where a monitor picked up a few contractions. When she came into work the following morning, her water broke in the bathroom, just a few minutes before going live on air.
The jokes continued as Jaquith – who said she was two days past her due date – continued to labor on through the broadcast, cracking jokes with her colleagues during the entire three-hour run of the news show.
“We do have some breaking news this morning. Literally, Olivia’s water has broke, and she is anchoring the news now in active labor,” Dunn said at the top of the show.
“Early labor. Early labor,” Jaquith added with a grin. “Let’s not get carried away.”
Jaquith’s contractions were two minutes apart – Dunn said they had been timing them.
“No, well, there was one, but it’s been a few minutes since then, so we’re still in good shape,” Jaquith said.
“I’m happy to be here, and I’ll stay on the desk for as long as I possibly can,” she said. “But if I disappear, that’s what’s going on.”
The broadcast staff had fun with Jaquith’s unusual situation. A chyron at the top of the screen read: “Days Past Due Date: 2.”
At one point, a headline at the bottom of the broadcast announced: “Baby Watch” and “Here Comes Baby P, Good Luck Olivia.”
Jaquith never seemed nervous or uncomfortable during the newscast, at one point asking the program’s meteorologist a cheeky question.
“If my baby does come today, Craig, how’s the weather looking?”
The weatherman joked about putting her over his shoulder and taking her to the hospital if things become urgent.
Instead of a coffee break, Jaquith suggested that viewers take a “water break.”
On Thursday, the anchor announced that her baby boy — her first child with her husband Tyn — had arrived.
“What a wild 24 hours! And now, baby boy is here,” she wrote on Instagram. “Soaking up kisses and cuddles for now, but will share updates soon.”
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