There’s no such thing as a sick day for Olivia Jaquith. The news anchor’s water broke at the start of a three-hour broadcast.
Taking her commitment to the next level, the CBS6 anchor stayed reporting for the whole broadcast while Julia Dunn, her co-worker, timed her contractions.
Per NBC News, Dunn began by saying, “We do have some breaking news this morning. Literally, Olivia’s water has broke, and she is anchoring the news now in active labor.”
Jaquith then jumped in, adding, Early labor. Early labor. Let’s not get carried away.”
As the pair continued to time Jaquith’s contractions, Dunn estimated that they were two minutes apart, with Jaquith noting, “No, well, there was one, but it’s been a few minutes since then, so we’re still in good shape.”
Jaquith shared that her waters broke as she walked to the station’s bathroom immediately before the show started. She told viewers, “I’m happy to be here, and I’ll stay on the desk for as long as I possibly can. But if I disappear, that’s what’s going on.”
Dunn, who is also pregnant, went live on Facebook as all of this went on. During the stream, she asked Jaquith why she was still here. “I think I can get through a three-hour show,” the co-anchor replied.
Throughout the show, various puns, allusions, and Easter eggs were made in reference to Jaquith being in labor. At one point, a chyron at the top of the screen read, “Days Past Due Date: 2.”
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the screen, various headlines popped up like “Baby Watch” and “Here Comes Baby P, Good Luck Olivia.”
Moreover, as they pivoted to the show’s meteorologist, Jaquith asked, “If my baby does come today, Craig, how’s the weather?”
As they reached the end of the broadcast, Jaquith and Dunn high-fived, with Dunn noting, “Whole show. Look at that. Three hours of news, in contractions. I think that’s a first for CBS6.”
Finally, Jaquith signed off by saying, “Well, hopefully I don’t see you tomorrow, but make sure you join Julia.”
In its own write-up of the broadcast, CBS6 revealed that Jaquith is having a boy.
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