This Attorney Finished Her Hearing After Her Water Broke in Court

Mari Jo Snyder, an attorney based in Philadelphia, was halfway through a preliminary hearing for a murder trial when her water broke.

Snyder, who was 38 weeks pregnant at the time, had previously joked to loved ones that she hoped she wouldn’t have her baby in the courtroom. Luckily, her husband, Stephen Stewart, and legal partner was in court sitting next to her when it happened and was able to provide some comfort.

“I didn’t panic because he was there to calm me down. I was not alone for a moment,” Snyder told TODAY Parents. “He’s a very talented lawyer, so it is always a blessing to have him on a case with me, but this was a double whammy blessing."

Of course, Stewart let the court staff know of the situation through a note. Snyder, who was not having contractions or in pain, chose to finish the hearing—they only had one witness left—without recess.

“The judge was kind of freaking out,” Snyder recalls to the outlet.

After the hearing, Snyder and Stewart traveled to a hospital in downtown Philadelphia, which was thankfully only five blocks away. But coming straight from a hearing, the couple was dressed differently than most.

“There were women coming into the hospital in sweats and pandemic clothes,” Snyder said. “We were the only ones coming into Labor and Delivery in a custom suit and a dress and ruined shoes."

Snyder welcomed a baby boy, Stephen Stewart III, on October 15.

“Motherhood is awesome. He’s absolutely awesome. He’s a really good baby,” Snyder said, jokingly adding, “I always figured he would come to court with us eventually, but I thought it would be a little bit different. Something more along the lines of ‘Bring Your Son to Work Day.’ But this worked out perfectly."

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