Woman celebrates with baby instead of diploma on graduation day

HOUSTON – On May 13, the University of Houston Law Center was honoring its latest graduates.

“You’ll be a lawyer every day of your life starting today,” said convocation speaker Meredith Baker.

That wasn't the only lifelong title bestowed on graduate Maggie Webber. She also became "mom".  Maggie was in her last year of law school when she became pregnant. With a due date right at the end of the semester, her doctor wasn't sure how the timing would work out.

“The week before my due date she was like, ‘I don’t know, it could happen at any time. You’re really close, you’re progressing along,’ and I hadn’t taken my last finals yet,” said Webber.

She told herself and her soon-to-be baby, “Get through the finals, get through the finals. So we made it."

But that's as long as baby Beau would wait. Webber's water broke at midnight the night before her convocation.

“Graduation was the last thing on my mind when my water broke. It was, ‘oh my gosh we’re doing this!  We’re having a baby now!’” said Webber.  “In the morning I texted them like, ‘By the way guys, I went into labor, you know, walk for me across the stage.’”

So while her classmates were going through the hooding ceremony, Webber was bringing her first child into the world.

“Around 6:45, everyone cleared out and I got a quiet minute with just me and my husband and our new son, and I looked at the clock and that’s when I thought, ‘Oh man, the graduation ceremony’s going on right now and I’m in this hospital bed holding my newborn and there’s actually no place I’d rather be.’ It was perfect," said Webber.

Her next big challenge comes in July when she has to take her bar exam. Webber said she has the perfect study partner to help her prepare.