Breaking Tradition: Michigan Family Welcomes First Baby Girl in 138 Years

After a 138-year record of male-dominated births in Andrew’s family, the Clarks, a Michigan couple, recently gave birth to Audrey, their first daughter. The family welcomed the happy news with surprise and delight, and the touching event was captured on tape.

To disclose their unborn child’s gender, the Clarks planned a gender reveal party in September of last year, inviting all of their family members. To their great surprise, the cookie’s filling was pink instead of the blue filling they had anticipated, revealing that a baby girl was on the way.

Due to the lengthy history of male-dominant births in his family, Andrew told Carolyn they would not have a female before they got married. Carolyn still wanted a girl when they had their first child, a boy named Cameron, but she later learned that the last girl to be born in the family was in 1885. The birth of Audrey upset the family’s long-standing custom, surprising and delighting everyone.

Given that the Clarks had previously suffered a miscarriage, the arrival of Audrey has special meaning for them. The name “rainbow baby,” which is affectionately used for children born after a loss due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, is used for Audrey. Being born on St. Patrick’s Day made Audrey even more important to her parents and a “lucky charm” for them.

The Clarks hope that Audrey’s birth will encourage Andrew’s brother and his wife to expand their family and end the history of male-predominant births. Carolyn expressed her hope that this joyful occasion will encourage her sister-in-law to have optimism and think that “it can be done.”

The birth of Audrey has broken a 138-year pattern of births that have been predominately male and given great delight to the Clarks and their family. Her rainbow baby coming on St. Patrick’s Day has special meaning for the family, giving them hope and the conviction that everything is possible.