The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward

French Gates opens with her daughter Jennifer’s birth on April 26, 1996, after a challenging fourteen-and-a-half-hour labor. She chose to deliver without medication despite her doctor’s skepticism. Her immediate, overwhelming love for Jennifer created what she describes as a primal maternal instinct that reshaped her worldview.

After arriving home from the hospital, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck while baby Jennifer slept alongside her grandmother. French Gates panicked, rushing down the stairs despite her fresh stitches, all while screaming at her mother to protect Jennifer—even though she knew her mother was a competent caretaker who would instinctively protect the baby. French Gates muses that her frantic behavior served her own emotional needs rather than actually protecting Jennifer.

French Gates made significant life changes upon becoming pregnant with Jennifer, including gaining seventy-nine pounds (far exceeding what her doctor recommended) and leaving her position at Microsoft. She frames both decisions as expressions of newfound freedom from perfectionism and societal expectations. Her departure from Microsoft reflected her desire to be fully present for her children, especially given her husband Bill’s demanding work schedule.

The chapter describes idyllic early months spent with Jennifer at a nearby lake, representing a period when French Gates felt completely in control of her time and priorities.