Swimming advocate welcomed daughter after swimming to Alcatraz while 31 weeks pregnant

Riley Gaines announced the birth of her first child, a daughter named Margot, Thursday night.

Gaines announced the birth in a post on social media, showing her holding the baby alongside her husband, Louis Barker.

“There’s nothing that could’ve prepared me for a love like this. God has blessed us beyond belief. Welcome to the world, sweet Margot,” Gaines wrote in the caption.

During her pregnancy, Gaines swam 1.25 miles to the infamous Alcatraz prison alongside U.S. Navy SEALs, combat veterans and her husband in July. She was 31 weeks pregnant at the time.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines speaks at an event.  (The Leadership Institute)

Gaines announced her pregnancy in June during a Turning Point USA event in Texas. The announcement came while she was addressing comments from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who suggested Gaines was the size of “a male” during a social media spat over the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports.

Riley Gaines speaks at a news conference with West Virginia AG Patrick Morrisey. (Screenshot)

“How many men do you know that have this,” Gaines said on stage as she showed her bump and shared sonograms on stage.

Riley Gaines is sworn in during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill Dec. 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“The next generation that our little girl is going to be a part of, that is who you all are fighting for and who Turning Point is fighting for. And so from a father-to-be, thank you, keep fighting … and thank you.”