The birth of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s third child could leave a power vacuum inside City Hall, leading to a potential battle between City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune and Ed Flynn to fill the void.

Wu, due next month, has already announced she’s delaying her State of the City address until March and said she’ll make a final decision on maternity leave after talking with her doctors.

Being away from City Hall for an extended time would give Louijeune, who is the council president and acting mayor should Wu be absent, a chance to be more visible and active.

Wu’s pregnancy comes as she’s gearing for a tough re-election fight next year. She may miss at least several months of campaigning after she gives birth.

The mayor’s first few months of possible leave also coincides with the first few months of the Trump administration, putting Louijeune in position to lead the city’s opposition to Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and potential freezing of federal funds because of the city’s sanctuary status.

“I think she (Wu) is going to work very closely with Ruthzee as she does now,” Boston political strategist Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling said. “She can still govern through Ruthzee and Ruthzee is extremely confident. I think the city is in good stead with Ruthzee at the helm.”

Louijeune has already started to flex her political muscle to shut down Flynn – who is angling to run for mayor – on the council floor.

When Flynn tried to introduce a proposal to launch an ethics committee last week, Louijeune quickly and politely shot him down like a mom telling her toddler no more tater tots.

“There’s a cloud over the body,” Flynn said of the council’s frequent ethical lapses and scandals.

Technically Louijeune sent the Flynn ethics proposal to committee “for further consideration” – which is the kiss of death.

Louijeune, a lawyer and daughter of Haitian immigrants, is a formidable foe inside and outside of City Hall. She’s not going to let Flynn take center stage the way Flynn did when he was city council president.

“Ruthzee will make sure that things stay steady,” Ferriabough-Bolling said.

But Flynn is going to be spending the next several months fighting a battle on two fronts – with the Wu administration and Louijeune.

He has already started aggressively challenging the mayor, but that will be difficult when she’s generating a lot of public good will after the birth of her child.

“I hope there will be some respect for a woman who has just given birth to take off a couple of months,” Ferriabough-Bolling said. “It’s a very delicate balance for a woman after she’s given birth and we should respect that.”

It’s unclear right now just how much time Wu will be taking away from City Hall, but she’s unlikely to keep the same busy schedule she does now. Her delay of the important State of the City speech is an indication that she’ll take some time away from her public duties.

But there is no precedent in Boston for a mayor giving birth while in office. Wu is the first elected mayor of the city ever who is not white and male.

Over the last several months, Wu has been under considerable stress due to her failed attempt to pass a commercial tax hike through the Legislature. Wu is also involved in a legal battle to push through her proposal to rehab White Stadium into a new soccer stadium for the professional women’s team.

“I know she’s got a race to run and there are a lot of different things on the table,” Ferriabough-Bolling said. “I just think we need to give her a break.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, seen here with Superintendent of Schools, Mary Skipper, is due to give birth next month. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald, File)