Duckworth becomes first senator to give birth while in office
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, became the first sitting U.S. senator to give birth while holding office, with the delivery of her second daughter Monday.
Duckworth and her daughter, named Maile (pronounced MY-lee) Pearl Bowlsbey, are both in healthy condition and recovering well, according to a statement from her office.
"We're also so grateful for the love and support of our friends and family, as well as our wonderful medical teams for everything they've done to help us in our decades-long journey to complete our family," Duckworth said in the statement.
She became the tenth congresswoman to give birth while serving in the House in 2014 with her first daughter Abigail. Her second daughter is the first child born to a lawmaker in the upper chamber.
Former Hawaii Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, who retired from the Senate in 2013, blessed the name of Duckworth's newborn before he passed away at age 93 just three days ago.
"His help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us," Duckworth said.
Duckworth turned 50 just last month and was candid about her struggles in getting pregnant when she initially announced she was expecting.
"I've had multiple IVF cycles and a miscarriage trying to conceive again, so we're very grateful," she told the Chicago Sun-Times in January.
Duckworth's office called her pregnancy and experience as a working mother "an important -- and underrepresented -- perspective in the halls of Congress."
"Parenthood isn't just a women's issue, it's an economic issue and one that affects all parents -- men and women alike," Duckworth said. "As tough as juggling the demands of motherhood and being a Senator can be, I'm hardly alone or unique as a working parent, and my children only make me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere."
