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United States Senator Tammy Duckworth, 50, has given birth to a daughter, becoming the first sitting US female senator to give birth while in office.
The Illinois Democrat said on Twitter that Maile Pearl Bowlsbey was named after her husband’s great aunt, who served as a nurse during World War Two. In a series of tweets, she also thanked her family and medical team.
Mrs Duckworth is a former helicopter pilot who had both her legs amputated after crashing in Iraq in 2004. The Iraq War veteran had previously made history when she became the first woman with disabilities elected to the US senate.
Baby Maile, the couple’s second daughter was born in a suburban Washington DC hospital on Monday. “Parenthood isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s an economic issue and one that affects all parents, men and women alike,” she said in a statement.
“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,” she continued.
Last month senators from both parties, as well as their staff, hosted a baby shower Mrs Duckworth at the US Capitol, according to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, which was first to report the birth.
In January, Mrs Duckworth told the newspaper that getting pregnant with her second child was “a struggle”. Mrs Duckworth’s first child, Abigail, was born when she was serving in the US House of Representatives.
Mrs Duckworth, whose mother was from Thailand, was also among the first Asian-American women ever elected to Congress. In 2018, Mrs Duckworth has authored several bills to help new mothers, including a bill to make airports offer a place for women to breastfeed or pump milk.
