Australian Senator Breastfeeds Her Baby While Passing a Motion in Parliament

Australian Senator Larissa Waters made history as the first politician to breastfeed in her country’s Parliament last month.

And she did so again on Tuesday while speaking in front of her colleagues and passing a motion.

Waters, the co-leader of the country’s left-wing Greens party, breast-fed her 14-month-old baby when she moved a motion about black lung disease.

Waters first breast-fed her daughter, Alia, when she returned from a 10-week maternity leave in May. Before she returned, she had said she planned on breastfeeding her in the Senate chamber if need be.

Children had been banned from the Senate chamber in Australia, and breastfeeding mothers had to be given a proxy vote until last year, according to news.com.au.

In May, Waters told BBC she thought it was “ridiculous” breastfeeding a baby would become international news, but hopes her ability to do so inspired other women.

“I had hoped to not only feed my baby, but also to send a message to young women that they belong in the Parliament, and that they can be both Parliamentarians and be moms,” she said.

“Lots of women thanking me for doing it, not just for normalizing breastfeeding, which is itself an important issue, but there’s still a little bit of stigma in some corners of society,” she said. “But it’s been lovely to hear from the young women and the other moms who’ve said, this is a role model for my daughter or for myself, to know that we can aspire to this sort of occupation.”