Tammy Duckworth Welcomes Baby Girl – the First U.S. Senator to Give Birth in Office

Tammy Duckworth became the first senator to give birth while in office when she welcomed a baby girl Monday.

The new baby’s name is Maile Pearl Bowlsbey (pronounced MY-lee, according to a statement from Duckworth’s 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, 50, said in a statement. She and her husband Bryan Bowlsbey also have a three-year-old daughter.

Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, is just the tenth woman to give birth while serving in Congress, and the first to give birth as a sitting U.S. Senator. Her office said she is “recovering well” from the birth.

“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 in her statement Monday. “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.”

Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran who lost both her legs and injured her arm in 2004 when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a grenade. She received a Purple Heart for her service. She went on to serve in the House of Representatives (where she gave birth to her first child), and was elected to the Senate in 2016.