Tammy Duckworth, 50, becomes first US senator to give birth in office

Tammy Duckworth has become the first female US senator to give birth while in office, reports said on Wednesday.

Duckworth, 50, gave birth to daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey on Monday. Duckworth said she and her husband, Bryan Bowlsbey, and their other daughter, Abigail, “couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family.”

In a series of tweets, she also thanked her family and medical team. "Bryan, Abigail and I couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family and we’re deeply honored that our good friend Senator Akaka was able to bless her name for us—his help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us," she said.

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"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," she further wrote.

The milestone by the Illinois Democrat makes her the 10th member of Congress to give birth while in office. The other nine women were members of the House of Representatives when they had their babies.

Duckworth was a House member when she had her first child, in 2014.

The Iraq War veteran had previously made history when she became the first disabled woman elected to the US Senate. The senator lost both of her legs in the Iraq War in 2004 when the helicopter that she was co-piloting was shot down by insurgents over Iraq.

She entered the House in 2012 and then the Senate in 2016, where she is one of the 100-strong chamber’s 23 women.

Duckworth has made advocating for working-class families a key focal point of her service in Congress.

In her statement, she described parenthood as an economic issue affecting women and men alike.

“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 said.

Congratulations poured in from fellow lawmakers, including from top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

“I’m sure she will grow up to be just as strong as her mother!” Pelosi tweeted.