Tammy Duckworth Will Be First U.S. Senator to Give Birth in Office

Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth will be the first U.S. senator to give birth in office.

Tammy Duckworth
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Image via Getty/Shannon Finney

Tammy Duckworth

On Tuesday, Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth announced that she and her husband are expecting their second child this spring. If everything goes according to plan, Duckworth will become the first sitting U.S. senator to give birth to another human while in office. Duckworth is no stranger to pregnancy-related milestones. In 2014, the 49-year-old Democrat gave birth to her first child, making her just one of 10 lawmakers to give birth while a member of congress.

"Bryan and I are thrilled that our family is getting a little bit bigger, and Abigail is ecstatic to welcome her baby sister home this spring," Duckworth 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 Abigail has only made me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere."

"I feel great," Duckworth told the Chicago Sun-Times, who first reported the story. As for how a second child might affect her job, Duckworth said "As tough as it’s been to juggle motherhood and the demands of being in the House and now the Senate, it’s made me more committed to doing this job." 

According to the Sun-Times:

Since Abigail was born, Duckworth has authored measures to make sure major airports offer places for breastfeeding mothers to pump milk; the military creates a uniform policy for giving personnel time to bond with their newborn and adopted babies; and to make sure student parents have on-campus child care.

The baby girl is expected to be born in late April.

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