“ Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
I thought you might all like a birth announcement this week. This comes to us courtesy of the New York Times.
Tammy Duckworth Becomes First Sitting U.S. Senator to Give Birth
Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat of Illinois, gave birth to a daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, on Monday, making her the first United States senator to give birth while in office, she said in a statement.
Ms. 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.”
“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 said in a statement.
She said former Senator Daniel K. Akaka, a Democrat from Hawaii, “was able to bless her name for us” before his death last week. “His help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us,” she said.
Maile is also named for Pearl Bowlsbey Johnson, who was Mr. Bowlsbey’s great-aunt and an Army officer who served in World War II, Ms. Duckworth said.
Ms. Duckworth, 50, was already one of 10 women who had given birth while serving in Congress, having had Abigail in November 2014 as a member of the House of Representatives. But Maile’s arrival made her the first sitting United States senator to give birth.
“She’s going to be taking much of the next 12 weeks to spend time bonding with her new daughter and spending time with her family,” said Sean Savett, a spokesman. “But she will be available for close votes as needed.”
Ms. Duckworth announced her pregnancy on social media in January and, in an interview with The Chicago Sun-Times, described her struggle to become pregnant. Both daughters were conceived through in vitro fertilization.
“I’ve had multiple I.V.F. cycles and a miscarriage trying to conceive again, so we’re very grateful,” she told The Sun-Times. Her most recent miscarriage was during her 2016 Senate campaign, she said.
In the statement on Monday, the senator’s office said her experience as a mother shaped her legislative goals and gave her “an important — and underrepresented — perspective in the halls of Congress.”
Since the birth of Abigail, Ms. Duckworth has introduced several bills aimed at making life easier for new parents, but none have been voted into law.
“Parenthood isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s an economic issue and one that affects all parents — men and women alike,” Ms. Duckworth said in her statement announcing Maile’s birth. “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.”
SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH YOU ROCK!
If you have a story about an inspiring woman, please feel free to leave a link to it in the comments section.
Interesting article, Bernadette! My first reaction was why has it taken so long? So long as motherhood is incompatible with politics, women will be sidelined … I hope some of those changes Ms Duckworth presents to become law will have some success. In many ways this should not be newsworthy and rather part of everyday life! Wishing you a lovely weekend! 😀 xx
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I agree Annika and I hope the day arrives soon that a woman’s voice in Washington will not be newsworthy due to her gender.
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What a wonderful story, Bernadette. The female perspective in our law making bodies is vital, and I have hopes Ms Duckworth will be an advocate for parents. There is no job more important. Children are not only our future, they are our present.
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With the shenanigans going on in Washington, it is more important than ever that families have a place at the table.
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So true, Bernadette.
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About time! Isn’t it remarkable that it took this long? May Senator Duckworth be the first of many. Bernadette – congrats on winning my contest! 🙂 E-mail me at pam.wight@colettawight.net, and I’ll get your address to send you a copy of Twin Desires. xo
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Wonderful post!
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Cheer to Senator Tammy Duck! What a lovely post, Bernadette. What an inspiring intro quote: “ Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
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Yes she does.
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Politics misses out on so many wonderful potential candidates. I hope this new baby brings a sea of change.
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New life always brings the gift of new hope.
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I love the quote that starts this post! A wonderful post Bernadette!
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Good for Senator Tammy Duckworth. She lends so much credibility to women, family, and politics. Nice post, Bernadette.
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I must be honest, I would not want to have a baby at 50 but hats off to this senator who is undergoing the Motherhood journey. The thought of the night time feeds and interruptions makes me feel tired.
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I know! The idea of teenagers in my 60’s makes me run for the hills.
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Thanks for this article on Tammy Duckworth. Never mind she’s a senator. She’s 50! We are getting younger. Bernadette you asked us to post other stories of women, so I flew off to Debra Eve’s Later Bloomers blog and found this story http://www.laterbloomer.com/olga-kotelko/
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Janet, thank you so much for introducing me to this blog. What a fantastic article.
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I hope more and more women enter politics. It would have a huge impact on society, parenting, children, education, healthcare… etc. Congrats to Tammy! She’s amazing in so many ways. 🙂
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Congratulations all around but nope. Not me. Not at 50! Yikes.
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