Sen. Tammy Duckworth Gives Birth To Daughter Maile Pearl Bowlsbey

Senator Tammy Duckworth on Capitol Hill in Washington last month. “Parenthood isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s an economic issue and one that affects all parents — men and women alike,” she said.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times

Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) gave birth to a daughter named Maile Pearl Bowlsbey on Monday. The event made Duckworth the first US senator to give birth while in office. 

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.

Sen. Duckworth, 50, 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 added.

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. 

As a member of Congress, Sen. Duckworth was one of 10 women who had given birth while serving as a member when her daughter Abigail was born in November 2014. 

Duckworth has been very open about her challenges to conceive and bear children. The birth of her new daughter has inspired the senator to become an even louder voice for parents with children. Read on at The New York Times.