Senator Tammy Duckworth on breastfeeding, preschool drop off and the importance of your village

Senator Tammy Duckworth (Illinois) is one of the most prominent mothers in American government today. In 2014, at the age of 46, she gave birth to her first child, Abigail, and became one of only 10 women in history to give birth while serving in Congress. In 2018, she once again made headlines after giving birth to her second child, Maile, this time becoming the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. 

In 2018, for the first time in history, Senator Duckworth got the U.S. Senate to agree on a vote to allow babies onto the Senate floor, so that she—and others in the future—could breastfeed while partaking in important votes. And this past October, she successfully passed the Friendly Airports for Mothers Act.

In addition to being a groundbreaking politician, a purple heart recipient and veteran of the Iraq War, Senator Duckworth is a powerful advocate for veterans and working families. 

Senator Duckworth spoke with Liz from the Senate offices in Washington DC, and chatted about how motherhood opened her eyes to the important policy changes needed to better serve working families, as well as her own difficult journey to motherhood. 

Stay tuned to hear the essay, "We still show up" from Motherly's first book, This is Motherhood—now available for pre-order on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential. 

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