Thai-American US Senator Tammy Duckworth gave birth Monday to a healthy girl - the first baby born to a sitting US senator in history.
She immediately tweeted the news, referring to her husband and her first daughter, who is three.
"Bryan, Abigail and I couldn't be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family," she wrote.
Her tweet referred to ex-senator Daniel Akaka, the first native Hawaiian to be elected to the senate, who died last Friday, aged 93.
The new baby’s name is Maile Pearl Bowlsbey (pronounced MY-lee, according to a statement from Senator Duckworth's office).
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. https://t.co/KXyNf65KxA
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) April 9, 2018
"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 Monday. "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."
Sen Duckworth was born in Bangkok to a US army officer-father and a Thai mother.
She joined the US army and became a combat helicopter. Shot down in the Iraq war, she lost both legs.
She received a Purple Heart for her service. She went on to serve in the House of Representatives (where she gave birth to her first child), and was elected to the Senate in 2016.
She is a member of the Democratic Party and a supporter of its leftist faction.
Ms Duckworth is the author of proposed legislation to make major airports offer places for breastfeeding mothers to pump milk, to force the military to create 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.
