Duckworth Gives Birth to Daughter
Illinois Democrat first senator to have a baby while in office
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is officially the first sitting senator to give birth while in office.
The Illinois Democrat gave birth to a daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, on Monday.
Duckworth, 50, and her husband Bryan Bowlsbey have another daughter, Abigail, born in November 2014.
The senator said in a statement that the late Sen. Daniel Akaka blessed her daughter’s name, which in Hawaiian is the type of vine that leis are made from, before he died on April 6.
Duckworth attended high school and college in Hawaii and first met Akaka while she was a patient at what was then Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The late senator also gave her a recommendation for Abigail’s middle name — O’Kalani, which means “gift of the heavens,” Duckworth said.
From the Archives: Sen. Daniel Akaka’s Exit Interview
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“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,” Duckworth said, according to the Sun Times.
Maile gets her middle name, Pearl, from Bowlsbey’s great Aunt who was an Army officer and nurse during World War II.
