Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office and to bring her infant Maile Pearl to work — the Senate voted unanimously to change the rules to allow this. While both parties are responsible for embracing this historic change in a bipartisan manner, it’s surprising this event had never happened before. Perhaps it was merely a matter of timing, but regardless, babies at work and the women who are bringing them should be more welcome — within reason.
Republicans claim to be pro-life; Democrats claim to be pro-feminism — this would be the natural extension of what both parties inherently believe about women, work, and the value of new life.
Women have been birthing babies and nursing them while they work for centuries. This is nothing new nor is it exciting, frankly: It’s an essential part of a newborn’s health, to be close to her mother and to nurse, if at all possible. This is part, though not all, of why women have chosen, for decades, to stay “home” and raise babies: not because they are backward, stupid, and unintelligent, but because they value the health of their children and many jobs or workplaces simply aren’t conducive to fostering that intimacy.
Still, many professions can and should welcome a mother’s desire to coddle her newborn while that need exists. This should neither be revolutionary, nor should it be the main focus of a workplace. If a workplace deems this a distraction, they should be able to restrict or ban it without fear of criticism from the feminist Left. At the same time, if they allow or encourage this (as the U.S. Senate has done), they should also be able to have parameters and restrictions without fear of the baby-loving Right. If a newborn baby starts wailing because she needs to eat and Mom can’t feed her in time, most women are cognizant and respectful enough to adjust to the situation, and respect other people’s need for quiet in a workplace.
I’m not arguing all workplaces should become day cares. While a toddler in an office setting is both impractical and absurd, they also have different needs and noise levels. A preschool setting or the care of a friend or relative seems like a better fit out of respect for other colleagues trying to work. The fact that newborns are usually portable, quiet, and cute is helpful, plus they possess distinct needs: Bringing them to work promotes essential mother-baby bonding during a phase that passes too quickly anyway, as any parent knows.
As a mother of four who has brought and nursed my children when they were babies everywhere — at parades, soccer games, church, movie theaters, gourmet restaurants, during work calls, and on airplanes (sorry former seatmates) — I’m distinctly aware of both the beauty and the chaos of it all. Some professions, like mine, are much more conducive. If I worked in the restaurant industry, I simply wouldn’t have been able to do it.
Still, it’s a bit ironic to see in this situation, the first woman to do this was a Democrat, not a Republican, whose platform is almost always blatantly pro-life. While we’re at it, there was an irony in a Democrat, whose platform is almost always blatantly pro-choice, bringing her baby to work, while her fellow Democrat colleagues cooed and applauded. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have — Duckworth’s decision was historic and should be admired — but Democrats do realize this is a baby, right?
Politics aside, a woman bringing her baby to work should neither be political nor mandatory, but neither should it be scorned as pre-feminist. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This should be allowed and encouraged within reason and when and where necessary, but within respectful parameters of other people and work environments. I hope this isn’t the last time we see a politician with her baby at work.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
