Capitol Hill's Baby Boom

April 18, 2009— -- On Capitol Hill, the main work is making laws.

But for a select group of women in Congress, there's another job with more demanding constituents.

They're the new moms in Congress, a small but growing caucus of lawmakers who have given birth while in office.

They face challenges just like all working mothers. But for them, the daily grind includes balancing day care and diapers with votes and committee hearings -- all under a constant public glare.

It means juggling "the logistics of coordinating with husbands' schedules, the logistics of the committee hearings, when the votes might be called, when is child care available," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., who gave birth to a son, Zachary, in December, just weeks after winning a fourth term in the House.

"I knew it would be a challenge, but it's even more than I anticipated," she said.

There's something of a baby boom in the marble halls of the House and Senate. According to the House historian's office, only seven women in U.S. history have delivered babies while serving in Congress -- and three of those births have happened in the past two years.

Another congressional birth is just weeks away: Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., is due next month.

She'll have a separate distinction: Sanchez is set to become the first member of Congress giving birth outside of wedlock. At 39, and with a boyfriend of more than two years, she said she knew that having a big wedding could wait, while having a bigger family might not be as easy.

"The window for having a baby was rapidly closing, and the window for marriage was still very much open," Sanchez said. "I don't advocate that that is the right thing in everybody's situation, but in my situation it happened to be the best decision we made."

"There are a lot of single moms and working moms in this country, and I think to the extent that elected [representatives] can reflect the realities of their constituencies, that's a good thing," she said.

The congressional pregnancies reflect a broader shift in politics, with more women running for office earlier in life. More typical in the past has been the experience of politicians like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both of whom ran for office after their children were grown.