When Representative Brittany Pettersen gave birth to her second son, Sam, earlier this year, she became just the 14th voting member of Congress to give birth while in office. Congressional rules, however, do not allow new parents to vote remotely. Here, the Democrat from Colorado shares what it’s like to balance her roles as an elected official and a mom with a newborn.
“My son was born just a little bit early. His heart rate kept going down, and they said we needed to go to the hospital immediately. They induced me, and Sam came on January 25. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, and we’re so grateful he was okay.
“There is no parental leave [for Congress members]. They still do things the way they did almost 250 years ago. The challenge was not about whether I should be working—because I understand how essential this is to represent my constituents—but it was being there in person that was so limiting. I knew I was going to do everything I could to be here for a critical vote where I could make a difference. And that ended up coming when Sam was four weeks old. It was the first budget vote going through the House. The Republicans were betting on me not being here.
“I went back and forth a thousand times the day before on Do I leave him? Do I bring him? You’re physically still recovering from birth. Your newborn’s really vulnerable without having all the vaccines and being exposed to so many germs. Ultimately, I knew my son needed me and my constituents needed me and there was only one option: to fly with him across the country.
“He was the first baby in US history to ever be held on the House floor while [their parent was] speaking—which I didn’t know. People on the floor call him Member No. 436.
“Americans were shocked to learn there were no accommodations for somebody like me who was unable to board a plane close to my due date and then when I was post-birth and recovering and taking care of my newborn. Representative Anna Paulina Luna [a Florida Republican] cared about this issue because she also gave birth while serving and saw how unfair and outdated our current rules are, so she reached out early on about working together. I had a glimmer of hope we were going to actually change the rules. Ultimately, though, Speaker Johnson went to unimaginable lengths to make sure we couldn’t do this.
“It’s important to have young families represented, given the struggles so many people are facing: lack of access to childcare, how unaffordable it is. I can’t believe that when Sam starts daycare, it’s $2,500 a month, almost more than our mortgage costs. Our voices couldn’t be more important in this country right now.”
This article appears in the October 2025 issue of Washingtonian.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
