Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) has given birth to a daughter, Augusta Dair, becoming the 15th sitting congresswoman in U.S. history to deliver a child while in office. The baby was born on August 14 after what Cammack described as a “very long and tough labor.” She thanked her husband and medical team for their support during an emotional six-day ordeal.

Cammack joins a small but growing group of lawmakers to give birth during their congressional service. In the past two years, three others have done the same: Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), and former Puerto Rico delegate Jenniffer González-Colón. Their experiences have sparked fresh discussion about family leave policies in Congress.

Earlier this year, Luna and Pettersen pushed for a resolution allowing proxy voting for lawmakers on parental leave. Luna filed a discharge petition to force a vote but later withdrew it after securing a deal with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to formalize a workaround called “vote pairing.”

Under vote pairing, an absent member coordinates with a present one who intends to vote oppositely. The present member then abstains, and both votes are recorded for the Congressional Record. This solution allows parents to have their votes counted during leave without violating House rules.

However, the compromise caused internal rifts among Republicans. Luna ultimately resigned from the conservative House Freedom Caucus in April, citing betrayal and pressure from colleagues who opposed her efforts. She accused them of threatening floor shutdowns and political retaliation against supportive lawmakers.

Critics, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), argued that such proxy voting could be abused. The debate has revealed how contentious the issue of parental accommodations has become within Congress — even as the private sector continues expanding leave protections for working families.