Senator Tammy Duckworth's Quote of the Week:" A 50-Year-Old Mom Is the New 40"

The announcement by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) that she's pregnant at 49, and due to give birth in April right after she turns 50, is impressive enough. But the fact that Duckworth is a double amputee who wears prosthetics on both legs after losing them in the Iraq War in 2004—and the fact that she already has a young daughter—should certainly catapult the senator into top running for the Total Badass Award 2018. (The award doesn't officially exist yet as far as we know, but there's no time like the present to kick it off.)

Duckworth will be the first-ever Senator to give birth in office (not just the first Senator of "advanced maternal age"), adding to her already long list of firsts: She's the first woman with a disability ever elected to Congress; the first Asian-American woman ever elected to Congress from Illinois; and the first Thailand-born member of Congress.

This Sunday, Duckworth told ABC's Face the Nation, "I feel great. I'm thrilled and happy." She talked about the challenges of getting pregnant both times, and opened up about what it's like to serve in Congress as a new mother. Here are some highlights from her inspiring interview (for the full video, see below):

Face the Nation's Nancy Cordes:  "What did you doctor say to you about your chances of getting pregnant at 49?"

Senator Duckworth: "Well he said it's the new 40. He said 50—a 50-year-old mom is the new 40. I have the most wonderful fertility doctor and he helped me with Abigail and he said if you're willing to go through the process with me step-by-step, it will seem like it takes a long time, but we want to do this right. And he was right, I just had to be patient and go through that. It's kind of like being a mom, you have no control."

Where did Duckworth receive fertility treatments? With Dr. Edmond Confino at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Duckworth told the newspaper, "“I’ve had multiple IVF cycles and a miscarriage trying to conceive again, so we’re very grateful."

Duckworth had her first baby, Abigail, in 2014 at age 47, when she was in the House. (The number of women in the House who've had kids in office is just two: Duckworth and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.).

The struggle Duckworth faced when to find anywhere to nurse while she was traveling inspired her to try to pass legislation requiring airports to have nursing rooms. The legislation is out of committee now and Duckworth hopes it leads to an FAA bill and a new law asap.

In Congress, Duckworth has also advocated for paid family leave; supported abortion rights; advocated for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; called for 100,000 Syrian refugees to be admitted to the U.S.; worked to pass common-sense gun control measures, and called out Trump on his inexperience and hypocrisy on issues related to veterans and the military.

Calling the president "Cadet Bone Spurs" since he dodged military service because of a supposed bone spur in his foot, Duckworth recently said to Trump: "If you cared about our military, you'd stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger."

Add those to the many reasons why Duckworth is getting our vote so far for the Bad Ass Award 2018. Here's to a healthy pregnancy and delivery, Senator Duckworth. We're cheering you on.