State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti is no longer Harrisburg‘s first pregnant political leader.

Thanks to her recent delivery of daughter Taglia Cappelletti, the voice for Montgomery County District 17 is now the newest working mom in state politics. Hadas Kuznits reported the change for KYW Newsradio.

The senator’s district covers:

• East Norriton and West Norriton Townships
• Norristown
• Bridgeport
• Upper Merion and Lower Merion Townships
• Narberth
• Portions of Delaware County

The new mom has broken another barrier; she’s now the first state senator on maternity leave. Or, as the state is calling it “legislative leave.”

From her home, Cappelletti votes remotely, one of several learning-curve realities her colleagues are navigating.

Communications director Sara Kelly cites that the birth is raising awareness of workplace gender-equity realities.

“A lot of [her colleagues] are seeing the challenges [of] going through a pregnancy, especially in a workplace environment,” Kelly said. “… Cappelletti has had to field a lot of interesting questions about how her pregnancy will affect her workflow.”

Kelly further said Cappelletti’s pregnancy is illustrating the need for fair, professional accommodations for parents, especially as pay inequities arise among working mothers vs. fathers.

“It brings this perspective to the Pennsylvania Senate that’s never been there before,” Kelly observed.

More on how baby Taglia Cappelletti is changing state politics is at KYW Newsradio.

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Babies and politics: Good for photo ops, but difficult as careers unfold.