Australian lawmaker Larissa Waters becomes the first woman to breastfeed in Parliament

A baby named Alia and her mother just made history in Australia.

Alia’s mother is Larissa Waters, a senator in Australia’s Parliament in Canberra.

On Tuesday Waters became the first politician to breastfeed during a session.

“So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli #auspol,” Waters wrote on Twitter.

The Queensland politician just returned to work with her newborn after a 10-week maternity leave, according to CBS News, and had hinted that she would feed Alia on the job.

“I’ll be having a few more weeks off but will soon be back in parliament with this little one in tow,” Waters wrote in a Facebook post announcing the birth of her daughter in March.

“She is even more inspiration for continuing our work to address gender inequality and stem dangerous climate change. (And yes, if she’s hungry, she will be breastfed in the Senate chamber).”

The Parliament changed its rules last year to create a more “family friendly” environment and allow female lawmakers to nurse their babies in chamber.

Under the old rules, described by some as “antiquated,” children were technically banned in the chamber, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The rules were changed after what one politician described as a “baby boom” in Parliament. Now both men and women are allowed to bring their children into the chamber if they are responsible for their care.

“No member, male or female, will ever be prevented from participating fully in the operation of the Parliament by reason of having the care of a baby,” the Leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, said in February 2016.

In 2003 another female member of Parliament, Kirstie Marshall, was thrown out of the chamber for breastfeeding her 11-day-old daughtern Charlotte, noted Refinery29.

“You can’t have a stranger in the House and she hasn’t been elected to Parliament,” she was told before being led away to another room to feed her baby.

Waters was taken aback by the positive responses that came her way from around the world. By Wednesday her tweet had been retweeted nearly 2,000 times.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Australian lawmaker Larissa Waters becomes the first woman to breastfeed in Parliament."