Following criticism Rocko MP Magenta Marshall would quit after childbirth, MP returns to work after 6 weeks

While many mums enjoy 20 weeks at home with their newborns, Magenta Marshall is back at work just six weeks after little Bowie was born, quashing criticism she would quit after giving birth. Not that it seems to worry the Rockingham MP who is cuddling baby Bowie in one arm, sipping her coffee with the other, while fielding questions about the upcoming election, breastfeeding and sleepless nights. Ms Marshall joins a growing list of mothers in parliament, including South Australian MP Jayne Stinson, who welcomed a baby this year, while Jacinta Ardern became a mother while serving as New Zealand Prime Minister. Bowie is WA’s first baby born to a sitting Lower House MP and Ms Marshall said she was ready to juggle motherhood and Parliament, which isn’t always family-friendly. “I worked for a member of Parliament and when he was elected in 2017 Parliament sat until 10pm, and then 7pm, and then 5pm, over the three days, so it’s definitely gotten more family friendly since then,” Ms Marshall said. “It’s a demanding job in so many other ways as well, in terms of local events in the evening, and the weekend, but a lot of parents do it in other industries as well. “I’m sure it’s hard to be a nurse, a doctor or a police officer, you know, all that shift work, I think would be hard to juggle.” While Australia has come a long way since Greens Senator Larissa Waters made international headlines in 2017 for breastfeeding in Federal Parliament, WA’s MPs do not get maternity leave. But Ms Marshall was granted leave for the first four sitting weeks of Parliament. Her husband Jake has taken paternity leave from his teaching job to care for Bowie when Ms Marshall returns to Parliament next week. “(Motherhood) is definitely more challenging than I thought it was going to be, but I’m ready,” Ms Marshall said. “Jake’s been really helpful. He’s really hands on. And I think, you know, if I can try and keep up the pumping and bottle feeding, then there are some things I would love to take her to. “I could take her doorknocking. It would be good for her to get out in the sunshine as well.” Ms Marshall said her colleagues have been supportive though, with Cockburn MP David Scaife, who has just welcomed a newborn, a valuable source of advice and Speaker of the House Michelle Roberts, who has three children, as a role model. She is also determined to continue breastfeeding and will keep up the pumping at Parliament. While she isn’t sure she will follow Ms Waters’ lead, she does hope to bring Bowie into the Lower House on those long sitting nights. This should allay the fears of those who thought Ms Marshall would abandon the electorate after becoming a mother. During the 2023 Rockingham by-election in which Ms Marshall was elected, her Liberal opponent Peter Hudson questioned her suitability to enter Parliament given her age. The timing of these comments was unfortunate as they came after Ms Marshall had experienced a miscarriage. In a Facebook message sent to a constituent, Mr Hudson encouraged them to ask Ms Marshall whether she intended to quit politics to have a child. “I notice that Magenta keeps spruiking that she wants to start a family in the electorate soon,” Mr Hudson wrote. “This question can’t come from me but I think it’s an important one to ask, if she does get elected and falls pregnant, will she resign the seat?” Ms Marshall will not resign the seat and credits her mother, who also returned to work just six weeks after giving birth to her sibling, as a role model. “She has very big heart,” she said. “So she’s been a great support and this is the first grandbaby, so it’s very exciting for her. “Mum has always said all a baby needs is love and I definitely think that’s a strong value I have. “In those early weeks when I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and not being particularly kind to myself, I realised later on, you know, she’s getting love, she’s getting fed, it’s hard, and I’ve got to be kind to myself and not put too much pressure on myself. “I guess comparison can be really hard. That’s something I found looking at other people and thinking ‘oh, their baby is sleeping right’ or this or that. “But I think it’s such a different journey for everyone, you know. I had a really good pregnancy and was able to work right up until 40 weeks and be active. “So this newborn stage, I thought, oh, they’ll just fit into my life, because pregnancy didn’t change it, but it has been an adjustment.” Ms Marshall said having Bowie has taught her many lessons, including needing to be kind to herself. “Also, take the time that you need and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, I think that has been good advice,” she added. “I know early on I was not being very kind to myself. When I was (10 days post-partum) thinking I would try to do something work-related, and it just didn’t work. “But also, I thought it would be a lot more predictable, but newborns don’t fit into a plan. So that’s been a big lesson.” Going forward, Ms Marshall believes that becoming a parent will allow her to bring more compassion to the job. “It’s definitely made me more aware of issues that parents face, that I wouldn’t have been privy to beforehand,” she said. “So it’s definitely given me more compassion and grace for myself, which is probably something I can take into my work as well. “When something goes wrong, I can definitely be down on myself about things. “But I’m sure that (parenting) is probably the hardest thing I’ll ever do, so that might give me some perspective when things go wrong. “It might be a nice distraction as well. If I’ve had a bad day politically, I can go home and there’s a baby that doesn’t care about that.”