Photo courtesy of Nicole Galloway
Nicole Galloway with her husband, Jon, and their newborn son, Joseph Nickels.
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway and her husband, Jon, welcomed their third son, Joseph Nickels, on January 6. This made Galloway the first woman to give birth while holding a statewide office in Missouri.
Overall, the response to her pregnancy and birth has been positive, but she did receive some negative criticism. “It’s unfortunate,” she says, “but I don’t think it’s that unusual.”
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, Galloway was asked if she would resign from her position. One article printed information about her assumed resignation. At first, she ignored the comments, but she ultimately decided she had to issue a response: “Unclear who this 'speculation' is coming from. To be clear, I will not resign because I’m having a baby,” she tweeted.
“I think having a baby while being a statewide office holder is difficult,” Galloway says, adding: “Of course it is. Having a baby is hard and being a parent is hard.”
It's clear when Galloway talks about her experience that she is aware that it’s not unique, that many women encounter similar experiences when they become pregnant.
“While I might be the first statewide office holder, certainly there are women in public service who have done this, and I have done this myself,” she says. She gave birth to her first two sons while serving as treasurer in Boone County. “It’s really about balancing work and family obligations, and I think it’s a balance that lots of women face when they are passionate about their careers and dedicated to their families.”
Photo courtesy of Nicole Galloway
Joseph Nickels was born on January 6.
Galloway's family and friends, along with women she has never met, have reached out to her to offer their support and share their stories. “I think they shared their stories because they are also frustrated,” she says.
Balance is often a delicate act that moms with a career struggle to find. Galloway says, “I think you make the best of what support system you have and make decisions that balance the best for you and your family.”
Some days, Galloway sees parenting as the easier of her two roles. But other days—when her boys don't want dinner, don't want to sleep, and are fighting—she says “the hard day at work seems like the easier of the two things that I have to balance.”
Galloway is an advocate for women pursuing public office, because she believes women bring a different perspective. “Our experiences are different, and the way we approach problems is different," she says.
When Galloway first came into office, before her first pregnancy, she helped create a lactation room for the women in her office. She recognized the importance of having this space for working moms. Women in her office have also created a policy that limits travel for new parents during the child’s first year. “It’s just a different perspective on how you can run an office that is supportive to families,” she says.
Galloway wishes that more women would recognize the important role they could play in public offices. She advises women to ask, “Why can’t I hold this office?” instead of “Am I qualified to hold this office?”
“I think that there are so many women out there who could so obviously do a great job,” she says, adding: “Every working parent has to figure out what works for them, and this doesn’t change when you’re holding an office.”
