Here's a post from BLISS, the charity for babies born sick or premature and their parents, about a new bill coming to parliament:
"The current parental leave system is failing parents with a baby born premature or sick. When a baby is born needing extra hospital care, parents struggle to meet the cost of living, and many return to work while their baby is still sick, or before they are ready. A new Bill is being introduced to give parents more time – but we need your help to push it through.
Ask your MP to support the Bill.
Stuart McDonald, SNP MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, is taking a Bill through Parliament that will benefit thousands of employed parents every year – providing them with up to 12 weeks paid leave from work if their newborn baby is hospitalised or need medical care for 7 days or more.
Stuart, who topped this year’s Private Member’s Bill Ballot, said, “No parent should have to choose between being with their premature or sick baby in neonatal care and having to go back to work to earn a living.
"With the cost of living soaring, it is more important than ever that we secure an urgent change in the law so that parents of babies in neonatal care get the paid leave and support they need at an incredibly challenging time.
"I'm delighted to bring forward this bill with the backing of Bliss and families across Scotland, Wales and England.”
For every seven babies born in the UK, one baby is admitted to neonatal care shortly after birth. Babies receive neonatal care either because they have been born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or at full-term but sick, for example they might have an infection, difficulty breathing or a genetic condition. Babies who are part of twin or multiple pregnancies are more likely to require neonatal admission after birth.
For parents of these babies, the experience is life changing. Rather than taking their baby or babies home shortly after birth, they are admitted to a specialist hospital unit. Babies can spend days, weeks or months in hospital and for many parents this means that much of their parental leave is spent in hospital or caring for a poorly baby at home, rather than getting time to bond. The experience can be traumatic, and 80 per cent of parents report that their mental health became worse after their neonatal experience.
The lack of extra maternity and paternity leave entitlement when a family finds themselves in this scenario means that many parents return to work while their babies are in hospital because they can’t afford to take time off unpaid. Recent research from the chary Bliss found that in around 70 per cent of families with a significant neonatal stay, at least one parent returned to work while their baby or babies were still in hospital.
There is a serious financial impact to having a baby in neonatal care. The additional cost, for families responding to a Bliss survey was £282 per week or £2,256 over the course of their baby’s stay in hospital.
One in four families told Bliss that they had to borrow money or increase their debt due to their baby’s neonatal stay. As household and living costs are rising, the pressure on families with a sick baby in hospital is increasing, making it even more important that MPs take action now.
The Bill will have its 2nd Reading in the House of Commons on the 15th July – the next stage in the long process of getting this essential support for parents. At 2nd Reading, MPs debate the issue and vote about whether the Bill can progress further. We need to get as many MPs along to support the Bill as possible. Support Bliss’ campaign by asking your MP to attend here: https://neonatalleavepaypledge.good.do/shareyourstory/Action/"
Thanks
MNHQ