Parliament debate to extend maternity leave

[ejmay90]

Not sure if this has been posted already but please see this debate to extend maternity leave for 3 months.
Please sign if you agree :)

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/306691

The wording on the petition is ridiculous, but with all of the rest of the money being thrown everywhere I can't say I'm really arsed either, why not. I had 6 months full pay, 3 months SMP and 12 months extended unpaid with my job kept open, so can't get too upset about some people getting SMP for a bit longer really. Some of the reasons are a bit self obsessed though.

I mean children can still meet grandparents when you're back at work

Don't know what the original author was smoking. But that doesn't invalidate all the other reasons why this is important.

Unpaid mat leave is shit.

@Jesskir89

Yep I understand your baby does not know it’s grandparent they are to young to understand this is a situation you will have to tell them about in years to come it doesn’t affect them mentally - yep it affects true grandparents and that must be hard I understand
Mines are 11 and 15 it is affecting them mentally they need normal back in their lives

We are never all going to agree on this debate but what we can agree on is this is not normal times everyone has been affected in different ways

Hopefully we will get back to some kind of normal soon and the posts of Mumsnet will become happy ones

Employers should be encouraged to offer extended maternity leave to those struggling (this will benefit them as well as a lot of businesses are going to have to make redundancies etc, any money they can save is good), but extended paid leave, no. Many of the issues highlighted are an issue for many people, and there is no guarantee when this will 'end' and baby groups etc resume, or it is safe to visit grandparents. At least those who are signing are likely to have a job to go back to, those who have lost theirs will have a lot more time with their babies, but probably not enough money for food and their rent, so swings and roundabouts. Everyone is going to be affected.

@Jemstar33 take annual leave for that! Older children are suffering much, much more than tiny babies. Your baby will have no clue what's going on. Older children have had all their family and friends cut from their lives. It's affecting their mental health.
Extending maternity leave is ridiculous. Just take the unpaid, like every other mum has too

@lala241280 let's hope so and I understand everyone's affected but to have this petition go through would just be nice that's all

Use mums returning from work will be paying for that through our taxes when we have not had any benefit !Use mums returning from work will be paying for that through our taxes when we have not had any benefit !

Welcome to society. It's about need not want. Its hardly comparable.

And if you want to come with that shit, us women without kids paid for your mat leave. Oh and I'm not being furloughed. So I'm not "benefiting" at all. Can I have 3 months off to spend with my dog?

It's just selfish. I hope it gets laughted out of parliament.

@methtones you might feel different if you have kids....

How do you explain all the people with children disagreeing with you then @jesskir89?

@PurpleDaisies that's your opinions but I may of had the same opinion as methones until I had a baby myself. There's also 150,000 people that do agree with me and have signed the petition....

Anyway I'm bored of debating now we've all put our points across and we will have to agree to disagree. Stay safe ladies.

The people who have signed this though are not all mums it’s friends and friends of those friends who have been sharing it on Facebook

Bloody hell, another thread about this?! The petition is preposterous! I've had 4 children, maternity leave is for physical recovery from birth and bonding with a newborn. It is NOT time off for baby groups, leisurely pub lunches and sodding sensory play. I'm sorry if first time mums think they have missed out but honestly, baby groups are pretty shit.
The UK is about to experience the worst financial recession we have ever known, millions of people will lose their jobs, lose their homes and there will be no money to bail them out, but you want the taxpayer to fund an extra 3 months off for you to do all of the aforementioned unnecessary things?! Om sorry, but even for FTMs who are notoriously self-absorbed this takes the fucking biscuit! Take unpaid leave if you want more time. That is what career breaks are for. Take one and enjoy your playdates and coffee mornings on your own dime!

Seems like most people opposed don't have children to be eligible for it anyway.
The green eyes minster speaks again.

Other European countries have two years maternity/paternity. We have a piddly 9months.
And yes it's paid for by everyone because funnily enough those children grow up and contribute to the economy. That's how it works.

Signed :)

@Lala241280 yes, that's what happens with ALL petitions. Not just this one

Jesskir89 well that can't happen for me. So since everyone else is petitioning for this, I'll start my own for time with my dog instead. Which is equally ridiculous.

Children are not the be all and end all of life.

Children are not the be all and end all of life.

Actually, that's exactly what they are

Seems like most people opposed don't have children to be eligible for it anyway. The green eyes minster speaks again.

What a disgusting comment, you do realise plenty of people are very happy and content without children, right? And some who heartbreakingly have the choice taken away from them it's horrible to rub it in their faces. If you're the type of person signing it I hope even more that it gets thrown out. And yes, I have a child

Other countries have much longer paid maternity leave but pay eye watering amounts of tax. You can’t have a lower tax system as we have in the U.K. and high levels of social benefits. We’re likely to be facing huge tax increases but the social benefits won’t be improving. The country is broke!

@Horehound but what does the UK’s poor maternity policies have to do with lockdown?

When the country is not on it’s knees a review would be a good idea. But right now it is hardly a priority. Everyone who is on maternity leave now has chosen to be based on the current duration and pay. It’s not changed and it’s not been withdrawn.

Asking for more now at a time of global crisis is just very self absorbed!

Actually, that's exactly what they are hmm

Ha, true. That's not what I meant though obviously. I meant they're not the only reason for living ones life.

I've posted about this on another thread but there were very few people on there who supported the petition...rightly so.

I have twins - just turned 14 months. I've been back at work for a couple of months - weirdly going back to work but not leaving the house so juggling my stressful job around childcare - quite a challenge and not what we had planned.

The twins were born at 28 weeks - we spent 9 weeks almost in hospital. They were critically ill for a significant portion of that time.

I didn't hold my children until day 3 and day 7. I suffer from serious PTSD and OCD. Maternity leave for premie parents will not be extended until 2023. Let that sink in. I "lost" 9 weeks of my maternity leave (which also started rather abruptly) sitting in a hospital not knowing if one or both of my children would survive.

When we finally came home we effectively lived as everyone is living now - on lockdown. Only around Christmas time last year did we start to relax a little - by that I mean the occasional trip out to shopping centres and a day our at an aquarium. My boys have never been to soft play, a baby group or sat in a high chair for a coffee with friends.

I didnt get the maternity leave I dreamed of - but my children are alive and well. I am the most grateful version of myself day in day out because of that simple fact. Today we are all alive and well.

Every parent is entitled to 4 weeks of parental leave (unpaid). If you need to adjust and acclimatise your children to new arrangements post lockdown - use your parental leave or annual leave entitlements (that continue to accrue on maternity leave).

Statutory Maternity pay isn't free money - people should be grateful that they have a job to go back to and bloody grateful that there baby is safe and well.

If you didn't sign the petition or support the campaign for extended maternity leave for premie and sick newborn parents and did sign this entitled, short sighted one then shame on you.

The only person I know on maternity leave has her dh at home due to Corona so actually as a family they have had far more time together to bond.

Mum has actually had another person in the house to take care of sibling to fitter bond .

I did water babies but as pools are currently closed not sure whoever mentioned swimming is relevant . I swam regularly before they shut , don’t expect the government to pay for me not to work so I can get extra swim sessions in

@Lizfigs yes of course but what's your point? It's nothing to do with people who don't have children. Unless you're going to argue about why those people should pay for it but then there's arguments for basically any money we pay to tax that doesn't directly affect us.
The fact some people cannot have children but want to us irrelevant for those who can and can have a maternity/paternity period.