'Neonatal leave would have been massive for us'

A mum who missed out on neonatal leave said she was expected to go back to her "normal professional" life while not knowing what lay in store for her premature son.

Bethany Earl, a quality engineer from Herne Bay, Kent, gave birth to Arthur at 24 weeks. Weighing just 750g (1lb 10oz), he went on to spend 89 days in neonatal intensive care.

Under legislation coming into effect on 6 April, families whose babies need to be cared for in neonatal units will be entitled to additional time off work.

Business Minister Justin Madders said: "What Bethany and her family have been through is why we need to bring in this new leave as quickly as possible."

Premature baby charity The Smallest Things, along with others, has been campaigning for the additional leave for a decade and welcomes the change.

But founder Catriona Ogilvy said being on the wrong side of a deadline by "just a few months, days or even hours" was heartbreaking, calling on employers to be compassionate under these circumstances.

The leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or longer, on top of any other leave they may be entitled to.

Miss Earl gave birth in June 2024 and was not entitled to the additional leave.

She said it would have allowed her "to not have to choose between paying the mortgage and caring for my son".

She said she was "expected to go back to work and carry on a 'normal' professional life while I do not know the life my son will lead".

Neonatal leave would have made a "massive" difference to her family, she added.

Her son's brain damage affected his eyes and muscles and he was still on oxygen for chronic lung disease.

Despite having laser eye surgery to save his eyesight in October 2024, Arthur has lost his peripheral vision.

Jenny Yon, from Haywards Heath, gave birth to her son Theo in October last year at 33 weeks and he weighed just 2kg (4.4Ibs).

The 36-year-old said the new legislation was "unfortunate timing" for her, but was "a step in the right direction" for families.

"I believe it will take a lot of pressure off for families," she said.

Ms Yon, an architectural designer, said she had stayed at a neonatal care unit for four weeks.

While she was there, she said there were some "incredibly sick" babies, some born at just 22 weeks.

"I think this new legislation will benefit a lot of families because they can spend more time to care for their child and making sure they are healthy," she added.

Ms Ogilvy said neonatal leave meant families could be with their babies in hospital or have "essential time at home to bond, begin to recover from trauma and to care for a fragile baby or babies".

Madders said the additional 12 weeks of leave would be on top of parental leave.

He said it meant parents would not "have to worry about choosing between keeping their job and spending time with their baby whilst they're in hospital".

"I encourage employers to continue to be compassionate and go above and beyond the statutory minimum where they can," he added.

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