Mums’ pay is crying shame
Questions mums-to-be go online the most to ask about their baby
MUMS in Britain get one of the lowest amounts of decently paid maternity leave in Europe.
Only new mothers in the Republic of Ireland and Slovakia get a worse deal.
Decently paid leave is classed as at least twothirds of normal earnings.
Women in Britain get six weeks’ pay at 90% of their usual rate – 1.4 million on under £112 a week receive no paid maternity leave.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, which carried out the study, said: “Lots of parents here are forced back to work early to pay the bills.”
THE most common question asked by worried mums-tobe on Google is: “Will my baby be ginger?”
And in an image-obsessed world, other major concerns are: “What if my baby is born ugly?”, “Will my baby have blue eyes?” and “Will my baby have curly hair?”
The list, compiled by digital marketing agency Search Labo- ratory, found fears that the baby may be allergic to the family cat also give women the jitters.
They discovered that the phrase “parenting tips” gets around 8,100 hits a month while the more emotive “How to be a good parent” is searched for 2,400 about times a month.
The survey also found that mums are no less anxious after the baby is born.
They bombard Google with off-the-wall questions like “Why does my baby grunt?” and ”Why is my baby’s hair receding?”
The number one worry is: “Why is my baby’s poo green?” then followed by “Why is my baby crying?”
Other worries are “Why doesn’t my baby blink?” and “Why is my baby so windy?”
A drop in body temperature, an orange nose and bad breath also have mums reaching for their iPads and smartphones. Sarah Redshaw, of Babycentre. co.uk said: “From the moment mums find they’re pregnant they are hungry for information.
“This continues throughout pregnancy and the baby phase.
“In the past, mothers didn’t have this information at their fingertips but had to rely on books, friends, family or old wives’ tales.”