Nightmare of the lockdown new mums who are facing coronavirus without support
BETHANY Power’s son Jayden was 13 weeks old on March 23, when the Prime Minister used a press conference to announce the start of lockdown. In those five words – “you must stay at home” – her maternity leave plans were snatched away.
“We haven’t been able to have the same clinic visits, which has caused a lot of anxiety,” says Bethany, a 29-yearold rehab specialist from Rochester, Kent. “We haven’t been able to go to play sessions, so Jayden hasn’t been able to mix with other babies.”
Meanwhile, Bethan Jones’ baby son Chase was 17 weeks old, meaning she was left without the support she needed for post-natal depression.
“I already had severe mental health issues after a difficult break-up and my son has been unwell,” Bethan, 31, a leasing broker from Tamworth, Staffs, says. “But I’ve had zero support.”
These are two of hundreds of thousands of women with genuine worries about their babies’ development and their own mental health, who are struggling due to lack of support from grandparents and professional childcare. The two women went on to join forces to campaign for a three-month extension to maternity leave for women with babies born during lockdown.
But if they expected a Prime Minister who had a baby during the pandemic to be sympathetic – baby Wilfred was born a month after lockdown began – so far, their calls have fallen on deaf ears.
A petition started by James Zammit-Garcia was signed by 226,000 people. In July, another campaigner, Bethany Shirley, even managed to get a question in to People’s PMQs.
“I will study the petition you mention,” Boris Johnson said. “I will definitely have a look at that”. He added that “we are absolutely determined to support childcare”.
The petition led to a devastating report from the cross- party House of Commons Petitions Committee, based on responses from a staggering 68,000 people, which found that the coronavirus “has had a serious and unprecedented impact” on new mums and dads. “We heard from parents who found their jobs are at risk because they haven’t been able to find childcare, parents p whose mental health has been severely affected, an and from parents who wh are desperate for help and support,” s th the committee’s r report says. One respondent wrote: “I’m a single m mother of four ch children and I haven’t had any one- to- one time to bond with my baby or take him out and get him socialised. I suffer su with depression sio and anxiety and I I’ve had no time to g get help and I feel this could impact on our relationship.”
Another said: “I was an NHS employee so could not be furloughed, but my local nursery is closed and grandparents who were due to look after my daughter are currently unable to do so due to lockdown rules, so I had to resign.”
The petitions committee is now seeking to schedule a debate as a matter of urgency. “I am extremely disappointed the Government has still not recognised the urgency of this issue and at least responded in part to our report,” says Catherine McKinnell MP, the Committee’s chairwoman. “Particularly given the PM’s personal commitment to review it.
“Parents coming to the end of their leave are faced with a dreadful dilemma of having to prepare to return to work while they try to ensure that their child’s social and developmental needs are being met, at a time when finding suitable childcare is hugely challenging. New parents need clarity now on what support the Government will provide for them in the midst of this pandemic. As we have now returned from the summer recess, I implore the Government to act urgently on as many of our recommendations as possible before it’s too late.”
More than 200,000 babies are believed to have been born when lockdown was at its most restrictive, between March 23 and July 4, according to research commissioned by three leading UK children and parents’ advocacy groups.
The Babies In Lockdown report found some new parents felt “abandoned” and that the impact of Covid-19 on babies could be “severe” and may be “long-lasting”. Meanwhile, yesterday, the TUC revealed the extent of the nation’s wider childcare crisis, saying it was forcing women out of work.
“I can’t work from home with a baby who requires my attention 24/ 7,” Bethan Jones says. For now, she is taking unpaid leave.
On 21st July, the Business Minister Paul Scully wrote to the Committee to promise a comprehensive reply by today, but the Government says it is still looking into their recommendations.
A Government spokesperson said: “The UK has one of the most generous maternity leave offers in the world, but we understand this is a difficult period for new and expectant mothers. That is why we have taken steps to ensure women will not lose out on statutory maternity pay should their roles be furloughed.”
“We are not asking for a lot,” Bethany Power says. “It’s less than someone who is on furlough for a month.”
Bethan Jones is also determined to keep up the fight. “When my son is older, I want to tell him I did everything I could,” she says.
Women have worries about their mental health and are struggling