Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Facing the mother of all battles
Being a new mum is tough enough, but imagine being one during lockdown. Robbed of support, trapped and tired with a tiny screaming human utterly dependent on you.
But that’s been the reality for thousands of women. And with the added pressure of not knowing how you are going to provide for them.
Many women on maternity leave are feeling increasingly vulnerable as businesses face up to potential redundancies.
Meantime grandparents have not been there for cups of tea, advice and cuddles, and they are also out of reach for childcare.
Take just one example – mum Kirsty Pearce, who faces piling on debt and has had to extend her maternity leave without pay.
She’s a learning support assistant and was due to start back, but can’t do the normal settling-in sessions with her baby son at nursery. He’s had little other human contact outside his immediate family and has bad separation anxiety.
On top of this, she’s been homeschooling her other child while her fiancé works in a food warehouse.
She will have to resign – she has no other option. This kind of strain is going to lead to a tsunami of mental health issues in new parents.
New parents have also reported difficulty accessing breastfeeding help, weigh-in clinics and counselling. Three-quarters quizzed felt lockdown had had a significantly
New mum negative effect on their mental health. And the children will suffer.
Anxiety in parents often leads to a lack of bonding, and that can have a knock-on impact on kids – linked to everything from aggression and learning development issues to obesity.
New parents are crying out for more help – and the Government can ease the pressure.
The Maternity Petition is asking for a three-month extension to paid maternity leave, and it’s due to be discussed next week in Parliament.
It would cost far less than furlough and be a lifeline for those who can’t be furloughed anyway.
Helping parents at this difficult time makes sense.
This is about investing in the future – and letting new mums feel supported.
Respect to Leigh Francis, aka Keith Lemon, who got serious this week, apologising on social media for playing “offensive” black characters.
On his Channel 4 Bo Selecta show in the 2000s, he wore masks of Craig David and Mel B and admitted: “Back then I didn’t think anything about it... I didn’t realise how offensive it was.” These kind of apologies go a long way to heal past wounds.
While non-black viewers may have laughed at his show, many black people would have felt humiliated– and accused of not being able to take a joke if they spoke out.
Leigh said he was on a “learning journey”, like a lot of white people.
Wonder if Jim Davidson can join him on it?
We must support parents in bleak times ahead