PARENT TRAP
ILL BABY’S DAD CAN’T AFFORD TO STOP WORK Neonatal care leave will ease pressure on families
A DAD whose son was born at just 27 weeks is backing legislation that will support parents of babies who require specialist care.
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill, introduced by Scottish MP Stuart C McDonald, has been backed by the UK Government and will provide parents with an additional 12 weeks of paid leave while their newborns are in hospital.
Gary Milligan, 33, and his wife Monica Sheen, 34, welcomed their son Alfie three months early, weighing just 1lb 6oz.
Since November, Alfie has remained at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. The tiny newborn’s lungs have collapsed and he has had to be resuscitated numerous times.
As their son fights for survival, lorry driver Gary says he has barely seen Alfie as he couldn’t afford to take unpaid leave. The dad, from Wishaw, Lanarkshire, says he is trapped working 70-hour weeks to keep a roof over their head while mum Monica gave up working as an NHS nurse to be with Alfie full-time.
Gary told the Record: “Monica was on maternity pay but when that came to an end we had to decide if she should go back to work or if I should take unpaid leave to be with our son.
“I’m not able to take time off work, even if I wanted to, because Alfie wouldn’t have a home to go back to.
“We couldn’t afford to pay for our mortgage. Alfie is very ill, and we’ve had to deal with the emotional and financial stress. It has been a nightmare.”
Once in law, neonatal care leave will be available to employees from their first day in a new job and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or more.
Stuart C McDonald, MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, said: “No parent should have to choose between being with their premature or sick baby in neonatal care and having to return to work to earn a living.
“With the cost of living soaring, it is more important than ever that we secure an urgent change in the law so that parents of babies in neonatal care get the paid leave and support they need.”