Nursery World - Mother's premature baby campaign reaches House of Commons

A petition to extend maternity leave for mothers of the around 60,000 babies born prematurely in the UK each year, has been signed by more than 120,000 people and could lead to a change in the law.

The petition was started by London mother of two Catriona Ogilivy and has prompted her MP to introduce a Private Member's Bill.

Under current law, a woman’s Statutory Maternity Leave begins the day after the woman has given birth, which means that mothers of premature babies may end up spending their entire maternity leave with their child in hospital.

By the time many of these mothers are expected to return to work, their premature children may be too small and weak still for childcare, as premature babies are susceptible to infection if exposed to too many different people because their immune systems are immature.

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