One in 10 mums returning to work within 4 months of birth due to financial woes

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. I haven’t experienced something quite so daunting – having to leave my child with people I didn’t know at that stage was super difficult.” She said there “was no way on earth” she would have been able to survive on statutory maternity pay as she recounted how she struggled to sleep during this period and was put on antidepressants. I had another meeting where they told me not to tell the client I’d just had a baby and I had to pump my milk in the loo.” In the UK, statutory maternity leave is paid for up to 39 weeks – with mothers getting 90 per cent of average weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks. “Simultaneously, and I would argue not unrelated, NHS data from August 2022-March 2023 showed an 8 per cent increase in new mothers accessing support for mental health services on the NHS,” she added. “Parents who are ready to return to work will benefit from the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever and we’re supporting those who are struggling with record financial support worth around £3,300 per household as we drive down inflation to make everyone’s money go further.”