UK’s ‘Devastating’ Paternity Leave Is Failing Mums In Their Moment Of Need

Mums are opening up about the impact of the UK's paternity leave system on their postpartum recovery. Just two weeks after having an emergency c-section, Izzy was left alone at home with her baby. Her husband’s statutory paternity leave was over. He was a teacher, and couldn’t take any more time off during term. As he headed back to work, Izzy remained at home, recovering from major surgery while trying to care for their new baby.“The day my husband went back to work after paternity leave was horrific,” she said.“I was still in agony from my emergency c-section and couldn’t pick up my baby without pain, let alone walk to the kitchen cupboard to get myself a glass of water.”She was still learning to breastfeed her child as well, which was “challenging”, especially as all the feeding positions meant contorting her body in a way that strained her c-section wound. “I was ravenous as my body was recovering from the physical trauma of giving birth and also providing all the nutrients my baby needed to survive; yet I was unable to get myself the food or water I needed as I was either under my baby or pumping,” she said. Physical recovery from a C-section usually takes around six weeks, during which rest is essential. Three months after giving birth, Izzy’s c-section wound ruptured and became infected. “I believe this would not have happened if my husband had been at home longer to provide me with the physical and mental support I needed,” said the 38-year-old from Chester. Figures show two in five (42% of) births in 2023/24 were delivered by c-section.To raise awareness of how the UK’s paternity leave system is leaving new mothers in pain and alone in their six weeks recovery, without a partner there to help, new mums have bared their c-section scars in a powerful campaign.Mums are sharing pictures of their C-section scars with a yellow sticker saying "UK paternity leave is a mother f**ker".Many dads up and down the UK are entitled to just two weeks of paternity leave after the birth of a child – for self-employed fathers, there is nothing. It’s been described as the least generous paternity offer in Europe, as the pay is equivalent to less than half the minimum wage.Campaigners want to see it changed. Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, said “women have been paying the price of rubbish paternity leave for decades” and a system that forces partners back to work too soon is “devastating”.“We need to make parental leave make sense,” she continued. “We need to give dads and partners decent leave, to match that of mums, and we need to pay it properly too.“Asking parents to survive on parental pay that is significantly below the national living wage is inhumane – you’d think the government has too many babies, not that we have a birth rate crisis, given how little support there is to help people to become parents today.”Dads have described how they regret not being able to spend more time with their newborns before going back to work, as well as how the short period of leave places an undue caring burden on women. Earlier this year, they went on strike to raise awareness.George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift which organised the strike, said: “It’s hard to put into words just how shit it feels as a dad, knowing you can’t be there for your partner as they care for your baby while recovering from major surgery.“The UK’s rubbish paternity offer means over 230,000 mothers are left every year to fend for themselves and their babies during their post-operative recovery because their partners are forced back to work.“Imagine an entire city the size of Peterborough or Portsmouth, that’s the scale of the failure in public policy we’re talking about.”The UK government is currently reviewing parental leave. The review will look at the whole system – from maternity and paternity leave to shared parental leave – to see how it can work better for parents and employers.C-section scarsKirith Entwistle, MP for Bolton North East, said the UK’s paternity leave system is “failing mums terribly”.“Recovering from childbirth takes time, and establishing breastfeeding is a full time job in the first few months. A system that means two weeks with your partner at home, and then being left to manage everything on your own, isn’t good enough,” she said.“I’m pleased this Labour government is reviewing parental leave to see how we can change things to better support working families.”Joe Powell MP said: “As a dad of baby twins I know the guilt felt by fathers and non-birthing partners across the country when they head out to work, knowing that their partner is still recovering from the birth and in need of more support than they can offer.“Two weeks on less than half the minimum wage for dads just doesn’t cut it and I’m proud this government has launched a review of parental leave to see what more can be done.”The government’s review of parental leave is expected to run for 18 months and, according to CIPD, it’s expected that “concrete plans will not be announced until 2027”.Related...Mums Are Sharing When The Mental Load Peaks – And I'm Exhausted Just Thinking About ItIt's 2025 And Things Are Getting Worse, Not Better, For Mums At WorkWhat Working Dads Won't Tell You, But Wish You KnewDads Have Had Enough. They're Going On Strike – Here's Why

Comments

Breaking news

New qualification to be rolled out alongside A-levels in overhaul of education system

Independent

Two Israeli soldiers and a reported 44 Palestinians dead as ceasefire threatens to collapse: Netanyahu orders 'wave of strikes' on Gaza and stops aid after Hamas attacks

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Young boy is rushed to hospital with head injuries after fairground ride incident

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Tel Aviv football derby is cancelled over 'risk to human lives' as 'violent riots break out at stadium': Pressure mounts over Israeli fans being banned from Aston Villa

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Manhunt launched after teenage girl 'raped by stranger as she walked home'

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Corridor care in hospital an 'everyday reality' no longer confined to winter, doctors say

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Sumo champion wins giant SOY SAUCE bottle as London bids farewell to wrestlers following five-day Royal Albert Hall event - as incredible amount of food to fuel stars' 10,000-calorie-per-day diets comes to light

about 3 hours ago

Prominent royal slips under the radar as she makes low-key appearance at Royal Randwick races

Dailymail

How a Labour manifesto boast led to the collapse of the China spy trial... after a suspect was found with £4,000 in cash in a suitcase as he flew into Heathrow

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

Male migrant who posed as a female nurse and worked in A&E department for months avoids jail

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

David Beckham downs shots and pokes fun wife Victoria's lack of cooking skills as he single-handedly prepares the family's Sunday lunch - after daughter Harper joked Posh could 'burn water'

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

ITV stands by Kaye Adams as she clings on as Loose Women host despite 'bullying' storm at the BBC

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

Corrie icons William Roache, 93, and Barbara Knox, 92, reveal they have no plans to retire as they lead the winners at Variety Club Awards after bagging Outstanding Contribution to TV

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

Millennials, cover your ears! Three-quarters of Gen Z have never heard of dial-up internet - and 60 per cent do not know about Yellow Pages

about 4 hours ago

Dailymail

Police must launch criminal probe into Prince Andrew's 'dirt digging' bid on Virginia Giuffre, ex-head of Royal Protection demands: Disgraced ex-Duke 'must be quizzed under caution over serious matter'

about 4 hours ago

Giuffre thought she might 'die a sex slave' at hands of Epstein and his circle, memoir reveals

BBC News

Comments

Similar News

How the cracks are beginning to show in Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

Creepy ‘vile’ dungeon containing 2,000-year-old secrets is unearthed beneath busy UK market square

UK Police 'Looking Into' Claims Prince Andrew Tried to Smear Accuser

Famous US shop to open three stores in UK 'within weeks'

Vladimir Putin's hackers hit eight UK military bases and post info on dark web

Greens overtake Tories as UK's third-largest party following surge in members under new leader Zack Polanski - as he repeats call for Britain to quit NATO

China ‘plants pretty young women at public meetings MPs attend to try to glean UK secrets from them’

Miliband says ‘we must never have no go zones’ for Jews and Israelis in the UK amid Aston Villa row

The best Halloween attractions across the UK - from terrifying scare mazes to toddler-friendly pumpkin patches

Watch: Moment giraffe is born at UK safari park

Brexit Will Damage The UK Economy 'For The Foreseeable Future', Says Bank Of England Chief

UK weather maps show -2C freeze to hit Brits - full list of 10 coldest counties

Households in UK urged to do 'vital' quick check before end of October

Covid Stratus warning to anyone who vapes as new strain sweeps across UK

Rising temperatures are threatening UK trees - but these species could save our forests

Charming UK seaside town frozen in 1950s with incredible attraction

UK Government unveils plan to ‘train up next generation of clean energy workers’

Thousands protest plans for mandatory digital ID cards in the UK

Brexit impact on UK economy will be negative for foreseeable future, Bailey warns

Brexit impact on UK economy 'negative for foreseeable future,' Bank of England chief says

Breaking news

New qualification to be rolled out alongside A-levels in overhaul of education system

Gen Zs quitting banking jobs for ‘entrepreneurial experiences’, bosses say

To hit back at the United States in their trade war, China borrows from the US playbook

Wes Streeting launches independent inquiry into maternity failures by Leeds hospitals

FBI investigating ‘suspicious’ hunting stand with sightline to Trump’s Air Force One landing zone

Consumer belt-tightening takes toll on UK firms, report reveals

Piers Morgan hints at potential run for prime minister: ‘It’s time to get tough’

Women’s urinals to be at more UK events after £1m funding boost

Travel bosses warn holidays will become ‘too costly’ for some if taxes are raised

Millions stung by scams with online shopping the top trap – Citizens Advice

Holidays will cost more if taxes are hiked in Budget, say travel bosses

Gaza ceasefire 'resumes' after killings and suspension of aid test fragile truce

Rachel Reeves urged to hike tax on banks’ 'bumper profits' to raise cash

Three in five doctors cared for patients 'in corridors, offices and cupboards this summer'

Ed Miliband raises hopes that VAT on energy bills will be scrapped in the Chancellor's autumn Budget

Two Israeli soldiers and a reported 44 Palestinians dead as ceasefire threatens to collapse: Netanyahu orders 'wave of strikes' on Gaza and stops aid after Hamas attacks

Young boy is rushed to hospital with head injuries after fairground ride incident

Tel Aviv football derby is cancelled over 'risk to human lives' as 'violent riots break out at stadium': Pressure mounts over Israeli fans being banned from Aston Villa

Manhunt launched after teenage girl 'raped by stranger as she walked home'

Corridor care in hospital an 'everyday reality' no longer confined to winter, doctors say

Sumo champion wins giant SOY SAUCE bottle as London bids farewell to wrestlers following five-day Royal Albert Hall event - as incredible amount of food to fuel stars' 10,000-calorie-per-day diets comes to light

Prominent royal slips under the radar as she makes low-key appearance at Royal Randwick races

China will soon have a new Five Year Plan. Here's how they have changed the world so far

From Hollywood to horticulture: Cate Blanchett on a mission to save seeds

Tel Aviv derby called off by police after 'violent riots'

Two dead after cargo plane skids off Hong Kong runway into sea

MoD probes claims Russian hackers stole files on bases

Bankers on edge, a gilded cash room and US blaming China - my week with global finance elite

For Alaskan Evacuees, Home Is Gone, With No Return in Sight

Can a University From Tennessee Help Accelerate Growth in West Palm Beach?