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'It's such a hard time' - Parents of premature babies welcome extra support

Catriona Renton
BBC Scotland News
BBC A family of three, a mother, father, and young child, stands together outdoors in a garden setting. The woman has shoulder-length light brown hair. She is wearing a teal padded jacket and a purple and green plaid scarf. The man has short dark brown hair. He is wearing an orange vest and a dark colored long-sleeved shirt. The child is a young toddler, blond hair, and is wearing a jacket with a print on it. The expressions of the family members are relaxed and friendly.BBC
Mum Helen, who started maternity leave unexpectedly, with dad Phil and baby Lachlan

Helen Pickett planned meticulously for the arrival of her first baby.

Living in the Western Isles, and aware she was classed as a "high risk" and a "geriatric" pregnancy, she knew she would have to deliver in a hospital on the mainland.

But her plans were thrown into disarray when, at 31 weeks, there was a complication.

"We went for a scan and the doctor said we should go back in a couple of days," she said.

"After the second scan, we sat down and he said we should prepare to have this baby sooner rather than later.

"Then he said 'Pack your bag, I'm calling an air ambulance'."

Helen Pickett A tiny baby Lachlan, just after he was born, in an incubator. He is hooked up to oxygen and various tubes and monitors. He grasps the finger of what appears to be his father.Helen Pickett
Baby Lachlan was born eight weeks early weighing just 3.6lbs

Teacher Helen and her minister husband Phil were taken to Glasgow and then to Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert.

Staff carried out some medical interventions for a few days to make the baby more resilient - including injections of steroids for his lungs.

The following Monday, baby Lachlan was born by C-section.

He was eight weeks early and weighed just 3.6lbs (1.6kg).

The newborn spent six weeks in the neonatal ward. Helen and Phil lived with their baby son, sleeping at the hospital, as well as staying with family in Edinburgh and occasionally in a nearby hotel.

"There was significant financial pressure," said Helen.

"I hadn't been due to start my maternity leave from work, but the policy is that it automatically started when I went into hospital.

"I was still supposed to be working but suddenly I was on maternity leave and that had a knock-on effect later in the year. "

Helen and Phil are just one set of parents who have faced the financial and emotional challenge of having a premature baby.

Calls for the UK government to help families in this position have now been answered.

Helen Pickett Helen sits in a window seat on the plane home, smiling at the camera as she holds a sleeping baby in her arms. Lachlan is wrapped in a baby blue blanket and knitted hat.Helen Pickett
Helen takes the flight home to the Western Isles after six weeks in the neonatal unit

This weekend, new legislation will come into force giving parents with sick new babies up to 12 weeks' paid leave in addition to maternity and paternity leave.

Neonatal Care Leave comes in on Sunday and will mean that parents will not have to choose between being with their baby in hospital or losing pay.

One in seven UK newborns needs to be cared for in a specialist hospital unit.

Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or longer.

Currently mothers with sick children use up much of their maternity leave before their babies are home and often return to work earlier than intended due to financial pressure.

That was certainly the case for Helen.

The family play in the garden, Lachlan sits at the top of a small slide, helped by his dad Phil while mum Helen waits at the bottom, arms stretched out ready to catch him. Mum is in a green puffer coat and green and purple scarf, Lachlan wears navy waterproof trousers and a coat with a space pattern while dad is in black trainers, rust trousers and an orange gilet over a blue fleece.
Mum Helen, dad Phil and Lachlan , now two, play in their garden

"Things like petrol, and accommodation when Lachlan was very poorly, we would try and stay in a hotel nearby so we could get there very quickly," she said.

"We were lucky because Phil's employer was very understanding and let him be with us.

"But we saw other families in ICU - dads and family members coming in in their work clothes and I really felt for those families."

She added: "It's such a hard time and the idea you have to split your focus is really challenging."

The whole experience took its toll.

"It's very emotionally challenging," Helen added. "You go into survival mode. It was very intense and stressful too - Lachlan had a lot of oxygen and interventions.

"Having a baby is a big thing for anyone and there is always a recovery period, but this isn't like bringing your baby home and looking after them and getting to know them. It is a different experience and I am really glad this is being acknowledged in some way.

"I am delighted other people in my situation are going to have that little bit of extra support."

Helen Pickett Two year-old Lachlan standing on a trampoline in his garden. He wears a colourful stripy jumper and some navy dungarees. He is smiling and has rosy cheeks from the cold.Helen Pickett
Lachlan has made great progress since arriving early

Bliss, a charity which supports the families of premature and sick babies, said the law change was "transformative".

Campaigns managerJosie Anderson said it was "an exciting change" the charity had campaigned on for years.

"When a baby is born premature or sick and needs hospital care after they are born a family's life is turned upside down," she said.

"Parents often don't expect to end up in a neonatal unit with a vulnerable baby and we hear from families about the pressure that work puts on them. Dads have no choice but to go back to work in the majority of cases and for mums huge swathes of their maternity leave is spent at home."

She added; "This entitlement means they can be where they need to be which is by their baby's bedside."

Former Scottish SNP MP Stuart McDonald introduced the bill to the UK Parliament in 2022.

He told MPs his proposal would "give parents the emotional and financial support needed at a time of great stress and trauma."