Supporting those moments of miracles

When a baby is born prematurely, life gets turned on its head for the working mother. We take a look at how employers can respond in these moments of uncertainty and upheaval.

Sarah Blaney was just 23 weeks pregnant when her waters broke and she was rushed to hospital. After one big push at 5.58 am on 4 March 2013, baby Holly was born and immediately rushed to an incubator, where she was ventilated. She was tiny and her eyes were fused shut. For Sarah, who had just been through an unexpected birth, it was very daunting. Just the day before she had been working as a legal executive for a Wellington law firm, where she documented every six minutes of her day.

Luckily Sarah had a supportive employer. They did and said all the right things. They came with flowers, they set up all the forms to start the government’s statutory maternity leave, and they even kept her job open for her.

But what is the requirement for employers? And typically what support do employers offer? I spoke to Justine Brooker, Operations Manager at The Neonatal Trust New Zealand. Every year around 10 per cent of all babies are born premature (before 37 weeks’ gestation) in New Zealand. That’s one premature baby born every 90 minutes. The Neonatal Trust New Zealand provides support to parents by helping them in whatever way it can to get through what is usually a very traumatic time.

“The majority of the families that we talk to have all had an extremely understanding and empathetic employer,” says Justine. “Support can present itself early on, say for Dads, where they’re offered flexible working hours or extra leave while the baby is still critical in NICU.”

Employees may be able to get preterm baby payments, in addition to parental leave payments, if they are eligible for parental leave payments and are caring for a baby who was born live before the end of 36 weeks’ gestation. These preterm baby payments are available for a continuous period of up to 13 weeks and are paid at the same rate as the parental leave payment.

It’s further down the road when the parent is going back to work where more opportunities are available for employers to support the employee with part-time work or working from home or flexible hours, or even extended maternity leave.

“We recommend that employers talk to the family in the first instance, to see what it is that would make the most difference to them. Each situation is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all,” states Justine.

It’s helpful if employers really listen to their employee’s needs and are mindful that, even though their child has been discharged from hospital, the neonatal journey hasn’t ended for most families. Premature babies need follow-up care and appointments for several years, plus they are typically more susceptible to illnesses year-round. It’s also important to remember that these families have been through a traumatic experience, so offering support through an Employee Assistance Programme could be valuable.