More than 105,000 people have signed a petition urging the Government to extend maternity leave for mothers who have premature babies.

Catriona Ogilvy launched the petition after both her sons were born prematurely. Her first son Samuel came 10 weeks early in 2011 and spent two months in neonatal intensive care.

She told Sky News: "I was terrified of touching him, you were terrified that you might knock his breathing tube, that you might disconnect his wires.

"It was a very, very traumatic time for us. Our world just turned upside down."

Image: Catriona Ogilvy pictured with her son Samuel, who was born prematurely in 2011

Despite not being able to take her son home, she was surprised to learn her maternity leave allowance started immediately.


"I just couldn't understand how maternity leave could be visiting a critically ill baby," she said.

Referring to current legislation which allows mums to take up to 52 weeks maternity leave which does not take into account premature babies sometimes spending extended time in hospital, she said: "When it comes to a baby being born that early and needing that sort of care, then actually the law is very black and white, you start your maternity leave the very next day."

Image: Mrs Ogilvy's two sons

Catriona believes statutory maternity leave - and crucially pay - should be extended for mothers of premature babies, to give families the additional emotional and financial support they need.

A recent survey by special care baby charity Bliss, who Catriona is a campaigner for, said an average eight-week stay for premature babies costs parents £2,256.

She is concerned that many mothers use up their leave while their babies are in hospitals and are forced back to work under current rules as a result and before they are ready.

She added of her own experience: "Emotionally I wasn't ready to go back to work."

Government to improve maternity safety

The extension of maternity leave for mothers with premature babies is a move that is already happening in New Zealand and a campaign that is being supported by her local MP, who's hoping to change the law in the UK where around 60,000 births a year are premature.

Steve Reed MP told Sky News: "This week I'm presenting a bill in Parliament that will seek to extend maternity and paternity leave for parents of premature babies so they have the greater flexibility they need to spend time with their children who are fighting for their lives in incubators in hospitals because they've been born weeks or sometimes months too soon."