In April of this year I created a petition to increase paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks and I gave a number of evidence based recommendations to justify the increase based on best practice for breastfeeding (because that’s what I do and is my passion!). I also sent letters to various ministers and was told by the then social services minister that the 2009 Productivity Commission Report that was the basis for the decision around 18 weeks. I’ve since gone through the entire 585 page report shows evidence on so many levels that 6 months is the optimal length of time for parental leave, not just for breastfeeding outcomes, but overall child development, child attachment and maternal and parenting outcomes. The petition closed on 27/4/22 with 8,461 signatures and since then the government has changed hands so I am writing to the new ministers with the below information.

I have copied and pasted key highlights below that support 26 weeks parental leave.

Reframing it this way gives you a rationale and fuel for the struggle as it is an investment into your bond, why would you not want that.

And it will get better, the feeding, the sleeping, the cleaning, being together. You will get better and the baby will get better, you are learning and developing new skills together, 10,000 hours so the books tell me.

I started thinking about our villages and our self care post birth in the period known as the 4th trimester or the first 3 months post birth.

I am notoriously independent and a Type A organiser. So asking for help isn’t something I am good at and I am just as bad at accepting offers of help.

When my first child was born, I was determined that not much was going to change. That I could still do it all. And to be honest, I still did - to my own detriment.