Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputies Anne Rabbitte, Niamh Smith, Aindrias Moynihan, James Brown and Frank O'Rourke.

I start by saying, as one premature baby to another, that there are many of us around. When one thinks about how many premature babies are born every year, it should not be unusual that a number of current Deputies would have been born prematurely themselves. There is no doubt that the greatest miracle in life is a baby. A baby comes with lots of emotions and challenges. It is a daunting time both for mums and dads. The greatest heartbreak comes when a baby is sick and parents are at a complete loss as to how to help and support their small offspring.

Some 4,500 babies are born prematurely every year.

This equates to one in 16 Irish women delivering a preterm baby. This is 4,500 Patricks and 4,500 Taras. Deputy Catherine Martin eloquently put the story of Tara and Patrick, and it is something that resonates throughout the country in every constituency.

When we look at the situation globally, the latest World Health Organization report, Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth, gives a very good indication of where we stand in the world. A total of 15 million babies are born prematurely every year. This report was the first ever national, regional and global evaluation of preterm birth. It highlighted how preterm birth rates are increasing in many countries, and preterm birth is now the second leading cause of death worldwide for children under the age of five. This is very scary. World health leaders report that preterm birth has been an overlooked and neglected problem worldwide. As the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, all newborns are vulnerable but preterm babies are acutely so.

As we know, premature babies have a higher risk of respiratory problems, neonatal infections and heart problems. For example, babies born at 23 weeks can spend months in special care units in hospitals, and often babies who are discharged from a unit with a long-term diagnosis are on supportive medical equipment and still need full-time care in the home. Under current legislation a mother will have used up the majority of her maternity leave before her baby even makes the journey home. At present, in Ireland maternity leave comes into effect on the date of the birth of the child, but babies surviving from the earliest gestation, such as 23 weeks as I have outlined, can spend months in a neonatal unit in hospital. When they come home, apart from the extra care they require, they will need to attend regular clinics and therapy appointments.

The situation we have at present with legislation and policy does not take into account the huge unforeseen pressure and turmoil families face when caring for a premature baby. I commend Deputy Martin for her motion, which calls on the Government to recognise the hardship faced by these parents and increase maternity leave and benefits by the number of weeks a child is born prematurely. I acknowledge the Minister of State has said the Government will not oppose the motion, and I support and welcome this statement. We must acknowledge that the system as it is puts enormous pressure on families of premature babies.

When we look at the financial hardship faced by parents of premature babies, the expenses include the daily commute to hospital, parking costs, child care costs for other children at home and accommodation costs. Post-discharge costs include loss of wages, medical costs, GP costs and private assessments and therapies, and this does not even touch on the emotional trauma for a family. I certainly support the Bill and all of the addendums the Deputy has made. Extending paid maternity leave will promote and extend parental care in the first year of a child's life, which is absolutely crucial for the child's development. The journey for parents of a premature baby is often a very difficult one. Supports on an emotional level in terms of giving extra time, and easing the financial burden by extending maternity leave and benefit to reflect this, could make the journey slightly less arduous. It is incumbent upon us in the House to do exactly this.

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