Letters to the Editor: Choosing to have a child should not place families in financial distress

'We urgently need adequately paid maternity leave, accessible and reliable childcare, and policies that reflect how families actually live today'

'Once paid maternity leave ends, I face the very real prospect of months — possibly much longer — without any income.' File picture

When I discovered I was pregnant, I felt the same emotions most expectant parents feel: Joy, gratitude, and cautious excitement, alongside the natural nerves that come with such a life-changing moment.

What I did not expect was the steady, creeping anxiety that soon followed — not about my baby’s health but about how we are expected to survive financially once maternity leave begins.