Northern Ireland becomes first in UK to give parents two weeks paid leave for miscarriage

Erin Sharkey's miscarriages caused chaos and confusion, not least because of her and her partner's decision that they should take off work to help with their grief.

But in Northern Ireland, a woman and her partner can now take two weeks of paid leave if they have a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy.

The change, according to Erin, a Miscarriage Association volunteer, will "give people the validation for their feelings and allow them time to grieve together.

She said her employer had been supportive, but she felt societal pressure to return to work.

Her miscarriages, she said, were like

all your hopes for stunning happy moments come crashing down

- from planning to a child's future to complete loss.

"People were texting during the first few days, expressing their displeasure with me. But then that stopped. I felt I must have arrived at a point where people expect me to be fine.

"My partner didn't even take a day off work because we knew other people who had miscarriages and their families didn're not allowed to work.

"If she had been with me for two weeks, it would have minimised my anxiety greatly.

What miscarriage leave is available in Northern Ireland?

A woman's and her partner's leave is paid at the legal level of just over £194 per week, or 90% of weekly wages if that's lower. It can be taken for one week or two weeks in a row, within 56 weeks of miscarriage, and parents do not have to disclose medical evidence – they only have to tell their employer what happened. Parents in Northern Ireland were only entitled to two weeks' paid bereavement leave after a stillbirth after at least 24 weeks of pregnancy if they had been in their position for 26 weeks.

In the rest of the United Kingdom, that remains the case. However, the Westminster government is planning to make a change for England, Scotland, and Wales in 2027 to give parents the right to take unpaid leave for at least one week after a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy. After a stillbirth of 24 weeks or later, parents are also entitled to paid maternity and paternity leave across the United Kingdom. The leave policy in Northern Ireland, according to the charity's founder, will

save families. After losing her baby in 2021, psychotherapist Selina Casey founded the White Butterfly Foundation. When she was told there was no heartbeat when she was pregnant with her third child, she remembered attending a routine appointment. Three days later, she was allowed to leave her son and then left him

in a tiny casket and a leaflet for a charity group

where they walked straight to the graveyard for sacrament.

I was able to start wailing five days ago when I first started mourning.

She said that in her work as a counselor, she sees situations where marriages are in jeopardy as a result of miscarriage's trauma.

Allowing couples to spend time together after a loss is extremely therapeutic. In those early stages of grief, the couples must hold each other. Megan Crowe, a volunteer at the charity, lost a baby when she was about 12 weeks pregnant in 2020.

The two weeks of leave will give people the opportunity to decide what they want for their own journey rather than falling back into the lifestyle of those who feel they were before the loss.

They may be present to assist in a crisis early.

The foundation has a counseling room and facilities near the village of Portglenone, County Antrim. On the wall, there are hundreds of hand-crafted ceramic tiles, each referring to a missing child. Freddie, Rebecca Hutchinson's son, who died in 2025, is one of them.

I had just been for my 20-week checkup, and all was looking excellent. But a week later, I went into early labour. Her baby had to go to Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool for a post-mortem examination.

I went from when I went into labour to Freddie's funeral was just a week.

Looking back, it all seemed tumultuous because it all happened so quickly. It took the shock for the shock to strike me. She took sick leave from work, as she had been on sick leave for a previous miscarriage of eight weeks because there was no other arrangement. We were lucky because our employers were so generous and gave us space, says the author, but that wasn't always the case. The fact that all parents now have two weeks' leave, beginning with day one, is amazing – it'll make a difference.

Victoria Wylie came to the foundation in 2024 after her son Alexander was killed at 23 weeks. After eight weeks of pregnancy, she had another miscarriage, her third in January.

I had a full week of medical appointments and decisions before I could even begin to mourn. Time off is so helpful because it

gives you time to do what you need to do, which is different for everyone.

I just wanted to lie on the bed and cry some days.

I wanted to get out of the house, where it happened.

We had a little burial for the baby at home, and we planted a hawthorn tree. The leaves are starting to emerge in spring, which is really nice to see. Every year, miscarriage in Northern Ireland is estimated to affect 9,000 workers in Northern Ireland. The leave policy will have an annual cost to the devolved government of £3. 5m. Parents will be entitled to it from the first day of their employment in any industry. Miscarriage is a very personal and profound loss, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said.

It's vital that women and their families are aided during such traumatic time and that they receive assistance in their workplace.

The latest service in Northern Ireland, according to Victoria Wylie, is amazing. Some people may want to take time off for anniversaries, birthdays, and important dates.

We went to the zoo on Alexander's due date because we had a little otter teddy.

We took pictures of the teddy in front of the dogs. We'll take a day off in August, my last baby's due date would have been scheduled. That option will be available and will be present, and many others will have it as well.