Pregnant Then Screwed ascribe this widespread struggle to a confluence of factors. “The rising cost of living is putting financial pressure on parents. At the same time, many parents are already using childcare for older children, so they are balancing the high cost of childcare in the UK alongside these cost of living surges, which is making it impossible for mothers to have the quality time off with their newborns that they want to,” Fabiansky says.

She also points out that although the UK is considered more liberal than our friends across the pond, where there is no statutory maternity pay, we still have some of the lowest rates of parental leave pay in the world. “National minimum wage is the legal minimum a person should be paid, yet new mothers are meant to survive on less than half of this amount for 33 weeks while their outgoings remain the same.

“It’s an impossible situation for new mothers to be in and so they are having to do what they can to make things work,” Fabiansky adds.

For freelance women, it’s even trickier, she says: “Self-employed mothers are not legally entitled to statutory maternity pay but some may be entitled to maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks. Dads and partners however get diddly squat, so you face the chance of losing out on work if you take the risk of being on leave. It’s a constant battle of wanting a family, paying the bills and keeping your job for future security.”

A Government spokesperson from the Department of Business and Trade told Stylist that its Make Work Pay plan aims to transform the lives of working women, strengthening rights to equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination. Parental leave will become a day-one right for new employees, and it will be unlawful to dismiss a woman for six months after her return from maternity leave.

However, Fabiansky highlights major issues that need urgent attention: childcare is underfunded and under-resourced, leading to soaring costs, provider closures and a lack of access. Labour has also promised 100,000 new childcare spaces in schools, but it’s unclear where the necessary staff will come from in a recruitment slump. And amid calls for the government to scrap the two-child limit on benefits, Pregnant Then Screwed want a single benefit system where childcare costs no more than 5% of household income and providers receive a 20% rate uplift.

Fabiansky also wants better support for parents of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and calls for “greater support for dads and partners” because “paternity leave isn’t a break from work; it’s crucial bonding time. It benefits the whole family: children do better in school, couples are more likely to stay together and it supports mothers returning to the labour market. We’re calling on the new government to increase paternity leave to six weeks to recognise and support the crucial role dads play in families.”

Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the Chartered Institute for Professional Development, the professional body for HR and people development, echoes much of this: “With rising childcare prices and the cost of living squeeze, it’s not surprising that families are struggling financially and sadly this can lead to women feeling pressure to shorten their maternity leave.”

That said, she’s hopeful about what the new Government could do for new mums. “ Labour’s New Deal includes a welcome focus on family rights and a promise to review the parental leave system within their first year. We’d like to see true reform to shared parental leave and paternity leave and pay to provide greater fairness, flexibility and choice to working parents.”

All of these form part of a wide tranche of changes that would make everyone’s working week that much more manageable : “When it comes to employer practices, as well as enhancing their parental leave and pay offerings where possible, providing flexible working arrangements, employee support groups and fostering an inclusive working environment can make a big difference.”

Doubtless, in order to address the issues affecting working mums, there needs to be a reevaluation of maternity policies and support systems so that all mothers, regardless of employment status, can afford the time needed to care for their newborns without sacrificing their financial stability.

I would have benefitted from not having to work while on maternity leave, and I’m sure my daughter would have too; hopefully, long before she’s in any sort of position like mine, things will change for the better.

*Name has been changed

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“I took my four-week-old baby to a meeting with all men; they asked if she’d stop crying”: the reality of working through maternity leave