A few friends of mine have had newborn babies and are juggling with trying to get to work and looking after the baby. Just thinking of my Hamilton, NZ days and remembered how the offices there had crèches in their offices, where the Mums were able to check on their kids now and then.
I think that’s a fantastic option because I always wonder how mums are able to concentrate on their work when they have their baby elsewhere, with someone else, most often a stranger (maid or in a nearby nursery) for the entire day. Plus the fact that it makes it difficult for breastfeeding with the baby being so far away and that you need to pump every 3 hours or so.
Unfortunately here in Malaysia where the maternity leave is only 2 months (unlike 6 months in UK!) and there are no such thing as crèches in the office. So, we Malaysians have to depend on maids and nurseries, which have horror stories linked to them - feeding sleeping pills in their milk so that they'd be quiet the whole day, maids running off, feeding weird things to your baby. Or if we are fortunate to have mothers/mothers-in-law to help look after, it still is not the same as you being there for your baby should something go wrong, as I can only imagine.
So the only solution is for the mother to stay back home and not work. But then again, with rising inflation, it becomes unfeasible for the family to cut down from dual income to single.
No, I’m not pregnant. I just wish we had more options.
4 comments:
Here's an option -
You move to Canada! Women get 1 year paid maternity leave. They pay is essentially unemployment which is not much but some companies will top it up for a few months. Also is KS worked for the government, he would also be entitled to get paternity leave as well...
So, when are you moving here?
OMG! Never type while speaking to someone! Look at all my grammar mistakes... I really am not illiterate, I swear...
you know what, i didn't even realise your grammar mistakes and perfectly understood your message until i read your second comment. then i became confused with your first. :)
Welcome to Malaysia! And that's not the worst - you can't get Baby Bjorns, MacLaren and you know, all those baby-safe items except if you're a working mother who earns tons of money.....
There's only Malaysian and China made ones which safety is doubtful!
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