Records show that many female workers expressed their agreement, saying that the new policy will help them have more time to recover their health, take care of young children and reduce economic pressure.
Planning to have more children in the near future, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (Ninh Binh) said she is very excited about the new regulation. According to her, having one more month of maternity leave helps mothers feel more secure about their health as well as have more time to take care of their children in the first months of life.
Ms. Thuy recalled that when she gave birth to her first child, she took a month off before birth, so after the child was 5 months old, she had to return to work.
Every day I have to squeeze milk to store in the refrigerator, and when my baby breastfeeds, I warm it up again. After going to work, my baby lacks breast milk and direct care, so she is quite lightweight," Ms. Thuy shared.
According to the female worker, the 6-month maternity leave is almost not enough, especially for families that give birth in succession. At that time, the mother not only takes care of the newborn baby but also has to spend time with the older child, causing pressure and hardship to increase significantly.
Besides, Ms. Thuy said that children after 6 months old are still too young, so it is very difficult to find someone to take care of them. She and her husband often have to ask grandparents for support, while both sides have their own jobs, so inconveniences are inevitable.
In addition to having more time to take care of her child, Ms. Thuy also appreciates the maternity allowance policy during her leave.
Being able to take extra leave while still having maternity benefits helps me feel more secure about my income, and I can share the economic burden with my husband during the time of taking care of the child," she said.
Although she gave birth to her second child before the new regulation took effect, Ms. Pham Thi Bich (Ninh Binh) still expressed her excitement and support for the 7-month maternity leave policy. According to her, she and her husband still plan to have another baby in the future.
Taking care of newborns is very hard. If you want your child to be strong enough to feel secure going to work, it should be at least about 9 months old. Then, the mother will be less worried when leaving her child at home," Ms. Bich said.
According to Ms. Bich, many female workers due to the nature of their jobs or inadequate health have had to take leave from the 7th month of pregnancy.
If excluding the pre-partum leave period, after giving birth, they can only stay home to take care of their children for more than 4 months before returning to work. Therefore, increasing the maternity leave period to 7 months will bring many advantages to workers.
When giving birth to her second child, Ms. Bich planned not to go to work immediately after the maternity leave period ended. She said that at that time her child was only about 5 months old, still quite young and needed close care. Meanwhile, her husband and paternal and maternal grandparents were both working, so they could not support regular care.
If conditions permit, I plan to take a year off to take care of my children until they are stronger and healthier before returning to work," she shared.
As someone who has had a cesarean section, Ms. Bich said that the recovery time after childbirth is much longer than natural birth.
Cesarean women need longer recovery time. Therefore, having an extra month of maternity leave and still receiving benefits will reduce economic pressure and have better health care conditions," she said.
According to Ms. Bich, for female workers with good health or favorable family conditions, they can completely take the initiative to return to work before the end of maternity leave if they want to increase their income.
Therefore, increasing maternity leave by one month is a very appropriate and meaningful policy for female workers giving birth," Ms. Bich expressed.
