'Two weeks will make such a difference': UK first as NI brings in miscarriage leave

When Erin Sharkey had miscarriages, they brought devastation and uncertainty - not least when it came to her and her partner deciding how much time they should take off work to help to process their loss.

But now, for her and others in Northern Ireland, there is an answer in extra support as it has become the first part of the UK where a woman and her partner are entitled to two weeks of paid leave if they experience a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy.

For Erin, a volunteer with the Miscarriage Association, the move will "give people the validation for their feelings, and time to process the loss together".

She said her employer had been supportive but "societally" she felt pressure to go back to work.

Her miscarriages, she said, were like having "all your dreams for gorgeous happy moments come crashing down" - from planning to a future with a child to total loss.

"During the first few days, people were texting, saying they were thinking of me. But then that stopped. I thought I must have hit the point where people expect me to be OK.

"My partner didn't even take a day off work - because we knew other people who'd had miscarriages and their partners didn't take time off.

"If she had been there with me for two weeks, that would have reduced my trauma significantly."

The two weeks of leave for a woman and her partner is paid at the statutory level of just more than £194 per week, or 90% of weekly pay if that's lower.

It can be taken as one continuous period, or as two separate weeks, within 56 weeks of miscarriage and parents do not have to provide medical evidence - they only have to tell their employer what happened.

Before the change, parents in Northern Ireland were only entitled to two weeks' paid bereavement leave following a stillbirth after at least 24 weeks of pregnancy, if they had been in their job for 26 weeks.

That remains the law in the rest of the UK.

However, the Westminster government is planning to bring in a change for England, Scotland and Wales in 2027 – to provide parents with a right to take unpaid leave for a minimum of one week following a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy.

The founder of a baby loss counselling charity said that the leave entitlement in Northern Ireland will "save relationships".

Psychotherapist Selina Casey set up the White Butterfly Foundation after losing her baby in 2021.

She recalled attending a routine appointment while pregnant with her third child when she was told there was no heartbeat.

Three days later she was admitted to deliver her son, and she then left the next day with him "in a tiny casket and a leaflet for a support group" where they went straight to the graveyard for a burial.

"Then, five days on, that's when I was able to start grieving."

She said that in her professional capacity, she sees situations where relationships come under pressure because of the trauma of a miscarriage.

"Allowing couples time to spend grieving together after a loss is in itself extremely therapeutic.

"Couples need to hold each other in those early stages of grief."

Megan Crowe, who works as a therapist at the charity, lost a baby when she was about 12 weeks pregnant in 2020.

"The two weeks of leave will give such an opportunity for people to take control of what they want for their own journey – as opposed to falling back into the lifestyle of who they feel they were before the loss.

"They can be in the present moment to help them get support early."

The foundation has a counselling room and facilities near the village of Portglenone, County Antrim.

There are dozens of hand-crafted ceramic tiles on the wall – each bearing a tribute to a lost baby.

Among them is Rebecca Hutchinson's son Freddie, whom she lost in 2025.

"I had just been for my 20-week scan and all was looking well.

"But a week later I went into early labour."

Her baby had to go Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool for a post-mortem examination.

"The time from when I went into labour until Freddie's funeral was exactly a week.

"Looking back, it just felt chaotic, because it all happened so quickly.

"It took time for the shock to hit me."

She took sick leave from work, as she had done for a previous miscarriage at eight weeks, because "there was no other provision".

"We were lucky because our employers were so understanding and gave us space – but that's not always the case.

"The fact that all parents are now entitled to two weeks' leave, from day one, is amazing – it'll make such a difference."

Victoria Wylie came to the foundation for help in 2024, after she lost her son Alexander at 23 weeks.

She had another miscarriage – her third – in January, after eight weeks of pregnancy.

"There was a full week of medical appointments and decisions, before I could even start truly grieving."

She said time off is "so helpful" because it "gives you time to do what you have to do, which looks different for everyone".

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

"On others, I wanted to get away from the house, where it happened.

"We had a little burial for the baby at home, and planted a hawthorn tree.

"Now, coming into spring, the leaves are starting to come out – which is really nice to see."

It is estimated that 9,000 employees in Northern Ireland are affected by miscarriage every year.

The leave provision 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 job.

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said: "Miscarriage is a very personal and profound loss.

"It's important that women and their families are supported through such a difficult period, and that they get support in their workplace."

Victoria Wylie said the new provision in Northern Ireland is "amazing".

"Some people might want to take time off for anniversaries, birthdays and important dates.

"On Alexander's due date we went to the zoo, because we had got him a little otter teddy.

"We took pictures of the teddy in front of the otters.

"We'll take a day off in August, when my last baby would have been due.

"That option will be there – and now lots of other people will have it as well."