Currently, those who experience a loss after 24 weeks have similar rights as they would have had if their pregnancy had resulted in a living child, including maternity leave and pay.
Announcing the new employment rights, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he did not think it was right that there was no legal right to bereavement leave for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
Samantha, who suffered five losses, described it as “the most isolating, lonely time of my life”
As someone who was self-employed, she said she felt a lot of pressure to go straight back to work.
“I was a dance teacher at the time in my own dance school and I often went to the hospital and found out my baby had no heartbeat, and then I had to go and teach a class that night because there was no space for me to grieve or to stop, because there would be no income.
“And I think often women, especially, do go back to work very quickly out of fear of it affecting their career, and so often people go back too soon.”