Episode Details

Part 2: What if looking after mothers wasn’t just the right thing to do, but one of the smartest investments a business can make?

Deloitte estimates that every £1 spent on mental wellbeing can return £4.70. Yet when the wellbeing in question belongs to a new mother, the conversation often stops being about investment and starts being about inconvenience.

In part two of our maternity leave series, Rose brings the research and Bianca reports live from four months of what she’s increasingly calling maternity service: the invisible work of recovering, caring, adapting and becoming someone new.

We look at maternal mental health before crisis, why women shouldn’t have to reach breaking point before they qualify for support, and the evidence linking longer, paid maternity leave with better maternal mental health. We also get into the economics of burnout, the £118bn annual cost, and why supporting mothers makes commercial sense long after they return to work.

Plus: Rose’s MSc distinction, her new Gigi return-to-work support groups, and Bianca on why “rest” means something very different when you have a baby who doesn’t believe in weekends.

This is part two of three. Next week, we’re answering your questions about maternity leave. Send yours to @matrescenceunfiltered or hello@matrescenceunfiltered.com.

Join the Gigi pilot: https://gigitheadvantage.com/#pilot