Woman Says To Be Denied Parental Leave Benefits After Stillbirth Is 'An Emotional Slap To The Face'

Jun 14, 2022 by apost team

Having a baby is said to be a gift. According to UNICEF, 386,000 babies are born each day. Some babies are born early, and some are born late. For one mother in New York, she faced a tragedy while waiting for her baby girl to come into the world. 

Cassidy Crough, a woman who lives in New York, was pregnant with a baby girl named Olivia when she tragically lost her. Crough was 36 weeks pregnant when she went to her doctor for a regular routine check-up. During what was supposed to be a normal check-up, Crough's doctor broke the news to her that baby Olivia wouldn't make it. The doctor also let the grieving mother know she would still have to give birth to Olivia, her stillborn baby. 

On March 16, 2022, Crough delivered the baby. After holding a funeral, Crough reached out to her insurance for her maternity leave information. She was shocked and saddened when she found out to hear their update. Her insurance company let Crough know that she would not receive maternity leave benefits because she was not taking care of a newborn baby. Crough was crushed. 

According to Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington D.C., the number of U.S. states that offer paid maternity leave is few. Those states include California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and The District of Columbia. The Center also noted that a few states such as Oregon, Colorado, Delaware, and Maryland have paid family leaves going into place in the near future. Upon finding out her maternity leave fate after suffering a tragic loss, Crouch wants the rules to change on paid family leave.

The mom said that finding out she wouldn't be having her baby girl was a devastating moment. "It was literally the most horrific moment of my life," Crouch told Today Parents in June of 2022. 

After going through birth and losing her child before she could meet her, Crouch didn't realize her journey of pain was far from over. 

"A mother buries their child that they carry nine months — when they go through all the physical aspects of birth and undergoing all the postpartum horrific symptoms that every other female goes through — and now you're telling me that because my baby didn't live I'm not entitled to the benefits?" Crough said. 

She said hearing the news that she wouldn't be able to have the proper time to grieve her lost pregnancy and trauma was too much to bear. "(It) was an emotional slap in the face," she shared. Crough is hoping that she can turn her pain into change. She is sharing her story to create change for families and family leave. 

A fellow of the Bipartisan Policy Center, Adrienne Schweer, said, "We're one of the only developed countries in the world that does not offer paid parental leave to all citizens and one of the few countries that doesn't offer paid family caregivers and paid medical leave." 

"One in four moms is set to go back to work within 10 to 14 days of giving birth, which is outrageous," Schweer added. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, only six countries worldwide do not offer paid parental leave. 

Crough wants herself and mothers everywhere to get the recognition they deserve.

"It really added to my grief and my depression and really made me feel as if New York state didn't recognize that my baby was real," Crough shared.

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