A grieving mum has been forced to return to work just two weeks after giving birth to a stillborn because of an ‘unfair’ rule preventing her from receiving financial aid.
Patty van Duijn, 29, was just more than 19 weeks pregnant with her son Mason when she ‘had no choice’ but to terminate the pregnancy due to complications.
The Adelaide woman applied for Centrelink’s stillborn baby payment to help cover her bills and rent while she grieves, only to find out she isn’t eligible because of a ‘disgusting’ rule.
According to Services Australia, parents may be able to receive a one-off lump sum payment of $4,059.17 for a stillbirth which meets the government ageny’s definition.
Patty van Duijn, 29, was just over 19 weeks pregnant with her son Mason when she ‘had no choice’ but to terminate the pregnancy due to complications
According to Services Australia, you may be able to receive a one-off lump sum payment of $4,059.17 for a stillbirth which meets their definition
To be considered stillborn, a baby must have had a gestation period of at least 20 weeks or weighed at least 400 grams at birth, according to the Services Australia website.
Mason weighed just 230 grams when he was born at 19 weeks and one day.
‘I’m still going through this whole process of giving birth and holding a baby that’s not alive. It’s very traumatic and really hard, but now I have to think about going back to work,’ Ms van Duijn told Yahoo.
‘I’m just unsure of who made this decision, and if they actually know what people go through, but a week shouldn’t be a difference because it’s still the experience, the trauma and everything that comes with it.’
It is understood that Ms van Duijn and her partner Lee Simpson experienced the same complication during another pregnancy last year but did not believe ‘something like that would happen twice’.
Due to her long history of inflammatory bowel disease, Ms van Duijn was losing blood and water from the amniotic sac holding her baby, meaning Mason was unable to survive.
While she is thankful for Mr Simpson’s support, she said they can’t survive off his chef’s salary alone.
The pair have set up a GoFundMe so they can grieve without too much financial stress in the short term
The pair have set up a GoFundMe so they can grieve without too much financial stress in the short term.
‘Me and my partner have lost our little miracle baby at 19 weeks, without a doubt the hardest thing we had to do,’ she said.
‘We now need time to grieve without having to worry about money, but paying rent bills and life we can’t cope at this time.
‘Centrelink won’t help us because the baby was only 19 weeks and they will only help you if the baby was at 20 weeks which we think is absolutely disgusting!
‘A loss is a loss no matter how old the baby is.’
Ms van Duijn is now calling for the rule to change so other mums in her situation won’t have to go through what she has, saying ‘it’s so wrong’.
Services Australia told Daily Mail Australia that the ‘stillborn’ policy is set by the Department of Social Services and that they are unable to grant leniency based on individual circumstances.
The matter has been referred to the Department of Social Services, which said ‘the Australian Government recognises the tragic loss and trauma of miscarriage’.
‘While a medical professional must certify a stillborn child was delivered for families to receive Stillborn Baby Payment, other supports are available through Services Australia including counselling and support to connect with local services,’ a departmental spokesperson said.
‘Depending on an individual’s circumstances and employment, they may also be entitled to paid or unpaid leave following a miscarriage. For example, the Fair Work Act’s National Employment Standards provides all employees, including casuals, with an entitlement to compassionate leave.’
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