I can’t afford to have another child, my maternity pay was £1.2k less than my salary.

Mother-of-one Sofia James always thought she would have a big family – but she didn’t count on not being able to afford it.

As with many other struggling young parents in the UK, her dream of having more children was shattered because she and her husband simply could not afford it.

The 32-year-old, from Middlesbrough, said I that she found herself in “the most vulnerable position I have ever been in” financially after giving birth to her daughter, Ivy.

She had to return to work when Ivy was just six months old because her maternity pay didn’t cover their expenses, and even now she finds herself constantly checking her bank.

Today, she and her husband made the heartbreaking decision not to have any more children.

Ms. James is not alone. “Everyone you talk to, it’s a factor in the decision to have another child, because unless you have a wealthy family or a job that pays you while you’re gone, you just can’t afford it allow,” she said.

The cost of raising children has become a major part of the debate over why fewer babies are currently being born in England and Wales.

The fertility rate, which measures the number of children born per woman during her childbearing years, is at its lowest level on record, and the total number of babies born is at its lowest level since the 1970s .

Other factors at play include work pressures, difficulty finding the right partner, and people having children later in life.

Maternity charities have long called for an increase in maternity pay, saying many new mothers struggle to survive on the allowance and are therefore put off having a second child.

Statutory maternity pay is 90 per cent of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then for the next 33 weeks it increases to £184.03 per week or 90 per cent of earnings (whichever is higher). lower being retained).

Maternity charity Action says this equates to just 46 per cent of the national living wage, and only 13 per cent of women can access enhanced maternity pay from their employer.

“Having more children is not an option”

Ms James, who works for a domestic violence charity, claims her maternity pay was almost £1,200 less than her monthly salary.

She had saved £3,500 before giving birth, but it was still not enough as the family’s expenses had increased significantly.

The mother worried about having enough money to buy Ivy milk, as well as all the things she had hoped to do to give her daughter the best possible start, like activity groups.

Although she is now back at work, she says it is a “double-edged sword” due to exorbitant nursery fees.

She and her husband, who is a supervisor at Network Rail, spend around £600 a month sending their daughter to nursery two days a week – the same amount as their mortgage bill – and that leaves them with no savings.

“It’s actually a lot more than you would expect,” she said.

“We were trying to figure out financially when we could (have another child). Basically, by the time we would be in a comfortable enough financial position to give another child what our first child had, my husband would be 40 and I would be 35, 36.

“My birth with my first child was really difficult. I was really sick, so I couldn’t handle it at that age and I couldn’t have one sooner because finances really dictated it.

The charity worker says she had always planned to have three or four children, but that is no longer an option.

“We got ourselves £5,000 into debt.”

Victoria Vickers, 32, also doesn’t know when and if she will be able to have another child.

The mother-of-one, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, claims she and her husband, an asset manager for a property company, racked up £5,000 in debt after having their daughter, Tilly.

She thought they would be in a comfortable financial position as they had saved £7,000 before Tilly was born and shared an income of £70,000 a year.

But the family “skimps” to survive and there are evenings when she and her husband simply eat pasta and cheese for dinner so their daughter can eat well.

Ms Vickers says her mortgage increased significantly, from £550 a month to £970, and the family also saw huge increases in the cost of their water, heating and food bill after having their child .

Nappies and formula are another big expense, and she estimates it costs her £50 a week, a third of her weekly maternity pay.

“I really want a second child and would have had one by now if we could have afforded it, but there are things we need to do to save money,” Ms Vickers said.

“Financially, at the moment, it’s definitely not the right time. »

The 32-year-old says she has other friends who have considered having children but don’t think they can afford it yet.

“My sister-in-law had a baby 11 weeks after us. They were struggling and she returned to work after seven months because they couldn’t afford it,” she said.

Parents are “punished” for starting a family

Both women believe that maternity benefits are simply not enough for many people to live on.

“People shouldn’t have to decide whether they can have the family they want because the things that should be funded aren’t,” Ms Vickers said.

Ms James added that she felt full-time workers like her and her husband were being “punished” because they received little help from the government.

For the 2024/25 tax year, child benefit is £25.60 per week for the eldest or only child and £16.95 for each additional child.

This equates to £1,331 a year for a child whose parents are entitled to full entitlement.

“You are entitled to child benefit, but that only scratches the surface,” she said. “The people who have the power and the purse strings really need to listen to people across the country.

“People who work and have worked very hard are being punished because they want to take the time to start their own families… and that seems totally unfair and totally irrational.” »