Parents of premature and ill babies could be entitled to additional leave and pay under a plan being pushed by the SNP at Westminster.
Stuart McDonald is the driving force behind the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill which will receive its third reading in the Commons today.
It would give parents paid leave if their baby spends seven or more consecutive days being cared for in a health setting before they are 28 days old.
If backed by a majority of MPs, the leave would work on top of other parental entitlements and could be taken following maternity, paternity, adoption and bereavement leave.
McDonald told the Record the bill would help parents to ensure they are able to spend "more time with their babies and relieve some of the financial strain."
The Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East MP said: "Tens of thousands of parents across the UK each year face additional worries if their baby is born prematurely or unwell and in need of neonatal care.
"Around one in seven babies born in the UK receive some form of neonatal care just after birth.
"It’s vital that the bill is passed, so that the families yet to go through the ordeal of having a baby in neonatal care get a better deal than families who have already been through this."
Claire Fenwick, 35, an NHS service manager from Cumbernauld, said the extra leave and pay would have helped her.
Her daughter Sophia was born in 2016 after 27 weeks. She weighed one pound and eight ounces and spent 15 weeks in neonatal care.
Claire had to take three months unpaid leave to care for Sophia as she was still on oxygen once they returned home.
She was only able to return to work once Sophia was a year old. Her husband, Andrew, had to return to work while their daughter was still in hospital.
Claire said: "I had to take that unpaid leave to give Sophia time to catch up.
"It was a traumatic time in my life. It was really difficult. The extra pay and leave would have made the experience more positive.
"I think the money and leave will help on a few levels. For the children, it would allow them to have extra time with their parents. It'd be a huge relief for parents as it would allow you to support your child in the best possible way.
"If you have to worry about money or going back to work it is an added stress. The bill would be a really positive change that would make something that is traumatic, scary and difficult a bit better."
McDonald criticised current parental leave laws for being too rigid. He said that many parents have to continue working while their child is in hospital or have to use up days of holiday.
He said: "Current parental leave laws provide no flexibility if a baby is born unwell. At the moment, thousands of parents have to work while their baby is still in hospital in order to make ends meet, or leave the workforce completely.
"Many have to take their remaining leave entitlements in order to be with their baby. Parents want to focus on supporting and being with their newborn. The Neonatal Care Bill would provide for just that: additional protected neonatal leave and pay for employees.
"The Bill would ensure neonatal leave and pay would be a right from day one and available to all qualifying employees, allowing parents to spend more time providing hands-on care to their babies, beneficial for both parents and children. It would also provide up to 12 weeks additional neonatal care leave and pay."
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