Kate Lawler opens up about taking extended maternity leave after feeling ‘terribly guilty’

She welcomed baby Noa last year

Kate Lawler

by Marianna Manson |
Updated on

First time mum Kate Lawler has opened up about extending her maternity leave from hosting Virgin Radio after welcoming baby Noa last year.

The former Big Brother winner took to her Instagram to write a heartfelt post about feeling "terribly guilty" after asking her boss for more time at home, admitting that her initial 12 weeks were "highly ambitious".

"Thank you to @virginradiouk for allowing me to take more time off my drive time show than I’d originally planned. Also for the cute bits that Noa finally fits into now," she wrote.

"I’ve only realised since having Noa that taking just 12 weeks maternity leave was highly ambitious. I thought it was a sufficient amount of time off but after the potato came along, time flew quicker than ever before and there was just no way I could have returned to work so soon."

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She continued, "My boss asked if I was ready to come back after I’d extended my mat leave by 3 months and although I felt terribly guilty, I had to be honest with him and myself.

"Once we agreed that I’d take extended leave until the end of September, a weight felt like it had been lifted."

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"All I want to do is spend time with Tayto and be at home for these moments that I’ll never get to experience again. Her first smile, her first laugh, watching her roll over, feeding her actual food for the first time... all these little milestones have been so enjoyable and I may even see her crawl for the first time now I’m going to be with her for longer," Kate added.

She went on to thank various members of her team before asking her followers how they had approached their maternity leave.

Kate – who became a mum for the first time at 40, after always being vocal about not wanting kids – has been open about her struggles since Noa’s arrival after the infant was in and out of hospital due to various health issues.

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