Amazing support

A postwoman from Liverpool, whose journey into parenthood will be the focus of a BBC documentary, has praised the ‘amazing support’ that Royal Mail has given her through pregnancy.

Desiree Jones, who is in a same-sex relationship with her partner, Chris, is expecting a baby daughter in September.

She plans to ‘co-parent’ with the father, Jamie, who lives separately with his partner, Alan.

‘I will have the baby from Monday to Friday and he will have her at weekends,’ explained Desiree, who is commonly known as Des.

‘I’ve been thinking about having a baby for the last 10 years, so a lot of planning has gone into it.’

Des and Jamie were both single when they met through coparents.co.uk – which links prospective parents – and agreed to have a baby together.

‘Co-parenting is something that happens all the time, but it’s usually caused by separation,’ said Des. ‘Doing it this way, we bypass the emotional side and the hurt to the kids.’

The family’s arrangement will be featured in a BBC TV documentary, named ‘Pregnant and Platonic’, later this year.

A camera crew has followed Des, at home and at work, throughout the process.

‘I can’t fault Royal Mail’s support,’ said Des. ‘They have done all of the risk assessments, put me on light duties and looked after me in every sense.’

Liverpool South East delivery office manager, Kate Allen, said Des’s colleagues are fully behind her.

‘It has given everybody a different viewpoint on the way families are today,’ she said. ‘It has also made us think about how we as employers can embrace different ways of living, and about the policies we have in place to allow people with childcare issues to work flexibly.

‘We’ve already discussed what Des can do when she comes back to work, so she won’t have any issues after she’s had her baby.’

The BBC documentary telling Des’s story is due to broadcast this autumn.