bitter dissapointment

as the news was announced today.

Many mothers-to-be from the forum, like me, waited impatiently for the announcement today. And as expected, against all our desperate hopes, the implementation date was announced as 1st Jan 2009. I do not understand the rationale for the implementation date. I certainly do not see any advantages in it except to disappoint the many parents-to-be who were delighted at the news during the rally, only to be crushed now? By announcing the benefits so soon and then setting the implementation date so late, it will surely leave many parents-to-be feeling shortchanged. Furthermore, in the past, the policy had been backdated to include those who had qualified at the timeof the announcemnt. All the more, the expectation that we would be included in the benefits. Now, not only do we not qualify for the extra maternity leave, even the baby bonus has eluded us.