Mortgage Payment Holiday with Santander?

Beecher's suggestion is spot on.

It is rare that a payment holiday is a contractual right, and when push comes to show it is basically borrowing money (your missed monthly payments) and adding it to your mortgage debt. But if Santander don't want to play ball (and they don't have to) you need to find other ways to improve income or reduce outgoings.

The only way you're going to find out for sure is by calling Santander. Don't play on the "I'm skint and can't afford the mortgage" line, simply state that you're on maternity leave and a payment holiday would be great. If they say "yes, no problem" you then need to ask them what the implications are for your credit file. Some lenders treat it as an underpayment of mortgage whereas others don't.

Reading between the lines, your post implies that you have other debts (e.g. loans or cards). While in a perfect world you should ensure all payments are made for the full amounts and on time, if you are in a position that requires something to be missed you need to prioritise your commitments.

e.g.

Mortgage is a priority commitment as you could lose your house (unless the payments are missed as part of a payment holiday).
Council tax is a priority commitment as you could go to jail.
Credit card debt is not a priority commitment, as a wrecked credit file for a few years is the worst that can happen.
Buying newspapers, maintaining Sky, shopping in Waitrose, running two cars etc are not priorities.

So, as suggested above, I'd get over to the Debt-free Wannabe part of the forum and identify ways of squeezing some extra leeway out of your income and outgoings. And make sure you are claiming all the benefits that you are entitled to.

While it might be a drop in the ocean, here's a few suggestions to help as well:

1) Register with a survey site like www.valuedopinions.co.uk or www.pineconeresearch.co.uk or www.pureprofile.com. I earn about £100 a year in Tesco vouchers and luncheon vouchers this way.
2) Register with a cashback site like www.topcashback.co.uk and review all your utility bills and see if you can get (a) cashback and (b) cheaper outgoings. This is worth £100 a year to me.
3) Make sure you are collecting loyalty points if you shop at stores like Boots, Tesco or Sainsbury. £150 a year. (don't spend more just to get points though!).
4) Review anything that involves a monthly outgoing and see if you can reduce it with current provider, get it cheaper elsewhere or remove it (e.g. mobile phone, Sky, gas, electricity, landline, home insurance, internet etc). Could losing a £45 a month mobile phone contract and replacing it with a £20 payg phone that you only use for incoming calls help?
5) Reduce car use. Consider selling a car if you have more than one.
6) If you have a partner who buys lunch at work, switch him over to home made sandwiches! Instead of a 60p can of Coke from the vending machine he can drink water for free!
7) Cut out visits to Starbucks.
8) Register for any free baby offers with the various supermarkets.
9) Check out sites like www.hotukdeals.com for freebies.
10) Dont' buy desserts, biscuits, cakes etc at the supermarket. Own brand basics orange juice is half the price of Del Monte.
11) Go food shopping after eating, not before (this is shown to reduce spending by 20%).
12) Go shopping with a friend and share bogof offers!
13) Turn off all lights, TVs, dripping taps etc off when they're not needed.
14) Make sure you have an evening committed to entertainment - e.g. a night in playing games or watching a movie - build it up as a "big thing" and a treat to each other. It costs nothing!
15) Set an evening aside each week to review the finances and clarify where every penny has gone (keep receipts to help do this). You'll be amazed at what people waste their money on. Perhaps build a forecast ahead for spending so you can see where your money will go in future.
16) Fill up at the cheapest petrol station you pass and don't pick up a bar of chocolate when you pay. www.petrolprices.co.uk will tell you where is cheapest.
17) Ensure you get invited round to local in-laws, parents and friends for meals to keep your costs down.
18) Review every "premium" brand you buy and consider economy brand or other cheaper alternatives.
19) Review what you can buy with Tesco Clubcard vouchers or Nectar points. Can you get better value on car servicing, breakdown cover or even a treat of a meal out from these?
20) Cook smaller portions of food. Be honest, we all chuck a third of our meals away!
21) Review left over food for the potential of making tomorrow's soup.
22) When you maternity pay drops to its lowest point, spend your accrued loyalty points with various stores then (or pay for Xmas with them).
23) Don't be afraid to ask your family for help. Mum's are fantastic at times.
24) The tax credits system can, at times, be generous. Do you qualify for more than you are currently claiming?
25) Manage your bank accounts and credit cards closely so that (a) you remain within limits and don't build up charges and (b) ensure your debts are not increasing as interest could become more of a significant issue.
26) Shower instead of bath.
27) Cancel newpapers and magazines.
28) Scavange the yellow sticker discount stand in the supermarket for value.
29) Sell your old junk on Ebay.
30) Investigate the economics of cloth nappies. It may be that somebody buying baby a supply of these as a gift will save you loads over the next couple of years and it may appeal to an environmentally friendly mind.
31) Don't be too proud - accept hand-me-downs for baby from friends and family.

If anybody else is planning a baby, start saving prior to conception. Start saving loads prior to birth. Baby's are expensive luxuries and the loss of an income hurts!

I guess I'll just give them a call if nobody has any first hand experience of knowing whether they'll even entertain the idea. I just really wanted to do my research first as, after the last phone call, I was left feeling fobbed off and fed up.

Santander do appear to be taking a tougher line now on payment holidays now. To be fair to them its not their responsibility to manage your financial affairs. If you wish to spend time at home, then its really down to you to change your personal circumstances. The choice is yours, there is no right or wrong decision.