I am currently pregnant with my first child. I was falsely terminated from my job not too long ago. I am high risk, and am rapidly losing all that I have in my account. The father is doing all that he can to help support us, bless him. I am fighting unemployment and am still awaiting a response from Medicaid. With 5 months left, I'm stressed 24/7 and I know it is not healthy for my little one. Having minimal experience, I don't know what there is left for me to do! ANYTHING WOULD HELP at this point. My bf and I would be so grateful to ANYONE who has some advice for us.. .
Contact the National Women's Law Center in Washington DC, this is one of the issues they are dealing with.
Planned Parenthood will do pre-natal care and help you to set-up Medic-aide.
I am sorry to hear about your situation. Please be gentle with yourself. Maybe my advice is not specific enough for your needs; it is holistic approach to the issue; I hope some of it helps you.
Get a lawyer.
Write down your account of what happened at work before you forget the details.
Get a referral to a therapist who is a social worker and can give you referrals to other professionals who can help you. They are amazing resources and should be able to answer all of the questions you have. I know this seems to be the expendable bit of advice, but this may be the most useful person to contact.
I don't know what you mean by "fighting unemployment." As far as I know, if you were fired, you qualify to receive it. Ask the lawyer, though. I'm not sure if filing impacts any legal standing in the case. Find out.
Get the COBRA insurance that is supposed to be offered upon termination if you can. I do not know if Medicare requires a waiting period.
Go to the OB GYN and explain the situation. He/ she will monitor you more closely and give you advice about how to handle stress. This is in caps to emphasize--DO NOT STOP GOING TO THE DOCTOR. If necessary, change doctors to one that is more affordable. Ask for a referral from your current doc if the doc will not make the visits more affordable for you.
Contact Planned Parenthood to see if they have names of docs who help pregnant moms bring the baby to term and birth with sliding rate scales. The organization helps people have babies, too.
Do meditation. Breathe.
Take walks.
Eat healthy.
Treat handling this problem like doing a job. Work on it; then, take breaks where you do other things to zone out for 15 minutes a few times, and take a 30 minute lunch break from solving the problem.
Buy a used copy of "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" at the baby resale shop. It will become your go-to book for advice.
Also pick up "The Happiest Baby on the Block." This book will teach you how to comfort the baby. Being able to comfort the baby will reduce your stress.
Check out some of these books from the library to prepare for taking care of your baby: http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/melissa-taylo.... Look at other available books to see which match your parenting style.
Buy the items for the baby at resale shops, thrift stores and yard sales. You should need no new clothing for a long time as there is plenty available in these stores.
Many organizations provide certain items for women who are in need, including the car seat (can't leave the hospital without it). Find them.
Nurse your baby to save on formula.
If you have an established circle of friends or belong to an organization, let them know the situation. Chances are that some folks will give you the baby stuff that is taking up space in their homes.
If you were planning to get married and BF has health insurance, move up the date. If you weren't planning to get married, don't do anything rash.
Best wishes.
I suggest that you contact your local pro-life pregnancy center, and ask if they can help you in any way. I hope they can. If they can't, they would undoubtedly be able to refer you.
Go to a Planned Parenthood in your area. They will have prenatal care/resources available for you, or be able to provide you with a doctor that will be able to work with you during your financial hardship. Take care.
I am so sorry about your situation. =(
Where you turned down for unemployment? If so, that would mean that the company was fighting your unemployment and it sounds like that perhaps the state ruled in their favor first? If so, have you filed your appeal? Just so you understand, if a company can prove that the termination was with just cause, that means you will not receive unemployment.
Did you receive COBRA? You should have received information regarding COBRA when you were terminated or soon thereafter. I know its expensive but it would get you through until Medicaid kicks in.
If you were terminated without cause and you can prove that, I would contact an attorney who specializes in employment law. Talk with them. See what they have to say.
Take a deep breath. I know that is easy for me to say but you need to stay calm.
Talk to your OB. Let them know what is going on. They need to monitor you a little more closely especially your blood pressure. See if there is a way that they will work with you regarding your care. If not, contact your local plan parenthood. They would have resources that can help you deliver a healthy baby.
I know this is a scary time, please be good to yourself. Relax, take a walk, get out of the house.
Don't forget, if you do get Medicaid, they will back pay 1-3 months. And I think it is pretty easy for pregnant women to get it.
Contact your local churches. They might do a collection for you.
Have you considered a local facebook page? If you need help and you reach out, you might just get some help from people who have lots of baby gear that they no longer need.
Definitely go to Planned Parenthood. They will be a great resource.
Good luck!
Ok, so have you applied for SNAP or food stamps? What about WIC? (women infants and children) Both of these you should qualify for. Your DHS caseworker is the one who should help you with this stuff, but if you don't have one, then you need to get one. Being pregnant will help you get through faster.
County or public health will see you to help with prenatal care. Please know that you will make it through this, and you will be glad in the end that you got a wonderful bundle of joy.
You are right that the more stress the mom is under, especially early in pregnancy, the more the hormones will affect the baby. But, you can only do so much to make your stress level drop. Look for some used or consignment shops in your area. Ours is called Other Mothers and the last weekend of the month they do a quarter sale. Everything that people brought in to sell that the store didn't want to take, is usually donated to the store. They keep what they get in the month, and then sell it for a quarter. I don't think they make a ton of money on this, but they make enough to keep doing it. What doesn't sell is then donated to a place called Snocap which helps people with food, clothes, furniture sometimes, etc.
I would join freecycle in your area, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FreecycleLasVegas/info, and that is a great resource. People offer up things they no longer need, and you may request what you want/need and if someone has it, they will give it to you. Craigslist is also a wonderful resource for things. Check out both the babies/kids section AND the free section. Things can be had for super cheap, and many times they are in almost new condition.
When the baby is new, all you really need is a swing, well most kids do, a place for the baby to sleep, and people give away bassinets, cribs, pack n plays, all the time. Or, they sell them very cheap. You need some onsies or little nightgowns that open at the bottom but that have elastic to help keep them closed. I loved these so much! And, you need cotton receiving blankets. Try to get them as big as you can, but really, any size will work when the baby is new.
A boppy pillow is nice, but not a necessity. Same with most of the stuff we all think we need. You will need a stroller and a carseat. I recommend getting the one that goes past 22 pounds because then you can use it longer. I really like the graco snugride 32, but that was just me. I wouldn't get a combo one that goes forward and backward because then you can't take the baby out of the car without waking them up, and with the infant one you can.
If you need help getting a carseat check out your local children's hospital and ask them about the local carseat safety program and they should be able to help. DHS can also help I believe if you need one.
Bottles and nipples and stuff maybe needed, but you won't know what until you figure out how much milk you make, and what type the baby likes. Mine would only every use the Playtex Dropins with the disposable liner and the Latex nipple. The silicone was too difficult for them to use, but not for all babies.
Maybe you can apply for disability since it is a high risk pregnancy. Did you apply for Fmla when you were working?
