How far along am I and how can I find out w/ no $$$???

[~~Mama2B~~]

I'm pregnant. I think I conceived sometime during mid-late July or very early August. I had stopped charting because we had been ttc for so long that I gave up. Haha. Isn't that always how it works??

Anyways, I don't have insurance. I need to find out how far along I am, but without insurance I don't know where to start. Where can I go? what can the govt. offer during my pregnancy and birth? Has anyone dealt with this before?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Kristi

[ktmelody]

I would think that planned parent hood in your area would be the most help. You need to get prenatal care. I am sure there are assitance programs in your area. I would check the yellow pages.

Good luck.

[moongoddess176]

The planned parenthood is a good suggestion. Also most states have health insurance almost guaranteed for low income pregnant women. Look into the Dept of Human Services in your state. Also, you do not NEED prenantal care. Pregnancy is not a disease!! Many women go through their pregnancies without it and use their intuition for their care. If you are interested please check out the unassisted birthing discussion board under birth and beyond.

[prettypixels]

Not to be a downer, but getting some advice about prenatals and things couldn't hurt! I don't think pregnancy is a disease either but I do think checking in to find out how far along you are and what you can do to be healthy for your pregnancy (nutrition, etc) are a good idea. And planned parenthood will help you. I love planned parenthood! They helped me with tons of things back in the day when I had no insurance and little $$$. Congratulations on your pregnancy!!! :)

[ktmelody]

No, you are right, you do not need prenatal care at all. (if that is what you choose) but she did ask where to get help. I personnaly believe that I should be seen by a doctor or a midwive during pregnancy. (me not anyone else) If some one thinks it is a wise choice for them to go through a pregnancy unassited, that is her choice. I still say better safe than sorry.

I hope you find the help you need mama2be.

[monkeymommy]

MediCal has coverage for pregnant women - Planned P'hood could probably help. You can get all your prenatal visits covered, your U/S to date the pregnancy, nod & smile at the doc's advice, then do your UC / homebirth. :wink

[aisraeltax]

Planned Parenthood is great. they gave me my preg. test with ds1 and i think they do provide some prenatal care. :)

[mothersdaughter]

Hi,

First of all, congratulations! i hope you are happy and feeling well.

sadly, monatary issues come up quickly once we are expecting an addition... i know this is true for me in my 22cd week still.

insurance and the cost of care- whether that be medical care or midwifery or any other sort- costs, and it costs a lot. you are not alone in your struggle or with your questions.

but don't fret too much about that. almost everyone i know has not had insurance, some of them not even had homes, when they were pregnant. and they are all doing very well, all things considered. it doesn't mean it isn't easier or more comfortable to be financially secure, but lets face it, more children are born in the US into financial hardships then arn't.

i don't know where you live, but i would start by calling your local health department or hospital. all hospitals have social workers and they should be able to guide you through your options. so should planned parenthood (where i used to work!). i know in indiana, where i am, you can show up at a hospital to give birth, and the state medical program retroactively has to cover you with the state insurance even if you hadn't previously signed up. this is naturally not what i would suggest, but it shows the bredth of some of these programs. another good place to start is by calling 211 if it is available in your area. 211 dials like 911, though is typically run by a not for profit. its simply a social service question and answer line. you can call and say "i am pregant without insurance and need to know my options." They will give you all the correspondign agencies and places to turn. You can also start by calling the WIC (Women Infant Children) office- which is a federal/state program that helps with nutrition in particular for expectant and new mothers and infants, but also can give you some leads on prenatal care.

These are all pretty "status quo" responses to prenatal care and birthing. ANd if you are interested in something else, that is a-okay. I know that my partner and I were interested in getting midwifery care, but it turned out to be cost prohibitive (and i have insurance!). As a side note, sometimes not have insurance can make this a much more affordable process, if you can believe that. With insurance, I will be paying about 6k to give birth come january... if my partner and i weren't reliant on my job to pay the household bills, we would actually be better off with me quitting my job and recieving benefits. now, not everyone is comfortable doing that, and that is totally understandable. so just sit down, get the facts on each and every route, and compare notes and set your boundaries and comfort levels.

one last note- there is no wrong way to bring a baby into this world. whether you do the obgyn/hospital route (which is the most accessible and depending on situation sometimes the most cost effective and comfortable) or the home birth (which can be extrodinary and powerful) or the midwife clinic (which may feel healing and comfortable)... there is simply no wrong way to create life. so do what you think feels right, and don't worry about having "ideals" or that you are compromising anything no matter which route you feel you need to take!

take care of yourself!

[Jenns_3_babies]

I live in PA and my local planned parenthood just offers the basic gyn stuff and pregnacy testing. They give you a written verification form of pregnancy that you need to take with you to your local county assistance office (welfare department) for health insurance. I've done that with both of my kids and with the current pregnancy as well. They have leniant income guidelines so you're almost guaranteed insurance.