I'm posting this request on behalf of a friend's sister, K., who is about 10 weeks pregnant in Jackson, Michigan. My childless friend has asked me for advice on resources, and even though I'm pregnant myself, I have no clue.... I thought I'd turn to all of you knowledgeable women <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"><br><br>
K. is 22, and has been married for about two years. She and her husband have some serious marital and financial problems, and lapsed on birth control both because they couldn't afford it, and because they thought a baby would help their marriage. I'm sure we can all agree that for most people, these generally aren't great reasons to have a baby. K. has also suffered from depression, and I'm guessing that treatment has also been difficult due to their financial situation. Although my friend and her family want to be as supportive as possible, they are legitimately concerned that a baby will be the proverbially straw on the camel's back for the marriage, not to mention their concern for the baby itself, and are hoping to offer up some resources to help with problems even before the baby is born.<br><br>
I've suggested WIC and Medicaid, as I'm sure she's financially eligible. But because I've (fortunately) never needed these services, I don't know what kind of resources, if any, are out there for low-income women in terms of marital and financial counseling. In an ideal world, I'd try to find midwives who would take her as a free client, or midwives who might be paid for by Medicaid. I know my midwives at New Moon in Ann Arbor are wonderful, and if I personally had such problems, I'm sure would help me out with whatever advice/recommendations they can [and I do plan on also asking for resources recommendations at my next appointment in a few weeks]. But I'm not sure how realistic this is, or how welcome it would be by K., who generally resents any advice from her family, making me more reluctant to suggest something as *radical* as midwives (her opinion, not mine, obviously <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"><br><br>
Any suggestions for resources in Jackson or Ann Arbor, or anywhere in SE Michigan (especially the western end) would be most welcome.<br><br>
Many thanks!
K. is 22, and has been married for about two years. She and her husband have some serious marital and financial problems, and lapsed on birth control both because they couldn't afford it, and because they thought a baby would help their marriage. I'm sure we can all agree that for most people, these generally aren't great reasons to have a baby. K. has also suffered from depression, and I'm guessing that treatment has also been difficult due to their financial situation. Although my friend and her family want to be as supportive as possible, they are legitimately concerned that a baby will be the proverbially straw on the camel's back for the marriage, not to mention their concern for the baby itself, and are hoping to offer up some resources to help with problems even before the baby is born.<br><br>
I've suggested WIC and Medicaid, as I'm sure she's financially eligible. But because I've (fortunately) never needed these services, I don't know what kind of resources, if any, are out there for low-income women in terms of marital and financial counseling. In an ideal world, I'd try to find midwives who would take her as a free client, or midwives who might be paid for by Medicaid. I know my midwives at New Moon in Ann Arbor are wonderful, and if I personally had such problems, I'm sure would help me out with whatever advice/recommendations they can [and I do plan on also asking for resources recommendations at my next appointment in a few weeks]. But I'm not sure how realistic this is, or how welcome it would be by K., who generally resents any advice from her family, making me more reluctant to suggest something as *radical* as midwives (her opinion, not mine, obviously <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"><br><br>
Any suggestions for resources in Jackson or Ann Arbor, or anywhere in SE Michigan (especially the western end) would be most welcome.<br><br>
Many thanks!