Having a baby is a significant shift, to say the least. Your livelihood, social life, and sleep--notably sleep--may wind up taking the backseat while you focus on caring for your little one. Even though you can anticipate many firsts along the incredible road to raising a child, debt and financial stress shouldn't be on that list of new adventures.
Countless expecting moms end up blindsided by sudden pregnancy costs. When pregnancy expenditures follow women into postpartum, it makes this special time stressful instead of exciting.
Finding Financial Assistance for Pregnant Women
Thankfully, there are many avenues to find financial assistance. This article dives into the expense of pregnancy and outlines different tools that provide financial aid for pregnant women.
What's the real price of pregnancy?
The expenses related to prenatal and postnatal care can be as enormous as they're varied. This makes it difficult for expecting parents to be aware of how much to budget for pregnancy invoices.
A 2017 report from Time highlighted the vast discrepancy in shipping costs throughout the nation. An uncomplicated birth group women back anywhere from around $5,000 to upwards of 10,000. These figures don't include any costs leading up to the delivery of the child, or any expenses incurred following the arrival.
Recent modifications to the Affordable Care Act may also complicate maternity coverage for ladies. The new short-term insurance programs under the present administration aren't required to pay for maternity care and other important health benefits, according to a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
What costs to expect
When labor and shipping prices are so varied, it is no surprise that prenatal and healthcare prices also run the gamut. Here are the most common pregnancy expenses which pregnant women can expect during their pregnancy:
- Prenatal visits to several ultrasounds
- Prenatal vitamins
- Laboratory work to screen for infection or birth defects
- Birthing courses
- Actual delivery costs, which may or may not include fees for epidurals and other procedures
- Hospital overnight stay
- Lactation consultant if breastfeeding is difficult
- In cases of complicated or high-risk pregnancies, women need to undergo further tests or procedures. Insurance companies may not cover these extra expenses. Complicated or insecure pregnancies also mean a longer road to recovery, occasionally after mothers have already used their maternity leave.
These are the most Frequent items Required for newborns:
- Swaddle sacks and infant blankets
- Baby clothes
- Breast pump
- Bottles
- Baby formulation
- Diapers
- Baby track
- Crib
- Automobile seat, stroller, and infant seat
Dealing with a reduction of wages during maternity leave
Many women are lucky enough to find a paycheck in their companies while caring for their teens. However, many more are left wondering how to endure unpaid maternity leave in the USA.
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires employers to provide women with up to 12 months of maternity leave. However, they aren't needed to pay their workers for the time away. Unpaid maternity leave on top of other health care expenses can hit families and single parents particularly hard.
Prices do not end after giving birth
Maternity costs are just a small part of the multitude of expenses parents may expect to pay during their child's life. The expense of raising a child to age 18 in 2013 was already an astounding $245,340, according to a USDA report. Food and housing account for the biggest expenses, while health care and schooling are other major drains on finances.
Child care support also carries a hefty price tag that working parents need to cover. In accordance with Business Insider, the typical cost of childcare in the US annually is $10,000.
If finances are already a struggle, dependable government programs can provide free help for pregnant mothers. Financial help for single parents can be available. Here are the most well-known apps for women that are pregnant and need help with cash.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
WIC aims to help low-income women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum and struggle to provide their infants or children a nutritionally-balanced diet. WIC provides supplemental nutritious meals, counseling, nutrition education, and health screenings.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
The CHIP program helps families keep their children healthy by providing low-cost or free health and dental care to children up to age 19. This type of assistance can make all of the difference to mothers that are still struggling to pay down labor and delivery bills.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
For low-income families, the TANF program can be instrumental in helping them get back to their feet and regain self-sufficiency. Among the program's main focuses is providing financial aid to families so they are in a position to look after their children in their own houses.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
This government assistance pregnant mothers program concentrates on supplying low-income households and people with healthful food to fight hunger. Approved households or individuals can utilize their SNAP benefits to get items such as poultry, bread, and meat, dairy, and fruits as well as vegetables. Some restaurants and stores also accept SNAP benefits.
Medicaid
Medicaid is a federally funded program that offers financial help for pregnant women and postpartum care, among other medical demands. It is geared toward those with inadequate health insurance, or with no insurance coverage. Requirements vary from state to state.
Free help for pregnant mothers
Crowdfunding can be a lifesaving choice for people who need financial help quickly and can not afford to wait for government aid. If you're still thinking about how to get help with bills, online fundraising may be a fantastic alternative for you.
How complimentary fundraising can make a big impact
Online fundraising through GoFundMe can relieve financial stress so that you can focus on your pregnancy. GoFundMe also offers free fundraising, which means that you can put more of your funds toward toddler's things or your baby's future.
How crowdfunding helped these expecting mothers
Thousands of pregnant women used online fundraising to get financial help for out of pocket medical expenditures. These are just two mothers who found relief from crowdfunding and the supportive community it supplied:
Charlotte Marie Ehler
Danielle and her husband Trent were overjoyed when their daughter was born healthy. However, all that changed five months later when Charlotte acquired a cough that turned into a lung infection and sent her to the ICU.
A friend started a GoFundMe to assist the family with living expenses and also to cancel mounting medical bills. The design raised almost $7,000.
Sweet Baby Olivia
Olivia and her twin brother Liam were born four weeks premature and needed mechanical aid to breathe. Tragically, Liam passed after three weeks while Olivia fought for her life through numerous surgeries.
Olivia still battles a chronic illness that needs around-the-clock maintenance and extensive treatments every day. Her family confronted enormous medical debt due to gaps in insurance coverage, so a friend took action and launched a GoFundMe. The fundraiser raised over $12,000 to offset costs.
If you understand a struggling family, browse our blog post How to Raise Money for a Family in Need for ideas on how to do it, or discover family fundraisers for more inspiration.
Whether you need to eliminate debt or simply need to purchase the essentials to prepare for the arrival of your child, GoFundMe will help. You deserve to enjoy every moment of the significant life event without worrying about impending medical bills or unpaid maternity leave.
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