Being pregnant should be something to rejoice. When the economy is tight or your finances are limited during this otherwise happy time, however, it can cause understandable stress. Having a baby is certainly not cheap, but there are some ways you can get help without having to pay for it.
A few of these resources are:
Advice and Information
Ask Dr. Sears
At AskDrSears.com, pediatrician Bob Sears provides his expert advice on topics of interest to expectant mothers who want to learn more about what to do both during pregnancy and after giving birth.
Baby Center
On Baby Center.com, there are many resources to get free advice for anything from your pregnancy to raising your new baby to toddler age. You can read articles relevant to being pregnant, find tools to chart your pregnancy, get a newsletter emailed to you and go to their forum area to interact with others. For all these goodies, just register at the site.
Fit Pregnancy
It is imperative to the health of both you and your baby that you stay in the best physical shape during your pregnancy. The Fit Pregnancy site has a free email newsletter you can sign up for and provides sound advice about diet, nutrition, exercise and the like. If you aren’t sure what you need to eat, there are some decent recipes to help guide you. Additionally, they enable you to create a personal calendar to help chart your pregnancy.
Kodak has an online gallery and has a wonderful offer for new mothers with 20 free 5×7-size birth arrival announcements that will include a photo of your newborn you can send to relatives and other loved ones.
A visit to FreeBabyCoupons.com will lead you to links to a number of coupons for things like maternity clothes, baby food and formula, diapers and more.
Contact your area health department to inquire about local hospitals or clinics that offer prenatal care at no cost to expectant mothers with low incomes.
Medicaid
If your income is low and you are without health care insurance, you might be eligible to receive Medicaid. Funded by the federal government, Medicaid, if approved, will pay for all or the majority of prenatal care and labor costs. Click here for additional facts.
WIC is a government-funded nutritional program that provides free medical screenings, health counseling, classes on breastfeeding and coupons for women with low income to buy healthy food during their pregnancy. Once your baby is born, they may still be able to help with baby formula and healthy foods for both you and your child. Find out more about eligibility requirements and how to apply by getting in contact with the WIC state agency in your state.
Military Family Help
Operation Special Delivery
Operation Special Delivery offers free services to expectant moms whose spouses or boyfriends are deployed in the military or have been killed or physically incapacitated due to their military service. They assign a doula to you who will give you support, advice and encouragement during pregnancy and childbirth. To learn more, visit the Operation Special Delivery website.
There are plenty of places online to look for free baby-related samples, but to narrow your search, I recommend that you go to Freaky Freddies, My Savings, Free Stuff Channel and Freebies-for-Baby, due to the number and variety of samples they link to.
