Maternity Insurance|Maternity Care|Postpartum Care

Making Decisions about Maternity Insurance Plans

Personal health care insurance policies that cover maternity expenses including OB/GYN and the high expenses for new baby ward tend to be much more expensive than similar policies that do not don't consider pregnancy expenses a covered expense. Some of our policy holders pay as much as four hundred extra every month for coverage for pregnancy costs.

Maternity Insurance: When should you add or drop coverage?

In a perfect world, you should be able to add maternity coverage just before you conceive and drop it the day after your final visit with your post pardum visit. However the issue of pre existing conditions and unplanned pregnancy can make your choice of when to change to another health insurance plan more difficult.

Pre-existing Conditions and Pregnancy Coverage

Pregnancy insurance cannot necessarily be added or dropped at any time. If you want to save money by eliminating your maternity coverage and buying a health insurance coverage that does not cover the medical expenses you incur because you are pregnant, you may have a tough time if you have a medical condition. This is also the case when you want to move to an insurance plan that covers maternity. A current pregnancy is considered a preexisting health condition Therefore, if you are pregnant when you apply for your policy or on your policy's effective date, you will be turned down by most private ,medical insurance companies.

A Maternity Insurance Strategy

Many families will do better when they buy with separate policies. Often a plan that will cover maternity will have other coverage which they will find unnecessary. Often the wife should get separate health insurance plan than her husband and the rest of the family.

This works well for most families. However, larger families will usually do better when they purchase one healthcare. Other factors sometimes make a difference. A good personal health insurance broker should be able to help you decide which option is best for you and your family.

Should you buy Maternity Insurance Now?

Not knowing when or if you might have an unplanned pregnancy and when or if you will develop a medical issue which thereby makes it impossible to get an underwritten medical insurance plan makes that a difficult question to answer. I hope that the the article you are reading makes it easier to make an informed decision. Without the ability to know the future, making a perfect decision is not possible.

Practices have also evolved over time and are quite different from those of a generation ago, especially in Chinese culture. In the nineteen forties and fifties, a new mother used to be confined to her bedroom during the confinement period which begins from the moment the baby is born until the baby reaches full moon or is a month old. She could not wash her hair during that period and could not leave the house for fear of wind entering her body and cause her to have aches and pains later on in life.

The confinement period was an enforced period of rest for the new mother so that she could recover from the ordeal of childbirth and recover her strength. A woman with specialized knowledge of herbs and confinement food is employed to look after the mother's diet and to look after the baby day and night so that the mother has proper sleep and rest. She will stay with the family for the whole month and is paid a tidy sum for her services. Such services were in great demand and an expectant mother would book way in advance to ensure that when her delivery time is at hand, there would be someone to look after her needs and the baby.

These days, there is some flexibility. After ten days or so, the new mother may wash her hair using special bath water. Her bath is usually water boiled with a concoction of certain herbs that will draw out the wind from her body. No cold water or water straight from the tap is used.

Special food and wine are included in her diet. Chicken and wood ear fungus cooked in sesame oil and lots of ginger and glutinous rice wine is a daily staple. She can take only certain vegetables and fruit such as apples, guava and papaya. She is also given special soups which will promote breast milk production if she is breast feeding. Everyday, free range chicken is steamed with special herbs in a double boiler to get the pure chicken essence. This is especially nutritious and invigorating.

However it can be quite hard to acquire such personalized services nowadays as many of those women specialized in caring for the baby and new mother have retired and are no longer available. A new niche market has sprung up where women entrepreneurs have opened up confinement homes.

These homes offer confinement services to new mothers who want to ensure that they have enough sleep and rest which they may not get at home if they have young children in their families or if there is not enough room in their houses. These homes offer single rooms which give you privacy, or twin bedded rooms. The market price varies from a few thousand dollars to more, depending on the type of room you choose. Everything is taken care of, all meals provided and the baby looked after day and night. Baby diapers and formula ( if the mother is not breastfeeding ) are also provided. These homes are run professionally like a business and the experienced confinement ladies also impart their knowledge of rituals and taboos. Traditional massage is also available.

Many Chinese new mothers are availing themselves of this confinement home service because of its convenience. Depending on the size of the home, it can accommodate up to eight mothers.

However, in Malay culture and I believe the Indian culture too, the traditional practices are more strictly adhered to. There is also the confinement period where the new mother has to rest and partake of a special diet and herbal baths. Lemon grass and ginger feature because of their properties, especially dispelling wind from the body.

The new mother in Malay culture has traditional massage that will reduce the wind in her belly and I remember the lady who came to give me the massage, used a hot brick wrapped in a towel to warm my belly before massaging with some oil. After that a long piece of cloth specially sewn, was wrapped round my tummy to flatten it. I was not allowed to take a bath during my first confinement. The purpose of the massage is to drive the wind out, to shrink the uterus and to give me back my waistline. This traditional massage is still practiced today and the new mothers of Malay ethnicity also consume jamu ( specially prepared herbs )which will help them to regain their strength and figure. Being Chinese, I didn't take jamu but followed the Chinese diet under the strict eyes of my grandmother and confinement lady.

At the end of the confinement period, the new mother is left to her own resources. Those who are working may still be on maternity leave and would use this time to bond with their babies. The Chinese usually have a big celebration where a dinner party is organized to introduce the new-born to relatives and friends. One tradition still observed by some families today is the giving out of red eggs, a slice of roast pork and yellow ( derived from turmeric )glutinous rice. If a dinner is held, then only the red eggs are given. In return, the baby receives an ang pow (red envelope containing money). In the yester years, when the price of gold was still affordable, the new baby would be given gold jewellery by close relatives.

It is almost foolish to go abroad and not have a visitors' medical insurance. The reason is simple. The costs of the country you are visiting might be relatively higher than your home country. Your medical coverage doesn't extend to foreign countries which means you are practically without a medical insurance when you are abroad.

With higher chances of falling sick in a new country, one is adding lot of unpredictability to their budget by not taking up a visitors medical insurance which is available from a small time period of about 5 days to a long duration of up to 1 year.

If you are a student studying abroad, especially in a more expensive country, you might find it hard to get financial air and private loans for your studies itself. Adding your medical costs will be a huge burden.

An international student health insurance plan has many benefits at very low premium. Different types of students like research scholars, exchange program members and full time and part time students have different discounts.

An international student health insurance plan offers coverage with monthly payments and more than suffices for all the requirements of school and government.

The student plan enables coverage as huge as $300000. Besides this, students also get coverage for prescription medication which means they do not have to worry about going to doctors for preventive measures and suspecting illnesses.

Coverage for Sports and Pre-existing conditions - Two major benefits

The international student health insurance is valuable because it provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as well which is usually not available for most other policies. Similarly sports benefits and accidental injuries while playing sports are also covered which is a huge plus for the students.

This plan has other benefits too. That includes the ability to renew the plan and also manage the plan online. The application process is very simple and hence the policy is available very soon. There is a waiting period of 12 months on pre existing conditions, though which might differ from the rules of the school.

Other Benefits

If you have an international student health insurance plan you need to pay a deductible of only $100 which gets halved in the health center for students. The student also gets around $350 for every injury or illness in case of hospitalization. Else the student receives a sum of $100 for injury.

Students also get 50% of actual charge for medication through prescription. The international student health insurance plan also includes maternity and newborn care if conception of the child is one a date after the coverage's effective date. This also includes costs due to pregnancy complications or miscarriage expenses.

The insurance plan is very good for students especially because it covers sports and also minor health problems involving dental issues or mental issues.

These considerations e.g. pregnancy and complications during that period make the insurance plans suitable for students and are very beneficial for a minor cost of around $30 per month which most students can afford.

The other day I received an email from someone who said that she had noticed a lot of thinning of the hair in her bang area - so much so that you could see the white of her scalp where her bangs met the top of her head. She asked me what could be causing this and what she should do about it. I'll tell you what I told her in the following article.

Things That Can Cause Your Hair To Thin In The Front: The first thing that I asked her was if she had noticed any increase in the amount of hair that she had been shedding or losing. As the bangs are often more sparse to begin with, this can be one of the first places that you notice over all thinning or shedding. And, telogen effluvium (TE) is a condition that occurs because of changes in your body. In females, common culprits are changing hormones, stress, pregnancy, giving birth, going off of birth control pills, thyroid issues, and other things. Typically, it takes a couple of months between the stress or change on your body until you start to notice more hair coming out. As I said, the bangs are one place where you will start to see the thinning first since this area has less hair to begin with. If you have this condition, you will often know it because you will shed hair all over - not just in the front. And, you will see more clothes on the floor, on your clothes, and in your brush.

Genetic Hair Thinning In The Front: Men's genetic thinning will often manifest itself in the temples when we are talking about the front of the scalp. Women though, often notice a thinning in their bang area. This is due to hormones also, but it's often not a lack of hormones or even an excess or hormones. It is a sensitivity to the normal presence of hormones that increase as we age. It doesn't' happen to everyone. Generally speaking, you will have a genetic tendency toward this sensitivity and the front of the scalp (as well as the crown, temples, and part line) are particularly susceptible to this.

What You Can Do About Thinning In The Front: First off, you need to pinpoint why this is happening. If this is run of the mill TE, then generally what you have to give is just time in cases like giving birth or stress. However, if this is due to medical or other condition that you can treat and improve then you should certainty do that. This is important because this condition is not likely to improve if you don't treat it or don't treat the correct cause of it.

If it is a genetic issue that we are talking about, then you will have to work on reducing your sensitivity to the androgens which are the cornerstone of this issue. Many people will try to eliminate their presence from the scalp, but this is really impossible. Your scalp will continue to produce them and as long as the sensitivity is there, you will still have the problem. It's far better to work on both reducing them (if your levels are too high to be healthy) and on reducing the sensitivity.

Also, you will want to take a look at and then reduce any inflammation. Often, the inflammatory process is present in both TE and in androgen driven loss. There are many natural substances that work well for this. (Tea tree oil, emu oil, lavender, etc.) Finally, you will want to really focus on stimulating your scalp to reproduce healthy hair in that area. Once the androgens are being treated, you must pounce on this window of opportunity to stimulate the follicles because the longer that they are not producing adequate regrowth, the harder it becomes to reignite this process.

In the meantime, there are powders that can cover the white of your scalp like topik and couvre. They do help. And, you can try growing out your bangs so that the area where scalp meets bang isn't so noticeable. But, this things will only take you so far. Eventually, you will need to take the next step and figure out what is causing this and fix it.

Hormones play a role in mood swings during menopause. Your body is undergoing a large number of hormonal transitions. Estrogen influences the production of a mood regulating neurotransmitter known as serotonin. Not only does it increase the sensitivity of serotonin receptors, it also increases receptor levels. All can lead to the mood changes commonly associated with this stage of life.

PMS & Postpartum Depression

If you have had symptoms of PMS (pre-menstrual tension) in the past, you are more likely to suffer from mood swings and hot flashes along with other hormonal changes. Women who suffered from postpartum depression (depression that occurs in the first few months after childbirth) or noticed emotional changes during pregnancy may be more predisposed to menopause and mood changes. Hormone treatment options are available and should be discusses with your doctor if you fall into this category.

Sleep Disturbance And Menopausal Symptoms

Sleep deprivation can increase symptoms of menopause and mood changes and anyone who wakes up from night sweats may be suffering from this. Further, as you get older, you are more likely to suffer from a sleep disturbance.

If you are under stress, this can affect normal sleep patterns. Ideally, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep each night to keep mood swings from becoming an issue during menopause. Learn how to better manage your stress and speak to your doctor if sleep is an issue, so you can get a good night's sleep and reduce those mood fluctuations.

Diet, Menopause And Mood Swings

Your diet may be playing a role in the mood swings. If you are taking in too much sugar, you will often find that your mood tends to fluctuate more. This is due to the roller-coaster effect that too much sugar has upon insulin regulation in the body. The same is true if you are taking in stimulants such as caffeine or if you consume alcohol. Some simple changes to your diet may be all you need to have your mood levelling out again.

Many things can play a role in Menopause and mood swings. Hormones, a lack of sleep and an improper diet are just three of them. You can greatly improve your mood by eliminating certain foods from your diet. You can reduce stress by learning relaxation techniques, which in turn will greatly improve your sleep. Menopause does not have to be a trial if you know what to do and where to seek help.

If you are a new dad, your probably freaking out right about now. That cute little baby seems so calm and serene right up until the point of the late night wails that awaken you out of your deep slumber. Not only does your wife become more frazzled but, you feel virtually inept and helpless as to how you can assist your breastfeeding wife and this little bundle of joy. You need guidance, without having to feel like less of a man by asking others for advice. So here are some tips as to how to care for your new baby:

1. First, you must realize that the first couple of months may make you feel second in line. Only the mother can breastfeed, and her maternal instincts are kicking into overdrive by trying to care for the baby's every need. However, new dad, you may not be able to breastfeed the baby, but you can still feel important by changing the diapers, rocking the baby to sleep, caring for a crying baby, and etc... Do not let yourself feel second in line. Not only will you feel better about your parenting skills, your wife will greatly appreciate the help.

2. Since the baby's routine in the first couple of weeks is to eat, sleep, cry, and poop every couple of hours, alternate caring for the baby with your wife. You both will benefit greatly from this tagged team effort. You will not only get more sleep, you both will be less irritable and happier loving parents. If you work during the day, when you get home, watch the baby so she can sleep for a couple of hours. At night, let her care for the baby for a couple of hours so your refreshed for work. Make sure you offer this to your wife! This is a no lose situation. (Just remember, from here on out you will get less sleep than you ever had before the baby!)

3. This next one is very important. Not only has your wife's body changed in many ways, she may be suffering from the postpartum blues as her emotions act like a roller coaster. Simple things like telling your wife how beautiful she is, and how proud you are of her being such a great mother will make her feel happier, and lessen the brunt of insults that may fly your way. And if your caught in the cross hairs of these emotions, let the emotion-filled words slide right off your back and continue to show your love to her. This is the true test of being a good husband, dad, and a man.

4. Finally, no manual in the world can tell you how to raise the perfect child. You may learn what the best food to feed your baby is, or the latest safest toys, but parenting comes from first-hand experience. Everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect. Not your wife, your mother, father, or even you. Stop trying to live up to these idealistic fantasies of how to be the perfect dad. He does not exist. What you can do, is make a conscious decision to love your child endlessly no matter what, and to support him or her through thick and thin. Just try your best and at the end of the day hopefully you can learn from your mistakes.

Every penny counts in this day and age, and getting the most out of your earnings as a contractor is now more important than ever. Joining an umbrella rather than an agency payroll can offer a number of benefits and help you save money in the long run.

Tax efficiency.

Administrative assistance in dealing with taxation issues can save a lot worry for the contractor. An Umbrella Company can give you the assistance you need, leaving you free to pursue your professional talents, and help to avoid some late nights too.

Joining an umbrella payroll can also help you make the most out of reclaiming on-the-job expenses which may be difficult or even impossible if you are engaged as an agency employee instead.

As contractor accountants Umbrella Companies can make sure that you are meeting all the right tax obligations and will arrange for tax contributions to be taken out of your pay and handed straight over to HMRC.

Moving on to an umbrella payroll can give you the benefits of acting as part of a limited company without the responsibilities, administration costs or extra hassle. As specialist contractor accountants Umbrella companies can also help you to deal with smoothing out any problems with IR35 legislation.

If you choose to operate under an umbrella you will still need to pay income tax, Employee and Employers National Insurance contributions, under the PAYE system. However your Umbrella Company should be able to help you get tax relief on some of your expenses and legally save money on your taxes in the long run.

There are other benefits of working for an Umbrella Company too, such as holiday, maternity, paternity and sick pay based on your rate of earning, helping you to deal with both the planned and the unexpected. However, you will not always qualify for these payments, so you should check with the company of your choice.

To join an Umbrella Company you will usually have to pay a small regular fee through periods of work. Costs will very from company to company.

Working as a contractor can be very rewarding, giving you more autonomy to choose when you work and who you work for, as well as offering more flexible working hours. An Umbrella Company can give you the assistance and support that you need to help you through some of the more difficult issues of self-employment and allow you to focus on what you do best as a contractor.

Did you know that depression affects approximately 18.8 million American adults in a given year? The holidays can be particularly difficult. Those who have struggled with depression say that they'd rather be physically sick than depressed, those who've never been depressed should count their blessings! But I can guarantee that you still have felt its icy fingers of impact, because someone you love is probably suffering from depression right now.

One of the fastest-growing markets for anti-depression medication is for preschoolers, it is estimated that at least four percent of preschoolers-that is over one million-are clinically depressed. It's as if they are catching a virus of depression from their teachers, parents, older siblings, or caregivers. The rate of increase in depression among school-age children is even more astonishing at 23 percent.

Just last week I was sitting on the couch looking at my Christmas tree. I wanted one more look before I started to take it down, so I turned on the lights and sat there for a few minutes. It's just an artificial blue spruce, about six feet tall, with tiny white lights and white garland. It really is nothing but a bunch of "bling."

I thought about my older daughter's question on Christmas Eve. We'd gone to her house and the first thing she asked was, "did you put up a tree?" What a strange question for a grown daughter with a family who has two trees in her own big house, why would she wonder if we'd put up a tree?... And then I'd remembered my younger daughter's question earlier in the month, she was checking on our house while we were away and she wanted to know if she could turn on our Christmas tree lights. She, too, has a lovely family with their own tree. So, what was so important about their parents having a Christmas tree?

I continued to think about the tree and all the memories it conjured up. I really do have an excuse to be a little depressed, I thought. I've lost my job, a job I really loved, and I miss my friends and associations from that job, and the income. But, in spite of the memories, and no assurance for the future, I feel joyful; it's explainable only in the fact that I have faithfully followed my eight-question depression-busting plan. Using these questions to check my attitude and behavior I put myself back on track every time I feel the slightest twinge of depression.

Eight-Question Depression-Busting Plan

1. Nutrition, am I eating the right things? Things to avoid are sugar, preservatives, and highly-processed food. These foods may y let you down, leaving you with food cravings, and feelings of guilt for eating too much.

2. Exercise, am I getting enough exercise? Exercise gives your brain an opportunity to rejuvenate. This actually will elevate your mood and give you a sense of well being.

3. Water, am I drinking enough water? Water carries necessary nutrients to all parts of your body and flushes out toxins.

4. Sunlight, am I getting enough sunlight? You may be a borderline seasonally-affected depressant; it is hard in the winter with shorter days to get enough sunlight. Taking additional vitamin D and using a light; box may help.

5. Temperance, am I being temperate in all that I do? Another word for temperance is balance. Am I being balanced in all that I do? Am I working too hard? Am I eating too much? Avoid harmful substances altogether.

6. Air, am I getting fresh air? Air that is full of mold spores and dust can precipitate illness, which leads to cold remedies and pain killers; it is now believed that acetaminophen may cause feelings of depression.

7. Rest, am I getting enough rest? Sleep, often hard to come by in our fast-paced lives, maybe the most important activity you're missing. Known to help control appetite, you can loose weight just by getting enough sleep. So avoid too much stimulus (exercise, exciting TV shows, caffeine), and establishing a bedtime routine, even if you don't sleep, stay there for eight hours.

8. Trust in your Higher Power, am I spending time in the word? Am I filling my soul with faith or fear food? Until you make feeding your spirit the same priority as feeding your body you will struggle with depression. It is a natural response to the unpredictable world in which we live.

Try this plan and you too, can stop the spread of depression.

References and Further Reading

National Institute for Mental Health, The Numbers Count: Mental Illness in America, Science on Our Minds Fact Sheet Series

Study published in Psychiatric Services, April 2004. Reported in our health news archive: Pill-Popping Pre-Schoolers and Even Toddlers Get the Blues.
Harvard University study reported in Harvard Mental Health Newsletter, February 2002.

Does Your Risky History Put You At Risk for A Sexual Affair?

Family situations and personal challenges are unbelievably influential in whether or not someone is going to cheat, but what about personal risk? Does depression increase the possibility of your husband cheating? What if he loses his job, or someone close to him dies?

According to Christian relationship expert Dave Carders, situational factors definitely influence a person's potential to cheat on their significant other. "Often there are situational factors that weigh heavily into the initiation of [infidelity]," he writes in his bestselling book Close Calls. "Two of these areas are high-risk times and high-risk behaviors."

High-Risk Times

High-risk times refer to great times of stress and change in relationships. Many times, these times are life-altering and require major adjustment on one's part in order to fully absorb the changes that are made to their routines.

Death or Loss

Death of a loved one is a common high-risk time for people. Research has indicated that spouses and couples actually experience an increase in their sex life following the death of a loved one.

Many times, both parties in the marriage or relationship will experience difficulty connecting because they're both in mourning during this period. They may preserve their energy in order to work through the day instead of expending effort in consoling one another.

As we've discussed before, men have a real pattern of using sex to comfort themselves. If they're not getting emotional support and care from their wives at home, there's potential for them to seek outside refuge in the arms of another woman, as having sex will still release oxytocin, which comforts them and makes them feel less "alone" in times of need.

Pregnancy

There are several reasons why pregnancy carries an increased risk of infidelity in men. First and foremost, a man is adjusting to the fact that the relationship isn't all about him anymore; he now has to share the spotlight with another person, his own child. Second, he has to spend an extra amount of time catering to the woman carrying his child for the approximately 9 weeks or so that she's carrying the child.

To add to this, women usually go through a lot during their pregnancies. Hormones shift and change, and women can become emotionally unstable, sensitive and possess lower libidos, resulting in a lack off sexual desire. In turn, the changes which take place in the female's body, such as weight gain, make her less visually appealing to her husband, and therefore divert his sexual desire away from her.

Once the baby comes, pressures of being a new parent add strain to the relationship. Many women experience postpartum depression, while others become completely consumed with the baby and lose desire to connect with their partners. Resentment, stress and the need to "get away from it all" can cause an otherwise great man to cheat - all because he wants attention that he feels is no longer readily available to him.

In my work in family medicine, I see a lot of expectant mothers. I'm often surprised at how much misinformation is out there about proper nutrition during pregnancy, and in particular about Essential Fatty Acids during pregnancy.

Essential Fatty Acids are so-called because they move oxygen through our blood, they help in cell and brain development, and they keep organs and tissue healthy. One of the most crucial Essential Fatty Acids for fetal development is Omega 3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This Omega 3 (not to be confused with Omega 3 EPA or ALA) is the primary structural component of brain tissue.

What follows are five important tips for fetal development:

1. DHA is a basic building block for your baby's brain. The Omega-3 DHA is a critical component n the development of your baby's brain, spinal cord, eyes, and nervous system. Adequate amounts of DHA help to prevent allergies in children who are at risk for them, and also increases birth size and weight. It also increases your baby's coordination and motor skills.

2. Your body naturally gives all its DHA to your fetus. It's part of the miracle of birth - your body instinctively gives your fetus all the resources it needs for optimal fetal development, even if that means that it robs you of the nutrients you need. For most mothers who are deficient in DHA, this manifests itself as postpartum depression, or in brain shrinkage (also known as 'mommy brain'.)

3. Mothers who got more Omega 3s in their last trimester had smarter babies. A recent study of over 11,000 pregnant women in England showed that mothers who got more Omega 3s during pregnancy had babies with higher IQs and better social development, including fewer incidences of ADD. Infants who had insufficient supply had lower fine motor skills, less developed communication skills, and social behavior issues that could be measured for years after birth.

4. Baby's development continues through breastfeeding. If you choose to breastfeed, you are the only source of nutrition for your baby. Since your baby's development is continuing rapidly at this time, it is critical that you are getting enough DHA to supply your baby with enough for optimal growth, without depleting your reserves to critical levels. If you are deficient, discuss using an Omega 3 enhanced baby formula with your physician.

5. Prenatal vitamins generally do not contain Omega 3. It is a source of unending frustration to doctors, but prenatal vitamins rarely contain DHA. With more than 98% of women not getting enough Omega 3 in their diet to properly support themselves and their developing babies, it is very important that women are aware of this lack and are looking to make up for it through diet or supplementation.

Most women are conscious of the FDA's recommendation that expecting mothers and children avoid certain types of fish. This is because of a risk of mercury contamination, found especially in large fish that feed on other fish.

One way to avoid mercury contamination during this critical time of development is to take an Omega 3 supplement. It is vital that you ensure you are getting a molecularly-distilled supplement that is certified by independent parties to be pure and free of toxins.

Also, ensure that you are getting the recommended dose of Omega 3 for expecting mothers.