Maternity Insurance|Maternity Care|Postpartum Care

Pregnancy clothes are not given much thought until the day finally comes usually during the second trimester when regular clothes start to get tight and uncomfortable. It is natural for women to enjoy this phase as which woman does not like shopping for new clothes!

Expectant mothers may opt for stylish maternity clothes if they are the more fashionable kind. They have the option to choose from maternity shirts, tops and blouses with comfortable jeans or pants, sun dresses, novelty t-shirts, skirts, camisoles, tank tops, tube tops, shorts, dress tops, strapless dresses, beach wear, swimwear, gowns, evening wear, pajamas, sleep shirts, robes etc. to name a few. The designs, fabric, pattern are available in such variety that it is not hard to find great looking comfortable clothes at reasonable rates.

For those on a budget and seek affordable maternity clothes there are plenty of options too. Most of the items are inexpensive and hardly cost much. You may buy in moderation like buying a few items each month, making it more affordable and easier to manage finances.

Shopping can be done each month. As your size is increasing, you cannot buy items wholesale! You may buy items of your regular size in maternity clothes if you have not gained more weight than you should. Many expectant mothers come up with an amazing wardrobe by buying plus sized clothes and by mixing and matching them.

Looking Big And Feeling Beautiful

The expectant moms of today are proud of their pregnancy and take steps to ensure that their special days are memorable and are smart enough to make them as comfortable as they can. They buy their maternity clothes with care, buying comfy and cozy garments that are easy to maintain, are of good quality and not too expensive.

Shopping can be done conveniently online with many stores selling pregnancy clothes such as funny maternity t-shirts and maternity wear that are trendy and durable. Maternity gifts such as maternity pillows, good luck bracelets, novelty t-shirts, stretch mark removal creams, belly butter, foot spritz etc. are available.

Consider the weather when you are shopping as you need to be dressed appropriately. If it is getting colder investing in a maternity winter coat is not a bad option. Maternity evening wear is also popular as expectant mothers no longer hide behind loose ill-fitting clothes; in fact they are of the opinion the bigger the belly the more beautiful the mom! Pregnancy clothes for occasions such as evening wear can not only help the mom-to-be stay fashionable but can be great to have a maternity portrait done in.

Shopping for post delivery clothes usually begins during the third trimester. There are nursing tops, nursing gowns, nursing pajamas, breastfeeding pillows, breastfeeding covers, delivery kits etc..

Most of these items do not cost much and are extremely affordable; many online stores give great discounts making them even more attractive. These items are of the right size and are easy to maintain. The right pregnancy clothes can make your pregnancy symptoms bearable and make your pregnancy enjoyable.

Thirty two percent of births occur by c-section in the United States.? A cesarean section delivery introduces a longer recovery time for mom, along with an increased risk of complications for her and baby.? Each of these scenarios may translate into additional, unplanned time away from work, impacting the family's income and ability to cover expenses.? Supplemental insurance is a great way to take financial concerns out of the equation.

C-section delivery has become one of the most commonly performed surgeries in U.S. hospitals: approximately 1.4 million such operations were performed in 2007.? A prior cesarean is the main reason for a c-section delivery, and use of drugs to induce labor is twice as likely to result in a c-section delivery.? Also, placenta previa, breached birth, drop in fetal heart rate, cord prolapse, arrested labor, vaginal bleeding, and multiple pregnancies are all indications for a c-section delivery.?

Longer Recovery Times

A cesarean delivery is major surgery and it takes longer for mom to recover.? If you are planning to return to work after your maternity leave, you will need to build at least an additional two weeks.? Many women in the U.S. get job protected leave, but the majority takes this time unpaid.? A longer recovery means less income than expected.

Surgical Complications

Any major surgery comes with the risks of complications which may include heavy bleeding, damage to adjoining organs, infections of the uterus and other organs, re-opening of the incision, and blood clots in veins.? These complications may require re-admission to the hospital and/or additional time to fully recover before returning to work.? An extended time away from work may mean additional lost income and added financial stress when you are already dealing with health concerns.

C-section deliveries are also associated with multiple births, and situations where the baby may be in distress - often leading to an extended time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the infant.? Depending upon how your insurance plan is configured, there may be unexpected hospital bills, and you may need to take extra time away from work to care for a sick infant at home.

Replace Your Income Using Supplemental Insurance

Supplemental insurance, when bought preconception can address each of these financial concerns presented by your c-section delivery.? Short term disability insurance pays an additional two-week benefit for your normal surgical delivery.? In addition, any complications arising out of your surgery that require you to miss additional work beyond the standard eight weeks will be covered as well.? Hospital indemnity insurance will cover your normal labor and delivery, plus it will pay an additional benefit should your infant require care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.? Should you multiple pregnancy result in two or three infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, hospital indemnity will pay an additional benefit for each child.

Pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition.? Buy supplemental insurance before getting pregnant to minimize the financial concerns that may arise from a c-section delivery.

Your first visit with a care provider is important. During this visit, he or she will take a full medical history to determine if you have any underlying health problems. In addition, your care provider will ask you about any health problems that run in your family, and in your partner's family.

Unless you have a preexisting medical problem, your doctor will usually treat you like any other pregnant woman in terms of scheduling your first appointment, at about 8 weeks. One of the main reasons for the delay is that early miscarriage is very common and in most cases can not be prevented by medical treatment. There fore, most care providers wait until you have passed the danger zone of early miscarriage before they order all the pregnancy blood tests.

Preparing For Your Appointment

If your partner is not going to come with you to your first visit, it's important for you to sit down together and brainstorm about possible family problems. Any family conditions may be passed on to your baby and testing may be an option.

If you have any health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, bring your medical records with you. Your questions can then be answered right away instead of having to wait until your care provider can get copies of your records. You may be asked some embarrassing but important questions about drug use, sexually transmitted diseases and past pregnancy terminations. It's critical that you tell the truth about your medical history. If your partner doesn't know about it, you can arrange to tell your care provider when your partner is not present.

Standard Tests

In addition to answering a lot of questions, you will probably have a thorough physical exam, including a pelvic examination and cervical (PAP) smear (unless you have recently had one). Your doctor should also discuss your options for first trimester screening for abnormalities so that tests can be arranged between 10-14 weeks if you want them. Depending on how many weeks pregnant you are, you may get to hear your baby's heartbeat. Finally, you will be asked to give samples of your blood and urine for routine testing and have your weight and blood pressure checked.

Testing for HIV is recommended for all pregnant women. If you have HIT, the chances of passing the virus on to your baby can be significantly reduced by taking antiretroviral agents. In additional to these routine tests you may also have additional. tests. A swab may be taken from your cervix for testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, which can be symptom-free but could affect your baby if not diagnosed and treated.

In some cases, blood tests may also be done to check for varicella (chicken pox) and toxoplasmosis. Past infection with toxoplasmosis is a good thing because you will be protected from developing an infection during pregnancy when it can harm your baby.

Women likely to become mothers in the future need to look for health insurance plans with maternity coverage included. If you are in this position and you assume that the health insurance plan that you have in effect now also covers for pregnancy, you might be wrong. Standard health plans don't and you need to have a supplemental maternity insurance to them. Make sure you have this rider because there are many women that neglect this aspect and only realize they are not covered properly when there's nothing they can do.

Individual health plans usually have a waiting period before maternity coverage actually enters in effect. The maternity rider needs to be taken for half a year or a year before the insurance companies start paying benefits. This means that if you are already pregnant, your maternity coverage might only become effective after you have already given birth. It is best to have supplemental maternity insurance and medical insurance also before you start conceiving a baby.

It is not at all affordable to give birth without insurance. A normal birth, without any complications can cost around $2500. If you require a C-section or if there are any problems with the baby, the cost of delivery and medication will increase significantly. It's hard to tell whether you'll have problems or not during pregnancy and delivery, but it's best to be safe, so get maternity coverage in advance, just in case.

Women who get health insurance with a supplemental maternity insurance will indeed have to pay higher premiums. However, the additional cost of your insurance is not at all as high as the medical expenses that are going to incur in this period. Your maternity coverage will sure pay off. After you don't need it anymore, you can lower back the amount of your premium by dropping the maternity coverage. It's up to you how much you keep it, but don't get pregnant without it under any circumstances.

If you already have a good group health plan, check with your employer to see if he or she won't also include supplemental maternity insurance in it. If not, you can still get it on your own. It will save you a lot of trouble concerning expenses and it will allow you to spend time with your baby and to recover after child birth without thinking how to pay for what you need.

When you spend time with Mary Stengel Austen, you come away with one feeling. "That woman is affable." After thinking it over, you might find other words which describe her: smart, realistic, enthusiastic, tough minded, determined, articulate, strategic, focused. But you'll always include affable in your memory of her because that's what she is.

Perhaps she has to be that way because of the two most significant challenges in her life: managing five small children and managing one of the largest ad agencies in this part of the country, Tierney Communications. Affable is good, perhaps necessary.

Having grown up in this area, she then graduated from Lafayette College and was directed to a job in sales for age copier company. Quickly convinced that she was not made for a direct sales role, she found her way into the former Spiro agency and found the career that challenged her, enthused her and excited her. Obviously, she loved what she did and, after a few other steps forward, she still loves what she does as president and CEO of Tierney and its 135 employees.

Mary sees great opportunity for the advertising business but she insists that success will come to those who understand that it's a "time for new reality." That's her way to acknowledge and respect change which is happening faster and faster. She believes that
agencies must adapt more quickly to market changes, technology changes and even to the changing expectations of employees. More than ever before, she hopes that Tierney is understanding and respecting clients' perceptions of their own needs which often change with the speed of light.

Her concerns for the overall health of the agency business are partially based on the pressures clients feel in these changing times. It's not a new thought that solid relationships with clients are vital for ad agencies. However, those relationships are harder and harder to develop because of the pressures of time and the pressures of the bottom line. However, she says the key to a superb client relationship is no different today than it was ten years ago. Just remember that "It's not about you, it's about your client." Good advice.

When pressed, she has some advice for clients, too. Directed to clients in just a few words, the "wisdom" of Mary Stengel Austen is simple to state. She would ask them to be careful about articulating the business plan and the marketing objectives to the agency. She would urge them to have realistic expectations about their marketing/advertising efforts. She would hope for an open, honest working relationship with the agency and a consistent viewpoint about image, brand and sales. She also fully understands that clients have their own pressures and sometimes are forced to abandon well thought out plans.

A consistent lesson has guided her in her home life, in college and in her career. She has learned the importance of being able to multi-task. She says that learning to "juggle" has helped her in her career and in her role as a Mother. According to her, "Kids and clients have helped me to learn how to prioritize and have forced me to remain focused." She further explains, "Both clients and children need to feel as if they are the most important thing in your world." In these two separate situations, they are, so it's working out quite well for Mary, for Tierney and for her family.

Predictably, her hopes for her own career cover a broad spectrum of topics. When she thinks about her life in ten years, she first mentions her family and its importance. Then she talks about continuing to enjoy her work, about continuing to learn and grow and continuing to do the things she does best. She is quite comfortable and enjoys managing good people and hopes to continue that function. She also wants as much strategic involvement as possible, both in her own operation and in the operations of clients.

She gives an interesting example. When a client crisis occurs, she hopes to contribute to the strategy/solution and to "Slow things down when others are compelled to speed things up." She seems calm and, apparently, is convinced that calm and smart is better than frenzied and active without a good plan.

Mary Stengel Austen is even more than a busy, successful executive at Tierney and a busy, effective family woman. She is also a committed supporter of the community, serving on many boards including the Please Touch Museum, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, Maternity Care Coalition, Philadelphia Ad Club, Lafayette College Advisory Council and as Chairperson of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

She lives in Radnor with her husband, Peter, who is an Insurance Broker and her five children: Thomas(8), Andrew (7), Christopher (6), John (4) and Sally (2).

Affable? Yes. Successful? Yes. A nice combination!

Aside from considering your financial status, it is also necessary to look into your health if you are really capable of dealing with pregnancy after 40. Indeed, when you push through your plans, there are a lot of downsides that may come along the way.

When you are dealing with pregnancy after 40, it may be expected that there may be risky possibilities that needs to be avoided as much as possible. These may be related to your health or to any accident or injury which you cannot predict as they come unexpectedly.

One of the disadvantages is leading to miscarriage. In a study, women who get pregnant at 40 have higher rate of miscarriage than pregnant women at their 20s. Also, babies who are born from such kind of pregnancy may have complications. Some problems related to such pregnancy are Autism and Down's syndrome, or any other problems related to the brain development of the babies.

It might also be that mother will suffer when she gives birth. The worst is, this kind of pregnancy may lead to death, either on the side of the mother or on the side of the baby.

Remember that the mother's body might no longer be as healthy as before, so it may really be risky to continue with the plan of conceiving a baby at 40.

Hence, one should need to look for ways to minimize the risks just so it may not lead to a worst scenario. Medical experts themselves have talked about pregnancy after 40 as relatively risky. This situation demands a lot of care and precaution. Taking care of pregnancy should be in the top of the list for the whole nine months. To minimize the threat, you should be willing to familiarize yourself of the necessary things peculiar to that kind of pregnancy. In all the things that you do, you must remember that someone vulnerable is inside your body, so take extra care. The best way to keep future complications is to visit your doctor regularly. Your doctor will instruct you on the best way to keep you and your baby healthy.

Normally, a healthy lifestyle, together with proper diet and exercise, as doctors suggest ensures healthy pregnancy. To persons of such age, diabetes and hypertension are common sickness. When you suffer those, it is important to disclose this information to your doctor in order to prevent complications. Your doctor will provide the right medication for maintaining blood pressure. She may also suggest that you relieve yourself of stress.

Ectopic pregnancy refers to a fertilized egg that implants somewhere outside of the uterus. This is generally in the fallopian tube and is sometimes referred to as a tubal pregnancy. Certain women are at a higher risk for having an ectopic pregnancy than others.

An ectopic pregnancy can start out just like a normal pregnancy. You may have a positive pregnancy test, miss your period or have other normal pregnancy symptoms. Then again, you may not have a positive pregnancy test and you should seek immediate medical help if you experience any of the ectopic pregnancy symptoms.

Many women first experience abdominal pain that can be tender to the touch, sharp or sudden, persistent or intermittent, or it could be fairly mild. Symptoms can have a wide range from person to person. Some women only have pain on one side while others have it in their entire abdomen or pelvis.

Vomiting or nausea can occur. Spotting or vaginal bleeding is also normal. Pain generally gets more severe if you are active, sneezing, coughing or laughing.

If your fallopian tube has ruptured, then you could be in immediate life-threatening danger and you should call 911 immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms. Pain in your shoulder, especially when you lie down can be caused by internal bleeding. Lying down can wash the pooling blood up to your shoulder and put pressure on the nerves, causing pain.

This is a real emergency and you may not have much time to get medical help. Do not delay in calling 911 and never attempt to drive yourself if you experience this type of pain. You may go into shock and experience a weak or fast pulse. Your skin could become pale and clammy. You can get dizzy and find it hard to balance. You can feel faint or actually pass out. Any of these symptoms should tell you that you are in immediate danger and you should get help without delay.

Your chances of having an ectopic pregnancy are higher if you have an IUD, have had a previous ectopic pregnancy, if you have had any type of surgery in or around your fallopian tubes, if you have had a cesarean section or other abdominal surgery or if you have had any type of pelvic infection, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, chlamydia or gonorrhea. Any surgeries or infections can make scar tissue grow in your fallopian tubes trapping a fertilized egg. IUD's and progestin-only birth control pills can make your uterus inhospitable to fertilized eggs and they may implant in your fallopian tube instead.

If you are at a higher risk for ectopic pregnancy, be very mindful of the symptoms so that you can seek medical help at the slightest signs of a problem.

For women considering having a baby, health insurance is crucial to both their own health and their health of the baby. Major medical insurance with pregnancy coverage can help you have a stress-free nine months and a healthy baby.

What is Major Medical Insurance?

This type of insurance plan covers serious injuries or illnesses. You pay all medical expenses up to the deductible, after which the insurance company begins to pay.

The deductible can be anywhere from $500 to $10,000, but this is offset by low monthly premiums.

To help cover the deductible, you can often open a Health Savings Account. You can deposit money in this account and then withdraw it pay for medical expenses.

Choosing a Maternity Policy

If you're considering a major medical plan to help pay for pregnancy expenses, you should be aware that many of these plans do not include maternity coverage. So your first step in choosing a policy should be to make sure that maternity care is included. You may be able to purchase a separate maternity rider that will pay childbirth-related expenses.

Second, you should find out if there is a "wait to conceive" period. In many policies, maternity coverage does not begin for up to one year after you purchase the policy. If you conceive before this waiting period ends, your pregnancy will not be covered.

You should also check whether the maternity policy covers

* Routine doctor visits

* Complications during the pregnancy or delivery

* Hospital stays

* Lab work

* Ultrasounds

* Anesthesia

* Prenatal vitamins

* Post-delivery doctor visits

Where to Get a Cheap Rate

To help you find a policy that offers the coverage you need at a cheap rate, go to an insurance comparison website. On this website you'll be able to get fast quotes from multiple A-rated insurance companies.

Many women in America are in this situation today of not having maternity insurance. The reasons for not having maternity coverage are all too common: "I cannot afford it", "I thought my coverage included maternity", or "I just didn't choose to have it in my plan because, we weren't planning on having a baby yet". Even though the reasons are different the end result is the same. It is such a shame that during one of the happiest times in a woman's life has to be mingled in with worry and fear. It is my hope that the information in this article will provide clear answers and will help remove some of the anxiety you may be feeling. I remember when my wife was pregnant; we had enough to worry about let alone the financial aspects of having a baby.

So what are your options if you do not have maternity coverage? Unfortunately, as you probably have already experienced the insurance avenue is out! Once you are pregnant, insurance companies will not accept you. It is kind of like trying to get auto insurance after a car wreck. Fortunately, there are a few choices you can make:

**Discount Medical Plans--- Discount medical plans like Ameriplan are similar to traditional major medical plans yet are different. Major medical insurance plans are designed to help cover the costs of medical claims. Discount plans, however, just provide a better rate for health services. The nice thing about discount plans are they are significantly less expensive than traditional health plans and you can begin using the benefits from day one.

**Advocacy Groups--- Similar to discount medical plans are maternity advocacy groups like Maternity Advantage. They help to negotiate the best pricing for lab work, help find the best doctor fees in your area, and help find errors in billing to help cut costs. Click the link above to have a maternity specialist help you better understand the different programs they have available for you.

**Cash Pay Option--- Most OBGYN's have two billing methods 1) Global billing-which is used for insurance and 2) Cash payment. With a cash payment option they give you a cash pay discount for their medical services. Typically, the doctor's office will charge you around $2000-$3000 dollars from conception to delivery. Next, you will need to contact the billing department for your hospital. Every hospital has a prepayment package for delivery services. Usually these packages range from $3000-$5000 dollars. As you can see this is a much more expensive option to experience on the front end, but you do save at the end. On average a normal pregnancy if you do not have insurance, use an advocacy group, or discount plan will cost you from $7500-$10,000 dollars-just for delivery!!!

As you can see there are options available for pregnant women. I wish they were as comprehensive as traditional health insurance with maternity care, but these programs do help save women a lot of money in their maternity expenses. I hope after reading this article you have a better understanding of what your choices are and are able to develop a road map of what to do next. But most of all, I hope that now you can rest a little easier at night because in a few short months you will have a lot of late nights with your new baby.

Private international medical insurance is hugely important for providers, particularly around the end of the year - those who do not provide this option are encouraged to read ahead and research this option further.

Why IPMI?

If you already represent a number of sectors, you might wonder how the addition IPMI could make any kind of impact on your existing numbers.

The IPMI market, especially in Asia, is one of the last growth areas for health insurance. With five out of the top 10 countries in the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey 2011 located in Asia, there is a clear signal that Asia continues to be a favoured location for IPMI's classic target audience. Many providers are now also able to offer cover to local nationals as well as expats, which widens the target base even further.

The products and regulatory framework are relatively simple, which means that it's a quick process to learn and get any of the necessary approvals.

Retention rates for this market remain high, with the market average around the mid-to-high 80% range, so customers are likely to stay once they've bought.

Commission rates start at around 15% for new business and are also payable on renewal, so a USD 100,000 book could earn USD 60,000 in four years.

Assessing your customer's needs

So with an existing book of customers to review, what's the best way to assess if your customers have a need and what kind of plan would fit the bill?

There are three simple steps to take:

Review any existing cover already in place
It's likely that many of your clients will already have some kind of health insurance in place and it's important to start with an assessment of the current cover.

If your client has a local plan in place, a review of the annual maximum benefit limit, the sub-limits and any excess or deductible, against their current lifestyle and expectations is the best place to start.

Expat or local national?

Expat clients often have a clear need for IPMI because they want the option to return to their home country for treatment.

The most recent development within the IPMI customer base is the addition of local nationals to the mix. Many providers are now able to offer customers resident in selected locations the opportunity to buy. Assessing the demand for this segment is not as clear-cut, since the desire to seek treatment internationally is driven by more emotional needs such as wanting better quality care and more choice and control over treatment plans. A good way to start with this segment is reviewing any second homes or international business travel.

What kind of product?

There are three basic elements in assessing your clients' needs:

• Do they need access to out-patient care or is in/day-patient care sufficient?
• Do they need access to routine and complex dental care?
• Do they need access to routine maternity care?

It's worth noting that dental and maternity benefits are always subject to waiting periods before the benefits can be accessed. If you have a client on a similar plan however, they may be transferred onto a new plan with no break in cover and all waiting periods removed.

Budget

Of course, your client can tell you that they need top-end out-patient, dental and maternity benefits but if the premium is out of their range, there are a number of things you can do to maintain the levels of cover without breaking the bank.

Many providers provide a wide range of excesses on plans to reduce the premium. These can be anything from zero to USD 15,000 or more.

There are also co-insurance options, where clients pay a portion of costs with the insurance provider, which can also provide significant cost savings.

Some providers also offer significant discounts if they are prepared to seek treatment in a semi-private hospital room as opposed to a private one.

Choosing a provider

So once a full assessment of the client's needs has been completed, who are the best providers in the market and what's the best way to choose them.

Making sure that you ask the right questions is key. Common complaints in this market are mostly claim-related. The time it takes to reimburse claims, the instance of declined claims, getting underwritten at the point of claim, are some of the most common.

A checklist for finding the right provider could be:

- Are they a big insurer with an international division or a specialist?
- What are the maximum limits on their plans, especially the sub limits?
- How do they underwrite customers? Full medical underwriting or moratorium?
- What are their turnaround times? i.e. how quickly do they pay claims and make decisions?
- What claim tracking tools do they have in place?
- How extensive is their medical provider list?
- Do they manage claims from one location or are there on-the-ground experts?

Massive opportunity

What is true about the IPMI market is that it is one of the last insurance segments that can demonstrate continued and sustained growth with solid retention rates and margin-rich commission levels.

You could make important gains with IPMI with relatively little effort - why wait?

When a woman gets pregnant her body goes through many different kinds of changes. Hormone levels will be on the rise as the body prepares to sustain life for both the mother and the fetus.

It is typical for women to experience fear and worry when they are pregnant. They will fear for the health of their unborn child. They will worry about the possibility of having a miscarriage if they don't do everything just right. All of these fears are common, although usually unfounded. Nature has a way of taking care of the innocent and keeping them safe. A miscarriage is usually a sign that something is seriously wrong and the fetus is not healthy enough to live.

With the drastic change in hormone levels many women find that they suddenly suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. You may have never had an anxiety attack or a panic attack in your life until you become pregnant and all of a sudden you find that your fears are out of control.

There is no way to know how your body will react to the increase in hormones. Everybody reacts differently and until you have been there you just can't tell how it will go. Increased levels of hormones are making all kinds of changes in your body but these changes are necessary for a normal pregnancy and delivery.

If you find that you suddenly experience anxiety and panic attacks during pregnancy you should immediately discuss this with your doctor. For nine months your body will be undergoing changes and that is a long time to deal with severe anxiety and panic.

Now, more than ever, it is important for you to eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. The delivery process is called labor for a reason. Your body needs to be in good physical shape to endure this process. This will also help the fetus grow strong and healthy if the mother stays healthy. The things you eat will also go to feed the baby so you need to take care to eat foods that provide nourishment to the baby.

If you experience a lot of anxiety and panic your doctor will probably recommend that you give up caffeine entirely. Caffeine is a stimulant that flows through the bloodstream and into the bloodstream of the baby. It is possible for the baby to feel stressed at the same time the mother does.

Avoid taking pain killers or other types of medicine unless your doctor approves it. Remember, everything that enters your bloodstream will also enter the baby's bloodstream.

Do something you enjoy every day. This could be a long soak in the tub or a shopping trip to look for baby items. If it makes you feel good it will help you relax.

If you follow these simple guidelines you will probably not have any reason to become anxious or panicky. Remember that pregnancy is a normal process that women experience every day. You may have to learn a few techniques to help you get through those hormonal periods but when you look at the end result you will know that it is all worth it.

In this article we have explored panic attacks during pregnancy. This information is but a tip of the iceberg when it comes to panic attacks during pregnancy. In my free eCourse - The mystery of the 7th cure, I show you deep strategies that will eradicate your panic attacks and anxiety disorders fast!

Fred, a confirmed bachelor and still single, was shocked to discover upon receiving his monthly statement, that his health insurance premium had nearly doubled one month. Upon further investigation, when he called his agent to complain, he learned that for more than two years he'd been paying an extra $104.00 per month, and that this resulted from maternity coverage.

"That should be easy to fix," he confidently told his agent, "I'm single and a 59-year-old male. When do I start getting the lowered rate, and maybe money returned to me retroactively?"

"Not so fast," Fred's inadequate agent blithely replied, "You failed to correct it."

"I failed to correct it?"

"That's right. It's your responsibility."

"How is it my responsibility?"

"I can explain it to you."

"Please do," whimpered Fred, now shaken to the core of his being after realizing that for two years he'd been categorized by his trusted insurance carrier as having the potential to become a pregnant woman and never so much as eaten a pickle. Recovering a bit of his dignity, he started to become indignant, something that the agent could instinctively sense.

The agent realized in the nick of time that explaining how the mistake had come to be was not only prudent but the right thing to do.

"Here's what happened," he began blithely spouting, "when you first joined up with this health insurance plan, we sent you a booklet describing coverage in every particular. The maternity coverage clause was mentioned in that. You should have chosen a plan that excluded maternity coverage to begin with. The plan you picked had maternity coverage in case you became pregnant."

"But I'm a guy."

The agent softened a bit hearing that. "You had ten days to examine the coverage. We never heard from you about maternity coverage."

Fred won't get his money back, but it's not too late to find a competent California Health Insurance Agent. Don't let this happen to you.

Many families are in search of affordable health insurance that will provide maternity or pregnancy benefits. Health carriers offer such plans, but they vary in the amount of coverage provided. Many insurers will not provide benefits to the insured for at least nine months.

As with all things insurance related, you must plan ahead. Occasionally, consumers are interested in maternity policies once they are already pregnant. They are disappointed to learn insurance cannot be purchased to cover a pregnant spouse - pregnancy is a preexisting condition. Insurers simply will not take on this risk. However, a health plan can be purchased for a healthy mother and child after delivery.

When is My Pregnancy Covered?

Generally, policies will provide benefits for maternity after the insurance has been in force for nine months, but some carriers offer plan with limited benefits that begin day one. However, if you were to purchase a plan with a nine month waiting period, your pregnancy would not be covered if the child was delivered before the nine month window had expired. Again, it is prudent to plan ahead and purchase a policy with a maternity rider some months before conception.

It might be helpful to look at this from the insurance provider's point of view. Typically, when a couple desires and pays for a maternity plan, then they are likely to use it. The insurance company is relatively certain that a claim will come in the near future. Thus, they will build the cost into the premium for the insured (you) and mandate a waiting period. That being said, some companies are offering plans that are more attractive than others.

A Popular HSA Maternity Plan with a Reasonable Deductible

One insurance company offers a Health Savings Account (or HSA) with a maternity rider and a low $1,500 individual deductible. Once the deductible has been reached and the nine month waiting period has been satisfied, the plan would cover the balance of the pregnancy. In this example, you could fund the HSA account with at least the $1,500 and write that off against your income. The $1,500 could be withdrawn tax free to satisfy the deductible and then the policy benefits would kick in. Currently, this HSA plan is one of the more popular policies available.

Another popular plan has no waiting period and provides more benefits the longer the policy is held. The maternity rider will cover $2,000 toward a pregnancy in the first two years. During years three and four, the policy will pay up to $4,000 and years five and on the policy provides coverage up to $6,000.

Another option is to simply self insure for a pregnancy. Many consumers will purchase traditional health insurance or possibly an HSA qualified plan and save each month in order to cover maternity expenses.

How are Pregnancies Billed?

At this point, clients often ask about pre-natal care and doctor's office visits. Fortunately, most Obstetricians do not charge as you go. Doctor's visits, pre-natal care and delivery are all included as part of the pregnancy and usually subject to one, pre-determined charge. Thus, the final bill can be run through your insurance company (assuming you purchased a maternity rider) and then settled up.

When purchasing health insurance policies covering pregnancy, you must plan ahead. There are several options available, but you will get the most from your policy if you do your due diligence and purchase the policy ahead of time.

Request a Health Insurance Quote with Maternity

For anyone who is pregnant for the first time, the idea of childbirth can be frightening and a bit overwhelming. Typically, a pregnancy takes anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks. Though many first-time mothers indicated that their babies were delivered past their due date, it is always best to be ready and prepared for what is to come during childbirth.

With the advent of modern science and technology in childbirth and childcare, many modern women are afforded more advantages with regards to having a baby than their older counterparts had, and many of these women take advantage of these opportunities. Instead of spending 38 to 42 weeks getting all worked up before the birth of the baby, learn and educate yourself on the process as well as how to care for your newborn.

Nowadays, hospitals and communities offer prenatal classes to prepare you for childbirth during the third trimester. Not only that, libraries as well as the Internet, offer a wealth of information on matters concerning childbirth and child care. Remember though, even with all the preparation every woman's childbirth is different and unique.

However preparation can equip you with knowledge and this will make you well informed. The thought of childbirth having been gone through by millions of women since the dawn of man offers little consolation to most women. This is because the fear of what is to come is terrifying.

Knowledge however can assist in that it provides a small sense of control over the whole situation. Now women are actively involved in their birthing plans and inform their doctor or midwife how they would like the childbirth to be carried out if all is well with the baby. Although complications can limit your childbirth choices, there are various options that you can choose from for your birth plan.

To prepare for childbirth you can opt to take up childbirth classes, Lamaze classes, hire a doula or labour coach, and read up on the subject. Even though the idea of childbirth and labour can be scary for a first-time mother, in the end it will all be worth it. Once the baby is placed in the mother's arm, all the pain and discomfort will become nothing but a vague memory.

By learning and understanding the labour and delivery process, you can help prepare yourself for the childbirth. There are many women who claimed that attending Lamaze classes eased their mind as they know what to expect. Having a labour coach, be it your spouse, a partner, your best friend or even a doula can greatly help you throughout the whole process.

As most women opt for natural childbirth, there are others out there who choose a water birth or a home birth. The thing that ties them all together is the fact that each labour and delivery experience will be different for all women.

While you may have had a rough idea as to the type of experiences you would likely have during the birth of your children, take note that there are many other issues and factors that could have an effect on that idea. Remember that the most important thing about all of this is the end result, having a beautiful healthy baby which will make it all worthwhile.

Stretch marks are scars that are produced on the skin mostly due to pregnancy and childbirth. These are present as lighter lines of the skin, with a whitish hue. Though stretch marks are usually associated with pregnancy and childbirth, it is not actually true. Stretch marks can also occur due to obesity, excessive physical labor involving a particular part of the skin, bodybuilding, pubertal changes, dieting, etc. Stretch marks are called as striae distensae medically. However bad they may appear, stretch marks are always a cosmetic problem and they have no repercussions on the health of the person.

A significant part of the joy of childbirth is marred when the woman finds out that the pregnancy has brought on several disagreeable changes in the body. Stretch marks are among the topmost of pregnancy-related problems. These put a big dampener on the self-confidence of women. In fact, some women may decide not to give birth to a child just to avoid the disfiguring changing that pregnancy brings on.

But there is actually no need to despair. Through Ayurveda, Indian doctors have discovered and perfected several techniques by which women can treat their stretch marks of pregnancy; and also avoid them while they are pregnant.

Useful Herbs for the Treatment of Stretch Marks

# Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

The holy basil, or the tulsi, is used in the prevention of bleeding of tissue, stretch marks and scarring that can occur during pregnancy.

# Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)

The gotu kola is an indigenous Indian herb which is now being extensively marketed and used in foreign countries for healing stretch marks and other cosmetic problems of the skin. It is an important ingredient in several pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of stretch marks.

# Indian Madder (Rubia cordifolia)

Indian madder is popular as the manjishtha in Ayurvedic language. It is very effective in the solution of skin problems such as stretch marks. It also prevents skin ulcers.

# Indian Margosa (Azadirachtha indica)

The Indian margosa is none other than the neem, which is almost worshipped in Ayurvedic medicine. This is used to prevent itches and abscesses that can be caused during pregnancy. It takes care of stretch marks. The neem is also useful in the treatment of secondary infections.

# Sandalwood (Chandana)

Sandalwood has a cooling effect on the skin. It protects the skin from stretching extensively during pregnancy.

Dietary Treatments for Treatment of Stretch Marks

During pregnancy, women must take care of their skin. For this, their diet must contain sufficient amount of vitamin E. Vitamin E is present in several oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, walnut oil and peanut oil and in foods such as carrots, tomatoes, hazelnut, soybeans, pollards, corn, asparagus and oatmeal. In fact, oatmeal is traditionally prescribed to women to get rid of their stretch marks.

The diet should also contain good amounts of vitamin C, which is essential in maintaining the water content of the body. This can be obtained from fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables, which must be taken in a minimum cooked form.

Sour and pungent foods must be avoided. Similarly, saturated fats must be avoided in excess, because they can cause excessive stretching of the skin, and also lead to obesity. Eating seeds and nuts that are rich in mineral content, especially zinc is good for toning up the skin during pregnancy.

The water content of the skin must be kept high in order to maintain its suppleness. When pregnant, the woman must drink at least six to eight glasses of water in a day.

Home Remedies for the Treatment of Stretch Marks

# Apply a cream that is rich in content on the region where stretch marks are prone to occur. This will prevent the stretch marks from appearing later on. Even if the stretch marks persist later, you can apply vitamin E containing creams on the area for removing them.

# Cocoa butter is highly acclaimed for preventing pregnancy stretch marks. This butter must be applied on the skin every night when you are pregnant. Cocoa butter has much more benefits if it is applied directly after a warm shower because it opens up the pores of the skin and helps it to permeate better.

# You can use vitamin E rich oil such as olive oil or castor oil and rub it onto the belly every night. Use some aromatic herbs like mint, lemon grass, lavender, thyme, etc., make a paste of them with the oil and apply them onto the belly for better effects. The massage must be done for about twenty minutes every night while retiring to bed. Even if this is done after the birth, it helps the stretch marks to subside after a few weeks.

"I'm pregnant. Can I get maternity coverage?"
 
Women call private health insurance companies with this question on a daily basis.
They are horrified when they are told the answer is "No."
 
Insurance is a protection device, they learn, meant to help with cost of something that might happen in the future, not an event that has already occurred. You can not, after all, get coverage on your house if it is already on fire.

Many of the women calling already had private individual health insurance and assumed they were protected. This is common for those who had previously been under group health insurance policies where maternity was a standard benefit so they didn't even think to ask if they'd be covered when they got their new plan.
 
Some bought a policy that only had maternity coverage as an option for a significantly higher rate that they could not afford. Others were never properly advised that maternity was not even available on the plan they chose.
 
There can be no doubt that countless abortions occur yearly because young women find out too late that they don't have and cannot buy maternity coverage after already being pregnant.
 
Insurance companies sell policies that don't cover maternity because laws of most states allow this type of policy to be sold. Lawmaker are never openly asked: "Why does public policy encourage abortion in this way?"
 
Family values voters should fully support universal maternity coverage for all Americans.

Free market conservatives will argue that having the government require maternity coverage on health insurance would be an unnecessary intrusion into the private market and add to the costs of health coverage.
 
Yes, maternity care is more expensive than abortion, but public policy should not dissuade a woman from carrying their child to term.
 
The extra costs should be shared. After all, why should a man pay less for his coverage than the woman he impregnates?
 
If you agree, email your congressional representative through the link below, to ask them to include universal maternity coverage in health care reform.

Should you work while you are pregnant? About 78% of pregnant women continue work through the end of pregnancy. Consult your doctor about working during pregnancy. She will take into consideration your general health, how well the pregnancy is going, and any problems you've had with former pregnancies. She will also evaluate your work: how many hours you work, and whether your job could harm you or your baby. Some jobs are risky during pregnancy, such as: heavy lifting, climbing, standing for a long time, and tasks that require balance. If you have had a difficult pregnancy in the past, heavy physical work is not recommended. If your job has no health risks, you can usually work until labor starts. Some women may have to limit or quit work during pregnancy because of health risks or especially demanding jobs.

Ten Timely Tips for Pregnant Working Women

1. Eat three to five healthful meals a day, as well as nutritious snacks, like cut up raw vegetables, fruit, yogurt, cheese, whole grain cereal without sugar, eggs, and so forth. Get four servings of calcium spread out over each day. Your doctor may prescribe special vitamins for you which should include folate and Omega 3. Folate and Omega 3 can help keep your mental health stable as well as your physical health. They are also necessary for proper development of your baby.

2. Keep healthful snacks available at work, such as: popcorn, peanut butter and crackers, cheese, hardboiled eggs, and fruit. Hunger or low blood sugar can cause nausea, but peppermint tea and soda crackers reduce it. Medication for morning sickness is available if the problem becomes serious, but there are safer and more natural remedies which may help you.

3. To stay organized, keep a notepad handy and write reminders to yourself at work and at home. List all appointments and responsibilities on your calendar, which you should keep with you at home and work. Stick to your schedule to avoid becoming overtired. Make sure you're scheduling relaxation and fun too!

4. Drink lots of water throughout the day to hydrate yourself. Be sure to get enough vitamin C from fruits, juices, or supplements.

5. Get ten or eleven hours of sleep per night.

6. Moderate exercise, such as walking, reduces the possibility of blood clots, varicose veins, and swelling of the feet and legs. Avoid heavy work and lifting, as well as heavy exercise. Swimming is a good exercise for pregnant women. Put your feet up at night.

7. Do not smoke or allow yourself to be near secondhand smoke; it is very harmful to you and the baby. Exposure to smoke can cause abortion, premature birth, low birth weight, and infant death.

8. Don't drink alcohol at all. There is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Even if your OB says it's fine, don't. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) causes severe retardation and birth defects, and it can be caused by small amounts of alcohol.

9. Don't take any medications - even if they're over the counter or herbal - unless approved by your doctor, especially during the first two months of pregnancy. The wrong kind of drug exposure may cause low birth weight, nervous system damage, and physical malformations to the baby such as heart problems and cleft palate.

10. Avoid video display terminals and microwaves.

If you do decide to work during your pregnancy, practice these ten tips. Taking care of yourself is the most important job you have for taking care of your baby! This is good practice for when your baby arrives and will help you prevent mommy burnout.

The type of diet a woman consumes before pregnancy can influence fertility and pregnancy in multiple ways. Under the right circumstances, good nutrition can be a gift, an above-average start on life and health advantages that last for a lifetime.

Today we are experiencing an explosion in new information about nutrition, fertility and pregnancy. A renaissance in research is underway, and it is redefining what nutritional advice should be given to women who are attempting to conceive Advice previously based on clinical assumptions or personal biases is being replaced with recommendations supported by solid evidence. There are important advantages to the scientifically supported recommendations that are emerging from today's studies: They have been demonstrated to benefit health and they hold up over time.

It wasn't that long ago when nutritional factors were regarded as being unrelated to fertility. We now know that body weight, location of body fat stores, usual diet, and supplement use all influence fertility. It used to be thought that the fetus was a parasite, extracting from the mother whatever nutrients it needed for growth and development regardless of the mother's diet. (Some people still believe this is true today.) It is now commonly accepted that the fetus is not a parasite; it does not benefit while harming the mother. The nourishment of the fetus depends on the supply of nutrients from the mother's diet and her nutrient stores. In order to ensure survival of the species, it is the mother who gets primary access to most nutrients if nutrient supply is low. A healthy mother can reproduce again.

In the past, women were said to have maternal instincts that would direct them to select and consume nutritious foods during pregnancy. This notion is as valid as the ancient Roman belief that if you wanted a child with dark eyes you should eat mice often. Other common ideas such as the recommendation that all women should take multivitamins and mineral supplements, restrict their salt intake, and diet to keep their weight low in pregnancy are no longer supported.

New information about nutrition and fertility, pregnancy, and infant feeding emerges constantly, and it is difficult for health care providers to stay current on all the advances. Unfortunately, many providers are not up-to-date on the low-tech, nondrug nutritional improvements that could benefit the women they serve.

Much of the earlier advice given to women about nutrition and reproduction was insufficiently supported by scientific research and heavily biased by unproven assumptions. As knowledge expands, so should the specific recommendations given to women about nutrition. Some advances in nutrition information slowly seep into health care; others seem to be kept secret. A number of nutritional measures can be undertaken to enhance the chances of conception for many women. It is also clear that a growing and developing fetus is vulnerable to the influence of energy and nutrients it receives from the mother, and that excessive vitamins and minerals from supplements may be as hazardous to fetal well-being as deficient amounts. It is now known that a woman's intake of certain vitamins, such as folate, vitamin A, and vitamin D, very early in pregnancy can be related to the development of certain malformations in the baby. How much weight women gain in pregnancy, and the timing of the gain, have important effects on the risk of preterm delivery and the size and health status of infants at birth.

One of the most striking advances in research concerns maternal nutrition and the subsequent risk of certain chronic diseases. It appears that a predisposition for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a number of other diseases and disorders may be "programmed" by inadequate supplies of energy or nutrients during pregnancy and early infancy. A large body of evidence indicates that newborns with optimal growth may be at lower risk for developing these health problems later in life.

Well-nourished women are also less likely to experience miscarriages, or to develop iron deficiency, suffer constipation or fatigue, and other common problems of pregnancy. Babies born to well-nourished women are more likely to be born in robust health, to feed vigorously, to grow optimally, and to be alert and responsive. Although there is much more to be learned about the effects of nutrition on fetal growth, development, and subsequent health, the influence of maternal nutrition is being recognized, and the advantages of optimal nutrition are more extensive than previously imagined.

One of the best things about nutrition is that the risks associated with poor eating habits can often be eliminated by fixing the weak link in nutritional health. It may be as simple as consuming more of your favorite fruits and vegetables, eating a breakfast cereal fortified with folic acid, or taking a low-dose iron supplement. By drawing up a pre pregnancy diet plan these steps can easily be followed. Some steps may be more difficult, such as gaining weight or cutting down on some of your favorite junk foods. But these gifts you give to your unborn baby will benefit you as well. Your reward may be a perfectly timed conception, higher energy levels during pregnancy, less intense side effects of pregnancy (such as nausea and vomiting, constipation, and heartburn), or a fully grown and developed newborn that is easy to care for.

Despite the best efforts, not everyone who wants to become pregnant will, and not all pregnancies will end in healthy newborns. Although it is very important, nutrition is not the only factor that influences fertility or pregnancy. Problems arise due to a myriad of factors that can be identified but not always remedied. In addition, there are probably hundreds of causes of infertility and pregnancy problems that have yet to be identified. These many unknowns make it impossible to chart a course that guarantees conception and a healthy newborn. With so many mysteries, blaming oneself for problems of uncertain origin is unreasonable and should be resisted with all the strength the spirit can muster. Keeping this in mind, the best course to chart is one that is within your control.

Do You Have Your Pregnancy Covered?

Many Americans are concerned about the high cost of maternity benefits if they lack health insurance, of if their health insurance does not cover routine prenatal care. Almost 50 million people in the US have no health plan at all. Others are covered, but the coverage does not include the normal costs of having a baby. This can be a big strain on many growing families.

This is no time to panic. It is the time to research your alternatives. The important thing is to take care of the health of the mother and baby!

How much does maternity care cost?

You have to figure in all of the doctor's visits and tests before the baby is born. Then there will be a hospital bill for the mother and the baby. You can figure that a normal pregnancy will cost, at least, $10,000 in some areas. Any complications could double or triple that figure.

Get Help With Maternity Costs

However, there are ways to get help with those costs! Let us look at some ways you can manage the costs of maternity care.

Low Income Help

If you have a low to moderate income, public health programs may be your best bet.

CHIPS (Children's Health Insurance Program) is a state and federal health insurance plan that covers the children or low to moderate income families. It also provides that help before a baby is born, so qualifying mothers can get prenatal care.

This program is different in different states. You can find information and applications by searching on the web for CHIPS in your state.

Medicaid is the state and federal health insurance plan for people with low incomes. This may also cover pregnant women, so you can search for Medicaid information and applications for the state you live in.

Prenatal Help For Middle to Higher Income Families

Even if your family makes too much money to qualify for CHIPS or Medicaid, you may still be able to qualify for some help. Even if your family income is $50,000, a $10,000 to $20,000 bill can strain your resources. This is especially true for young families that have not had time to save money.

Many counties have hospital districts that provide services on a sliding fee scale. You can also search for local charities, foundations, or faith based organizations. The help may come in the form of reduced fees, low or no interest loans, or even grants.

Maternity Payment Plans can be arranged with some doctors and hospitals. They know that not everybody has health insurance to cover the bulk of expenses, and they have systems in place to help families pay for maternity care. Call local doctors and hospitals to get more information about payment plans.

Get Employment Health Benefits
Even if you, or your spouse, is already pregnant, it may still be possible to get a job with health benefits that will cover the costs. This may not be easy, and even if you can secure a job right away, some employers have a waiting period before health insurance goes into affect. However, group health plans cannot consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition. Note that this is not true of individual health insurance, and you will not get accepted if you are already pregnant.

High Risk Health Pools

The state high risk health pool may or may not help. Under some circumstances, it could cover your pregnancy, but under others it could consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition and enforce long waiting period. You will have to look for information on the high risk health pool in your state. There is also a new federal high risk health pool.

Have A Healthy Pregnancy
Having a baby can be very expensive today. However, you can find local, state, and federal resources to help you with the costs. Concentrate on find help you can so you can take good care of the mother and unborn child.

It is almost a common sense these days to do your research before making any sort of purchase. And it goes without saying that private health insurance is one of the products that you want to get right. So ideally you need to shop around before making a decision. But before that it's equally important to get an understanding of various private medical cover types out there.

Budget cover

Budget level health insurance can provide cover for hospital treatment for in-patient procedures such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy along with Psychiatric treatment.

These policies will cover your treatment in a private hospital, it might also cover cancer treatment for up to one year and cover any costs related to transport in a private ambulance. With some policies they might offer an NHS cash benefit if treatment is taken in an NHS hospital instead of a private hospital.

Standard cover

Mid-range levels will cover you for most hospital fees deemed eligible and in some cases, specialist fees as well. In most cases, this level will offer the same benefits as the basic level cover but with added extras - this will differ per insurer.

In a lot of cases, mid range cover provides more prompt treatment, including access to specialists and consultants, access to private treatment and cover for use for consultant appointments. Some policies will also include diagnostic tests and outpatient psychiatry, parental accommodation if your child is sick and major dental expenses may also be covered under such policies.

Comprehensive cover

The higher end policies again offer the same cover the mid-range and basic level, but tend to have no limits on them and even more benefits.

They may also include complementary therapies like physiotherapy, psychiatric treatment and access to private hospital transport service. Cover will also be provided for treatment in certain circumstances where there may be complications during pregnancy.

In some cases, the insurance policy may offer an unlimited private ambulance service as well as the benefits previously mentioned. Access to private maternity care and cash benefits for NHS in-patient treatment are also generally available with this level of cover.

I am sure that you take your health seriously, although NHS waiting lists leave a lot to be desired. Private health and medical care insurance will ensure that you and your family are seen by medical experts immediately should they unfortunately suffer from any illness, injury or disease. The beauty of this kind of policy is that it is regarded as affordable medical and healthcare coverage that will typically be far less expensive than you could ever imagine. I urge you to grab this opportunity to protect and nurture your health by taking advantage of our free, no obligation quote.