Maternity Insurance|Maternity Care|Postpartum Care

Foreign employees in China can participate in Social Insurance after going through employment procedures and obtaining corresponding employment certificates.

Both the company and the employee shall contribute to the payment. The contribution is calculated based on the monthly salary received by the employees and the rates for different types of insurance varies.

On September 6, 2011, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the Interim Measures for the Participation of Foreigners Employed in China in Social Insurance (the Measures) which came into effect on October 15, 2011.

The Measures specifies that employers who employ foreigners shall, within 30 days of the date on which the employment certificate is handled, make arrangements for the foreigners to participate in social insurance. Foreigners employed in China, after going through employment procedures and obtaining corresponding employment certificates, shall participate in social insurance for employees, including basic endowment insurance for employees, basic medical insurance for employees, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance.

The payment of the social insurance for foreigners shall be made on a monthly basis according to the monthly salary received by the foreign employee. Both the company and the employee shall contribute to the payment.

The rates are as follows:

- Basic endowment insurance
Company contribution = 22%
Employee Contribution = 5%

- Basic medical insurance
Company contribution = 12%
Employee contribution = 2%

- Unemployment insurance
Company contribution = 2%
Employee contribution= 1%

- Work-related injury insurance
Company contribution = 0.5%
Employee contribution = 0%

- Maternity insurance
Company contribution =0.5%
Employee contribution = 0%

The contribution from the foreign employee will be deducted from his monthly salary by the company and paid to social insurance bureau. In addition, the basis of contribution for foreign employee, mostly like local Chinese employee, possibly is capped at triple of the average local employee's salary which is issued by local authority every year.

In the event the foreign employee leaves China, he can choose to keep the social insurance account and the payment can be continued if he is back to China for work in the further again. However, if he does not want to keep the account, he can apply for cancelling. In that case, the balance in his personal social insurance account can be withdrawn.

Foreigners employed in China refer to people without Chinese nationality who have obtained the Employment Certificate for Foreigner, the Certificate of Foreign Expert, the Certificate of Permanent Foreign Correspondent and other employment certificates and residence certificates for foreigners in accordance with the law, possess the Permanent Residence Certificate for Foreigner, and have been employed in China in accordance with the law.

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It effects over 5 million couples alone in the U.S. and many times more in the world. Because of an unawareness of treatments, only 10% seek help from professional specialists. We have spent most of the time in this series discussing conventional and Chinese medicine in treating fertility. I believe it is the best time to change the subject by discussing how to treat female infertility with cinnamon.

I. Definition
Cinnamon is also known as Cinnamomum verum. It is a small evergreen tree that belongs to the family Lauraceae and it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine in treating kidney yang deficiency.

II. How cinnamon effects women's fertility:
1. Kidney yang
Since it is a hot herb, it helps to improve the yang qi in the kidney and increases the chance of fertility, if the infertility cause is diagnosed as yang qi deficiency. By increasing the kidney yang, it also helps to enhance sexual desire.

2. Digestive system
It also helps to improve appetite and the digestive system in vitamin and mineral absorption that are essential to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle and enhance the normal process of conception.

3. Blood flow
Cinnamon also contains certain chemical agents which help to stimulate the blood flow to the reproductive regions, leading to lessening the risks of menstrual disorder and infertility caused by blood deficiency of the reproductive organ. It also helps the spleen in regulating the production of insulin, resulting in lessened risks of blood sugar in the blood stream, causing diabetic-like symptoms of infertility.

4. Immune system
As an antioxidant, it helps to improve the function of the immune system in guarding our body against the invasion of bacteria and viruses that decrease the risk of overactive immune disorder, causing the production of certain proteins binding to sperm and asking other immune cells to attach to it.

5. Dysmenorrhea
It has some chemical properties which help to calm the reproductive organs during menstruation, resulting in lessening the menstrual pain caused by qi and blood stagnation in the region and increasing the chance of fertility.

III. Side effects
Since it is considered as a hot food in traditional Chinese medicine, overdose may cause
yin qi deficiency( toxic effects).

There are certain and varied symptoms that you can look for if you feel that you might be pregnant, or are hoping to become pregnant. The tell-tale signs of early pregnancy are not always there for every woman, and each woman experiences her pregnancy differently than others.

• Missing a Period - This is one of the classic symptoms of being pregnant - missing a monthly period. If your monthly period is not regular, you may not notice it as soon as other women who get their period regularly. Many home pregnancy tests facilitate to women who have a regular period, though, and it can in some cases be a little misleading if you do not.

• Fatigue - Almost all women feel extreme tired during their first trimester, although no one is quite sure as to why this is. It is commonly thought, though, that the increase of hormones in the body is the main cause. B12 vitamins and natural, safe energy supplements would help perk you up, but check with a doctor first to see if you are pregnant, in case the supplement you hope to take would hurt your baby.

• Gagging Because of Odors - Often, pregnant women will feel a high sensitivity to certain smells - for example, the smell of a cup of coffee in the morning might make you feel so sick you can't stand to be in the same room as it. Even foods you used to enjoy may become repulsive and utterly disgusting to you.

• Got to Go Right Now - Having to urinate often is a very common symptom of being pregnant. Even before your uterus expands to accommodate a child, the amount of fluid rises in your body, causing you to feel the need to urinate more often. It is one of those symptoms that does not go away with most women until you have actually given birth, the reason for this is because the uterus expands and it presses against the bladder.

If you do get a positive result, or believe you are pregnant, call your doctor and make an appointment to discuss what your options are, and what is best for you and the baby.

Life has many surprises, some good and some not so much. Usually, one of the most exciting and precious times in a lady's life is to find out that she is pregnant. After all, giving birth is one of the greatest gifts blessed to a woman. With a new life growing inside of her, every soon-to-be-mother gains an almost automatic protective instinct for her new child. New mothers also want to keep their new child safe with many new practices, including a good diet, the right medications, and finding the right doctor for on-going doctor visits. These medical expenses require the right maternity health coverage. Maternity insurance is an important part of a health plan.

What is Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a type of financial instrument used to help pay the costs involved for health services in such a way to protect the financial interests of persons that are covered by the insurance policy. The comprehensive definition of health insurance cannot be explained fully in a few words. In short, a health plan can be explained accordingly:

An insurance company offers an insurance plan to a person with defined coverages. This plan is sold to a person for a premium. The insured person is required to make payments, usually on a monthly basis, to the insurance company. This premium that is received by the insurance company is invested into low risk ventures, that have guaranteed returns. This makes sure that the insurance company grows in value. In return for premiums paid, the insured person can then make a claim for compensation of personal losses in the event of a medical expenditure. The insurance company covers (financially) the policy holder for any loss that has been incurred, with respect to the definition of benefits within the insurance policy. The definition within the insurance plan that determines the amount in which the policy holder is compensated is defined as the coverage of the insurance policy. For example, expenditure for a hospital visit because of an accident, is covered by accident insurance. In the same way, health plans with a maternity benefit, cover a portion, as defined within the insurance policy, the health of a mother and here child during pregnancy. The premium for such policies can be fairly expensive.

Health Insurance Plans with Maternity Coverage

Insurance companies offer many different types of policies. Maternity coverage is typically an added benefit, or rider, that requires an additional premium that is added to a typical health insurance policy. Maternity insurance coverage pays for many of the medical bills that are incurred during a pregnancy. Some maternity insurance plans pay for prenatal care where some do not. All maternity plans have some very specific terms and conditions. It is important to make sure you are aware of the defined maternity benefits that a maternity plan offers. Usually, health insurance covers many of the unexpected expenses that are incurred, for example, unexpected medications or hospitalization charges. Most maternity insurance plans, however, do not cover usual expenses, such as prenatal vitamins or regular checks-ups, unless otherwise defined by the coverage outlined in the maternity insurance policy. Typically, the more a maternity insurance plan covers, the higher the premium. The broader the coverage, the lower the premium.

Maternity insurance coverage, or a rider for maternity coverage on an existing health insurance plan, are not typically available after you become pregnant. Sometime, once you acquire maternity insurance, there is a waiting period before benefits will be paid for a pregnancy. If you cannot attain maternity insurance because you are already pregnant, you usually have the option to add a new-born to an existing insurance policy or you may start a new insurance plan for yourself and your new baby. Insurance policy benefit extensions and extra coverage depends on the terms of your current insurance policy. In the event that your current insurance plan does not offer maternity insurance coverage or if you are currently uninsured and cannot acquire maternity insurance, there are a multitude of maternity programs offered by your state or the United States federal government, such as Medicaid and WIC and child and family services.

It's astonishing to hear all the talk about the importance of salt during pregnancy with no mention of the fact that not all sources of sodium, or salt, are the same. This is a key consideration for pregnancy health.As far as the body is concerned, there's no connection between the chemically cleansed sodium chloride table salt you buy at the supermarket, contained in virtually every processed food you buy, and the mineral rich organic sea salt available over the Internet or your local health food store. These minerals are needed more than ever for pregnancy health.

Standard table salt is highly refined, chemically cleansed, and unfriendly to the body. Unrefined sea salt is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, which includes major minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and a host of around 80 essential trace minerals. These are instrumental for pregnancy health.

Although the benefits of consuming these trace minerals are too numerous to list here, the nutrients and minerals found in sea salt help your body preserve blood cells, a major advantage towards insuring pregnancy health.

On your next visit to the market, take a look at the nutritional content on a container of the table salt you typically buy. Now compare that with the label found on a package of unrefined, unprocessed sea salt. One can destroy your health, while the other heals you. Those trace minerals found in unprocessed sea salt are essential for life, and for pregnancy health.

These essential minerals are stripped during the processing used to create the table salt we typically consume in our diets. In fact, potassium iodide has to be added back in to prevent goiter, a thyroid gland problem caused by lack of iodine. The differences are noteworthy for any mother concerned with pregnancy health.

Keep in mind that not all packages labeled "sea salt" are created equal. Look beyond the words "sea salt" on the label for a mineral analysis. Also, look for details assuring it has not been heated nor had chemicals added. Real sea salt is rarely pure white in color. Different coloring, depending on where the salts are harvested from, bode well and are an indication of the salts mineral content. These trace minerals will serve as good insurance towards pregnancy health.

Mortgage outsourcing services are preferred to internal loan processors for several reasons. Rendered by self-governing companies, these mortgage processing services are swift and perfect. Would you like to use them? The process involves the whole loan origination process or just one or two stages of it. It is important to determine the most time consuming and expensive stages faced by your company before searching whom to outsource them to. The following are seven main Mortgage outsourcing services.

• Mortgage loan processing(pre-approval)

• Mortgage underwriting(approval stage)

• Property appraisal

• Title ordering, searching and examination

• Title Insurance

• Mortgage pre-closing

• Mortgage closing

Most companies outsource everything in order to reap all the benefits of outsourcing. Mortgage outsourcing services are based on short-term or long-term contracts. This enables many mortgage firms to assign work to an outsourced company only when it is necessary. This is contrary to what happens in an office. Whether your employee works or not, he or she is legally allowed to demand a monthly or a weekly wage. Take for example when an employee is away on a sick leave, maternity leave or vacation.

Don't you pay them their salary in spite of their absence? In reality this is an unnecessary expenditure that you are forced to incur by the law. If you could use mortgage outsourcing services, and eliminate redundant staff, you could help your business grow. The more staff you recruit the higher your office expenses will rise. Each new employee will require an office space, working equipment and some sort of orientation to understand how things are done in your organization. This is both a waste of time and money. You should hire a reputable outsider with a private loan processing facility. External service providers' staff requirements are not your responsibility.

The only expenditure you are likely to incur includes the project fee that the outsourced service provider and you will agree upon. Therefore buying mortgage outsourcing services is an ideal way to control your company's expenditure. When you finally mitigate expenditures and free your time, you will begin to see constant improvements throughout the loan origination process. Are you looking for creativity and talent? There is no better way to add these qualities to your loan processing than outsourcing. Outsourced teams have more experience and creativity than your in-house staff members. They work for several mortgage firms and have dealt with both simple and difficult house loan processing scenarios.

When searching for mortgage outsourcing services, consider a company that can give you quality and speed. These are key qualities required to close as many loan files as possible. In addition you should reflect on the types of loan programs that your firm processes, as you look for the company to outsource to. Which one among Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fixed Rate Mortgage, Adjustable Rate Mortgage, VA loan, interest-only and Reverse Mortgage do you offer? Some Mortgage Outsourcing services are based on two or more of the above-mentioned mortgages. It is also wiser to consider factors such as fees charged, turn around time and years of experience.

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. Nutritional supplements play an important and vital role in fertility, in this article we will discuss how folic acid effects fertility.

1. Red blood cell
Folic acid is vital for red blood cell production. Deficiency decreases the function of blood in transporting nutrients and oxygen to the body cells, resulting in increasing the risk of abnormal brain cells in transmitting information between themselves and glands, leading to over and under production of certain hormone that interferes with normal menstrual cycle and fertility.

2. Norepinephrine
it plays a dual role as a hormone and a neurotransmitter, it affects the brain in response to actions and control. Deficiency of folic acid causes imbalance of levels of norepinephrine hormone, leading to interrupting the information transmitting resulting in depression and emotional and physical stress.

3. Serotonin
Serotonin is a hormone secreted when our body under stress. Folic acid deficiency causes over production of serotonin hormone, leading to imbalance of hormone progesterone that interferes with normal menstrual cycle and disrupts ovulation.

4. Nervous system
it also helps to synthesize genetic material in every cell of the body. Deficiency causes abnormal cell growth and DNA duplication abnormality that disrupts the sperm in egg fertilization and increases the chance of birth defects.

5. Neural tube defects
Researcher found that deficiency of folic acid before and during pregnancy causes neural tube defects as resulting of abnormal genetic synthesizing.

Pregnancy and childbirth can be one of the most expensive times of a woman's life, and this is why health insurance maternity features are very important. Most people will never even realize the exorbitant bill that sometimes racks up because of a pregnant woman's need for constant check ups, not to mention all the buying that you will need to do for maternity clothes, pre-natal vitamins, etc. The woman's food intake will also increase, and all the food that she will need to consume in order to make sure that her child will grow properly will cost a lot of money.

Women also find it hard to make a living once they get pregnant because pregnant women are required to take a maternity leave once they reach their third trimester of pregnancy. To avoid getting yourself in a hard situation such as this, make sure that you already have the proper health insurance maternity features in your current health insurance plan, such as coverage for hospital bills and other related things.

The problem with some insurance companies is that it is hard for some women to apply for insurance once they are already pregnant, because this is considered as a pre-existing condition and it is not eligible for insurance coverage. If just being offered a job, a woman must always properly look over the insurance plan that she is being offered and she must make sure to take note of the maternity coverage options that they give. For a woman's health insurance maternity needs, the insurance plan must cover everything, from the prenatal check ups right down to the hospital bills after the woman has given birth. Other things that do not concern the hospital and other such professional bills will be up to the woman to cover.

It may become necessary for you to switch health plans if you realize that the maternity features in your insurance plan are not what you need. In order to get yourself the proper insurance plan that will have you covered throughout your pregnancy, it is definitely smart to consult with a broker first. Contact a broker that is knowledgeable and comes highly recommended; only brokers with a good reputation are worth your time, especially when it comes to your and your child's needs. To make sure that all your health insurance needs are met, specify that you need a plan that will cover your pregnancy from start to finish.

Remember that when it comes to health insurance, good maternity coverage is hard to come by. There are some discount options that are also available to you, such as making use of birthing centers, etc. Make sure to weigh your options carefully so that you can fully use all the health insurance maternity features you have in your plan.

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U.S. and many times more in the world. Because of an unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. In this article, we will discuss what is female infertility cervical mucus test ?

I. Definition
Cervical mucus test is the study of the cervical mucus through out menstrual cycles. The main focus of the test is to analyze "Is the mucus is friendly to sperm invasion or not ?". There are 2 types of cervical test.

II. Procedure
1. Spinnbarkeit
The sample is taken from the vagina to check for the day of ovulation.

2. Postcoital test
The test is examined within 4 hours at the doctor office or laboratory after sexual intercourse and assuming that the male partner has a healthy sperm production.

III. Diagnosis

a) Spinnbarkeit test
Spinnbarkeit is a self help kit, it can be done by a woman at comfort at her own home to exam the mucus characteristics, because the mucus consistently change throughout menstrual cycle. If the mucus is watery and stretchable, it means it is very close or a good chance that the ovulation is coming.

b) Postcoital test
It is also known as sperm-sperm mucus interaction test or Sims-Huhner test, it is done after the Spinnbartkeit test or at the laboratory just before ovulation to see how the sperm of the male partner swim through the watery and stretchable mucus. If the sperm is able to swim normally then the cervical mucus is consider friendly to sperm invasion or otherwise. If there are no sperm are found in the cervical mucus but presented in vagina, or sperm are found clumping, no movement or dead then the female partner may be suspected to produce sperm hostile cervical mucus. More analysis may be required to rule out any external factors.

A lot of couples strive with problems involving fertility. Yet, getting fertility medications can be exceptionally luxurious, and in several places such medications are not included on insurance. Or, it may be that the prescriptions utilized to take care of fertility problems like hormone injections, are not an alternative. In these cases, a lot of couples turn to home remedies to enhance fertility.

Here are several useful tips on about Home Remedy Fertility

1. One of the most efficient home remedies you can utilize to enhance your fertility is to maintain an excellent track of ovulation. All through ovulation, a diversity of modifications takes place to your body for example variation to cervical mucus, basal body warmth, and intensity of luteinizing hormone. For several couples, basically tracking ovulation to take advantage on your opportunity of conceiving will determine fertility troubles.

2. Vitamins and nutritional supplements may also facilitate to enhance your fertility. A woman requires accurate nutrients to be capable of conceiving and to be fit enough to conceive. By making sure that your dietary stores are at their best, you can facilitate to raise the likelihood that your pregnancy will be hale and hearty and flourishing one and that your child will not experience threats for difficulties.

3. If you are having dilemma on conceiving or thinking about getting pregnant, it is significant to be conscious of how exercise can affect your fertility. Although most of us never think about it, exercise is essentially a home remedy in a lot of infertility difficulties Exercising too much or too little can actually have an influence on the natural fertility of your body, which can stop you from becoming pregnant. So, if you are presently going through fertility medications, reflect on the impact that exercise may have effects on your fertility levels.

4. One of the home remedies for fertility that can assist to elevate mental and emotional health is flower remedies. The philosophy following the medication is that couples that are experiencing infertility repeatedly are under more stress that can have an effect on your hormonal activity that in turn affects the response of the reproductive organs.

5. Root of Banyan Tree- Roots of banyan tree is extremely efficient in curing the female childlessness. Gather these roots and parched them in the sun for a few days. Then pulverize them and make gauzy residue from them. Make sure that you do not consume everything right away after taking this herbal medicine.

When life is smooth, we don't think about insurance. Most importantly, insurance companies strive in view of the fact that more money is paid into the program than the amount of money which is paid out, similar to a casino. Do you really want to gamble away your future when these things could easily be covered by insurance?

Allowing individuals to take beneficial risks they might not otherwise take, Insurance is one of the most useful and powerful aspects of modern life. Leveling the costs of catastrophe, maintaining a steady flow of money, insurance not only for individuals but, ideally, for the community, the nations, and the world.

Insurance allows people to save for unpredictable life events in a popular and efficient way, even when it's not always managed properly by corporations or individuals, in general. Insurance when it is well decided on and managed is the ultimate winning situation for everyone.

Insurance provides a safety net and provides security. It is far too easy telling yourself that disaster won't ever befall you, or won't hit you hard, or that you're going to have the funds saved allowing you to deal with any upcoming crises. The efficiency of focus that can be given by a managed insurance provider, is something few of us are so lucky or disciplined to have.

In insurance, subsidy is available for cost of medical care, loss of damage to properties and death and more. In the meantime, while the money can "hold your place in line" to receive your benefits in times of economic distress, it can also in turn aid in caring for your neighbors, which will ensure a more stable, financially strong community and nation overall, keeping the lifelines of finances beating worldwide.

It is in moments like today's economic downturn that we realize the importance of insurance, since we witness the effects when it is mismanaged or not invested in enough: insurance failing strikes a devastating blow on all aspects of the economy. When it comes to regulated allows from the insurance development on all levels.

If you are doing business with a reliable provider, it is easy to create savings and provide for the family. Life, health, and well-being is what is covering when it comes to taking care of your business. Few financial services can help you cope with otherwise overwhelming difficulties or more clearly empower you.

A lot of families are looking for affordable health insurance that will give maternity or pregnancy advantages. Health carriers proffer such plans, but they differ in the sum of coverage given. Lots of insurers will not give benefits to the insured for a minimum nine months.

As with all things insurance connected, you have to plan ahead. Infrequently, consumers are attracted in maternity policies once they are already pregnant. They are disenchanted to find out insurance cannot be purchased to cover up a pregnant spouse - pregnancy is a preexisting circumstance. Insurers just will not take on this risk. Still, a health plan could be bought for a healthy mother and child later than delivery.

The best method to find cheap maternity health insurance is to visit to an insurance comparison website where you could find rate quotes from numerous insurance companies.

If you're in search of maternity health care coverage, whether you are already requiring or are still in the planning stages, you'll want to perform some evaluation shopping to discover the best cost for the coverage you want. There are a lot of websites online where you could enter a little of information and reply some questions and rapidly retrieve several quotes from many different insurance providers. With all the competition amongst a variety of insurance companies' prices for coverage could be different very much from one company to another. By spending a few minutes online doing several evaluations shopping you could rapidly and simply get the best likely cost for your maternity health insurance.

Maternity health care is not inevitably covered even where a health insurance plan is paid for. A costly add-on might require to be integrated. A number of insurers keep away from providing maternity plans or treat it as a prerequisite pre-existing. Federal law does not allow this, but there are loopholes.

The best recommendation for women is that they ought to make sure that they get maternity health insurance at the earliest chance, for the entire of their child-bearing years.

There are several licensed, reliable health insurance companies in North Carolina. You will find several broker sites that manage a large portfolio of insurance products from leading insurance companies licensed to do business in the state of North Carolina.

These companies offer a number of health insurance plans like individual health insurance (for people who do not enjoy the benefits of group insurance); group health insurance [(insurance written for businesses of one or more employees. Small groups (1-49 employees)] are guaranteed issue; Medicare supplement (aims to fill in the gaps that Medicare doesn't cover; individual and group life insurance (individual written as permanent or term coverage with medical approval. Group is term coverage for 2 or more employees); short and long term disability (replaces 60% of income in the event of a disability. Short term replaces income for up to 6 months, long term up to age 65); dental insurance (individual coverage or for groups of 3 or more); foreign national medical insurance (coverage for people with foreign citizenship while in the US); health savings accounts or HSAs (newest tax favored federal plan which is 100% deductible); short term individual health insurance (coverage for up to 12 months mostly used by people between jobs, less stringent health requirements).

Among the leading North Carolina health insurance companies are Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (group and individual), John Alden (group and individual), American Republic Insurance Company (individual), Wellpath (group), UnitedHealthcare (group), Humana (group), Cigna (group), Aetna, Affordable Alternatives, Alternative Healthcare Options (AHO), Carolina Coverage, D&J Insurance, Hartsfield and Nash Agency, Inc, Health Quotes, Hill Chesson & Associates, LTC Planner, Medical Mutual Group, Partners National Health Plans of North Carolina, Inc, Pharmacy Network National Corporation, Premier Health Systems, Inc, Roper Insurance Agency, Seaway Insurance Agency, Inc, Tar Heel Insurance Agency, and Walker Insurance.

OK, I know you've heard it all before, the pregnancy statistics over 40 are dismal. As far as I'm concerned, statistics are for statisticians. What about the fact that the number of unintended pregnancies in women between 40 and 44 is second only to teenagers? Many women in their 40's think their too old to get pregnant, they get a little lax with their birth control, and bingo!

I would venture to guess most women over 40 aren't trying to get pregnant (and many have had sterilization procedures). I wonder what would happen to those statistics if all women over 40 tried to get pregnant. I think we'd all be surprised. Our society and media is so 'age obsessed' that women begin to believe their life is over at the age of 40 (heck, now it's more like 35). The message is you'll need plastic surgery, you'll be replaced by a trophy wife, you'll have a hard time getting employed, and your chances of having a baby are less than your chances of winning the lottery.

As far as I'm concerned, I won the lottery, but it wasn't by luck. I was 44 when I had my daughter who, in my totally unbiased opinion, is perfect. I had a normal pregnancy and normal delivery and I conceived without fertility treatments. Yes, I'm the oldest mom at the playground, but so far, nobody's asked me if I'm her grandmother. As a matter of fact, I've been asked more than once, "Are you having another?" I'm in the best shape of my life, and even though my very active daughter wears me out occasionally, I'm keeping up just fine. As a matter of fact, I remember babysitting my niece and nephew when I was in my 20's - it wasn't any easier back then.

Being an 'older' mom is such a blessing. I'm wiser, more patient, and totally skilled at dealing with the trials and tribulations of a two-year-old. I have no hidden agendas for my daughter. Since I've already accomplished everything I wanted to do in my life, I'm not trying to live my dreams through her. It's her life, and I'm behind her no matter what path she takes. The comment I hear most often is, "She's such a happy little girl."

I will admit I had an interesting journey to parenthood. My own childhood was less than perfect. I grew up with parents who were totally mismatched leaving me with a negative impression of marriage and family. As a result, I waited until I was almost 37 to get married and didn't even start trying to get pregnant until I was almost 38. After a year of trying on our own, we went in for fertility treatments. I spent over two years trying medications, inseminations and IVF twice. The medications and inseminations didn't work at all, and the IVF's ended in miscarriage and the removal of my left fallopian tube. I became disillusioned with the assembly line practice of my fertility clinic and the amount of drugs and hormones I was pumping into my system was totally inconsistent with my 'all natural' way of life and personal philosophy. I notified my doctor that I was moving on to 'childfree'.

I was over 40 at this point and as if to spur me on, no matter where I went or who I talked to, I would hear yet another story of a woman giving birth in her 40's. I met a woman at my niece's graduation party who gave birth to triplets at the age of 45 (without fertility treatments), a tenant in our rental property all of a sudden tells me she gave birth to her son at the age of 45. A local radio personality said his mother had him at the age of 48 (before the days of fertility treatments). I was standing in the ski lift line and some teenagers behind us were laughing that their mom was going to have another baby at the age of 43. I started researching my own family history, and both my grandmothers were in their 40's when they had their last child. I couldn't get away from it!

I realized I wasn't ready to give up on getting pregnant but I absolutely did not want to go through anymore fertility treatments. I started researching natural methods to enhance fertility. I quit a high stress job, I started a totally new way of eating, and I went back and confronted all the unresolved issues I had with my parents and my less-than-perfect upbringing. I also researched natural methods of balancing hormones, increasing pelvic circulation, and I changed my 'pregnancy mindset' through visualization and meditation.

I was shocked when I became pregnant naturally just months after completing fertility treatments. Unfortunately, I was miscarrying by the time I realized I was pregnant. Even though my miscarriage was heartbreaking, I was ecstatic to finally know I could get pregnant on my own. Now, more motivated than ever, I continued researching natural methods to enhance my fertility and I continued adding things to my 'getting pregnant' protocol.

To make a long story short, I got pregnant two more times, but miscarried both. Why was this happening? I had the fetal tissue examined after a D&C, and wouldn't you know it, my baby was chromosomally normal. So much for the well-meaning condolences, "Something was probably wrong, it was a blessing". I continued trying to get pregnant, even though I was now 43 years old. I could feel my baby hovering over me. I needed to give her life. But, when I was 43 and 11 months, I almost gave up. I thought maybe my 'internal barometer' was broken. I was so sure I was going to have a baby, but here I was, almost 44, and still childless. My baby was out there but I couldn't get to her. I reluctantly decided that it was really time to move on to childfree and get on with my life.

Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I was a little angry that I finally made a firm decision to move on to childfree, and here I was, pregnant again! I guess preparedness finally met opportunity (I think I was the healthiest human being on the planet by then). I was cautious but excited nonetheless. We decided not to tell anyone or to see a doctor until any 'normal' person would. I didn't want a 'blow by blow' accounting of my hCG numbers or a depressing speech about the risks of pregnancy at my age. When I finally did see my doctor (one who was quite negative about women in their 40's getting pregnant), he was bouncing off the walls with excitement! My ultrasound looked great! This one was going to make it.

The moral of my story is "trust your instincts". If you know deep in your heart that you can do something, you probably can. I'm sure many doctors would use my story as an example of how difficult it is to have a child over 40. But, fertility treatments were probably the most detrimental factor working against me. There's a higher incidence of tubal pregnancies with IVF and I'm sure all those injections of drugs and hormones threw the delicate balance of my reproductive system further out of whack. If I would have started my 'all natural' pregnancy protocol earlier, I would have saved myself years of frustration, $25,000 in fertility treatments, and I would have had both my fallopian tubes essentially doubling my chances of getting pregnant naturally. I partially blame those over-quoted statistics. I can't tell you how many times I read that if you're in your late 30's or 40's you should "run not walk" to the closest fertility clinic because time's running out fast!

The bottom line is I overcame all of my challenges and succeeded naturally at the age of 44. So, for all you statisticians out there, I'd like to ask, "What are the odds of that?"

Health insurance in California is very affordable when you follow these 10 simple guidelines.

1. Compare CA health insurance quotes from at least 3 California health insurance companies. (It is amazing to see someone choose a CA health care policy without even bothering to compare the premiums and the health plan benefits with other companies similar policies!)

2. Be very skeptical about purchasing insurance from a California health insurance carrier that you have never heard of before. (That is not to say that the health plan is necessarily not a good health plan just because you haven't heard of the insurance company before but it just means that it would be prudent to research them a little bit online or speak with a knowledgeable independent CA insurance agent).

3. Be very, very, very skeptical about a California discount health plan. (Remember, discount health plans are not health insurance! Just try searching on any major search engine for discount health plan warning and you can see all of the warning flags that go up from all of the state insurance departments and other .GOV websites).

4. Enroll in your employer's group health insurance plan IF your employer is willing to foot the bill. (Even if you have a problem with your employer's group health insurance carrier it still is usually better to stay with the plan IF your employer is footing a large portion of the premium cost).

5. Get quotes for your family members for an CA individual medical plan IF you are on a group health plan and your employer will not cover the cost to add on the rest of your family to your health coverage. (Assuming that your family is healthy then California individual health plans will almost always be cheaper than a California group health plan - make sure to scrutinize the differences between the group health plans and the individual health plans that you will be comparing as many individual health plans do not cover pregnancies [maternity insurance] unless you pay an additional premium while your group health plan probably does cover maternity automatically).

6. Research the companies, policies, networks, doctors, clinics, and hospitals that are in your area of California. (The availability of a favorite doctor on a particular company's plan could be the deciding advantage for you to choose that company over another company with a similar health plan but without your favorite doctor on their network).

7. Ask questions of your health insurance agent/health insurance broker so that you fully understand the options that are available to you.

8. Change your policy. (Don't be afraid to admit that you made a mistake if the policy that you applied for was not what you thought that it was).

9. Review your health insurance needs every year. (Your health insurance needs will very likely change every couple of years and if nothing else it will give you a chance to see if your company's rates are still competitive).

10. Compare free California health insurance quotes at California Health Insurance 360!

A year ago we were in the middle of monthly prenatal visits. By summer it was every other week, and in mid-August, I was going once a week. These visits ensured my doctor that the baby growing inside was healthy and ready for this world. He also monitored my health during the nine months, and when I went in for the scheduled caesarean, we were anxiously awaiting the birth of our baby girl. A month later we were receiving bills from the clinic, hospital, surgeon, anesthesiologist, etc. It made us wonder how someone could afford to have a baby if they weren't under any medical insurance coverage. The problem is some aren't, but it's important to know there's health insurance maternity options available for the joyous occasion.

If you're looking for a medical insurance plan, make sure maternity is a part of the insurance coverage. Even in traditional health insurance plans, there are different layers of coverage, with some not covering maternity. This way if you would get pregnant, none of the cost of having a baby would be covered. There are also different deductibles of coverage, so if it's possible, make sure there's a manageable deductible. You could possibly have the birth paid off before the baby's even born.

Pros:
* Maternity coverage could save money later.
* Low deductibles will allow you to have birth paid off fast.

Cons:
* Not checking into health insurance maternity options prior to being pregnant could create huge bills.
* A high deductible can still make pregnancy expensive.

It's also important to know that there are options online where a quote for health insurance maternity options would be given within minutes. Once you find a plan that works for you, sign up so you can be ready to start a family.

Instead of taking out individual insurance policies many people choose family insurance coverage as a lower cost way to obtain insurance cover for the entire family. For those who have more than one child it is a particularly good buy as premiums are generally the same for two, three or more children. Family insurance coverage can include family health cover and homeowner's insurance which may cover mortgage payments in case the principal wage earner is unable to work through unemployment, disability or illness.

Adding Children to Employers Health Coverage

It can be very expensive to add a child to an existing health insurance plan offered by employers and you may well be better to take out out a additional family insurance cover, particularly if you have more than one child.

What is Included in Family Insurance Cover?

This type of cover normally provides routine annual medical examinations for any children under 16 (or 18 in some plans) and prenatal care. Some of the policies cover children until the age of 24 provided they are full time students. family insurance plans may also include hospital in patient care including operations, x-rays and lab tests etc. It is important to always check you know precisely what is covered by the plan. You may be able to select maternity coverage for all family members which may possibly be suitable for those with female children. While no one desires teenage pregnancy to take place it can happen and the family insurance can cover this.

Dental Coverage for the Family

A number of insurance policies include family dental coverage or you may perhaps have to to buy separate family dental insurance coverage. These policies differ in the type of cover offered and the age limit for any dependent children. Characteristically the amount of cover that you get is dependent on to the amount of the monthly payments.

Full Time Students

As shown above a lot of insurance plans include children above 18 provided they are in school full time. Insurance cover sometimes extend to twenty three or four. Check that the any campus medical facilities, local physicians, clinics or hospitals are willing to accept the family's insurance and you would be best to provide the student with an insurance card before they leave for school.

What May Not Be Included

Family insurance coverage might not include some treatments common in childhood, replacement for glasses, allergy tests or braces. Consider the coverage provided by the policy under consideration and think about taking out a savings plan for anything that is covered by your family insurance.

Conclusion

Family insurance coverage may be a good buy for families with more than one child. Although there are some things not covered policies are usually very comprehensive and give good protection for the whole family, including, in many cases, full time students above the age of eighteen.

How long can you pay your bills on $170 per week - before taxes? The New York area has the nation's highest cost of living, and some of the highest incomes to help pay those bills. While the New York State Short Term Disability Insurance is good to have should you miss work, it does not replace a significant percentage of most New Yorker's income.

New York Disability Benefits May Fall Short

Who feels this the most? New York women preparing for maternity leave. They are expecting to be out of work for six to eight weeks for normal delivery, and may be shocked to discover how little income replacement they will get.

For example, a woman earning $52,000 per year earns about $1,000 per week. Her New York State Short Term Disability payout equates to only 17% of her normal income. That's equivalent to an 87% pay cut!

Many women can't afford an 87% pay cut for eight weeks, much less if she is disabled longer. What will happen if she is also out of work prior to delivery because of pregnancy complications? Or if she experiences complications during delivery and needs additional time to heal before returning to work? Or if she has an accident or illness that prevents her from working?

Increase your Level of Disability Coverage

Women can increase their maternity leave pay by applying for supplemental short term disability before conception. An individual short term disability insurance policy can replace up to 2/3 of income, and will be paid in addition to the NY State Disability benefit. The benefit can be paid free of any tax consequences, bringing take-home-income replacement very close to 100%.

Supplemental Short Term Disability can create maternity leave income, while also protecting your family in case of pregnancy complications, delivery complications, premature birth, accidents, and illnesses. It covers your maternity leave for normal delivery, plus pays benefits for the unexpected medical events that cause you to miss work.

Other Possible Gaps In Coverage

Short Term Disability in New York has other limitations and gaps that women with a growing family should know.

• The benefits end after 26 weeks - What if you are disabled for a year? Can you continue to pay your bills?


• The benefits are taxable - Depending upon your state, federal, and FICA tax rates, your take home pay could be considerably less.


• Government workers are exempt - If you work for a state, county, city, township, or boro entity you may not have coverage.


• Teachers are Government workers - You may not have coverage if your union did not request this benefit.

Get the right amount of coverage for your pregnancy and maternity leave by applying for short term disability insurance before getting pregnant.

Whether you have decided to become a surrogate mother, or you are looking to find a surrogate mother, the question of what fees and costs intended parents pay for in surrogacy is a big one. Pregnancy, and an IVF pregnancy in particular, can be quite costly.

The short answer is, if it relates to pregnancy, the intended parents pay for it. These expenses can add up fast. The following lists some common fees that intended parents pay.

Insurance
If a surrogate mother has her own health insurance, that does not exclude surrogacy, then this should be used. The intended parents should NOT reimburse her for her regular insurance, but should pay for a policy if she does not have one.

Medical Expenses
All medical expenses that are not covered by a surrogate mother's health insurance will be the responsibility of the intended parents. This includes if she loses her health insurance, or if the provider decides not to pay for the pregnancy.

Clinic Fees
All fees from the IVF clinic (not used in traditional surrogacy) are the responsibility of the intended parents. This also includes all medications and all tests the clinic requires of the gestational surrogate mother.

Attorney Fees
Both the intended parents' attorney and the surrogate mother's attorney will be paid for by the intended parents. They will also need to pay all legal fees associated with the birth of the surrogate baby.

Agency Fees
If an agency is used, all the fees should be paid by the intended parents. This fee can be avoided by finding an independent match.

Surrogate Fees
The fees that the traditional or gestational surrogate mother requires will be outlined in the surrogacy contract. The intended parents are responsible for all these fees, as they are described.

Miscellaneous Fees
Things like travel, childcare, lost wages, prenatal vitamins, and doctors office copays should be paid for by the intended parents. The surrogate mother should receive reimbursement on these items in addition to her compensation.

The expenses that intended parents are responsible for can be quite large, and more than intimidating. If you are considering surrogacy as a solution to creating your family, it is best to research these fees and be prepared in advance.

It is not unrealistic to assume that added up, all of these various fees can come to more than $50-100,000. It is so hard to put a better number on it since each situation is different.

Lawyers may charge more in one state than another. An experienced gestational surrogate mother will request more in compensation than a first time traditional surrogate mother. A pregnancy might not be achieved on a first IVF transfer but may require three cycles, or four.

And even after all the big expenses are paid, there are a myriad of smaller, everyday items that add up over time. Maternity clothing, prenatal vitamins, pregnancy tests. These things cost money.

A surrogate pregnancy can be a very expensive undertaking. But in the end, having your own child to hold in your arms is worth it.

If you have never had a baby before, the first time you visit the OB can be an exciting and scary event, especially if you don't know what to expect. The exact procedures and routines vary from practitioner to practitioner, but there are a few things that are standard across the board.

As with visiting any new medical doctor, you will first be given a gaggle of forms to fill out while you wait in the waiting room. You will fill out paperwork that gives basic information, your name, address, date of birth, social security number, marital status, spouse's name, insurance information, date of your last period, etc. You will also probably fill out a medical history form, where you will be asked about past illnesses, injuries, surgeries, and hospitalizations. You will also be asked about your family history as well, and maybe even for some of your spouse's information too, so it is a good idea for him to come along to this first appointment. Some practitioner's will also ask questions about your sexual history, as well as talk to you about testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Don't be offended, it is routine with every pregnant patient, and some STD tests are required by law.

Once you have filled out all of your paperwork, you will probably first meet your practitioner in his or her office, where you will go over the forms that you filled out, find out some background information about your practitioner, and be allowed to ask any questions that you may have. When this is over, you will be ushered into either the waiting room, or a patient examination room, depending on what is available.

A member of the staff will check your weight, blood pressure, pulse, and will likely have you give a urine sample, which will be done at every prenatal visit, to check for signs of protein or sugar, which could be a sign of a potential problem. Once this is done, you may have blood drawn for routine lab work, or may be given forms to take to another site, if your practitioner doesn't do labs.

You will be asked to disrobe, and your practitioner will do a routine pelvic exam, and will also check your uterus, to try to get a more accurate idea of how far along you are. This can also be confirmed in other methods, blood tests, ultrasound, and amniocentesis as well. You may also get to hear the baby's heartbeat at this time as well, which can be very exciting, especially for first-time parents. When the exam is complete, your practitioner may talk to you about exercise, diet, and answer any questions that you have. You will be instructed on when to come back in for your next prenatal checkup, and will likely either be given samples or a prescription for prenatal vitamins, which you should take everyday.

You get a lot of information at your first prenatal visit, and it can be overwhelming, so if you think of questions or concerns after you have left, don't hesitate to call. In fact, your doctor probably expects you to, particularly if this is your first pregnancy.