I guess i should have put this here yesterday ... i wasn't thinking *smacks myself int he head
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Yeah i am a worry wort.. i admit it.. expecially now .. i am 30 weeks pregnant.. in my state maternity leave is not paid and the owner doesn't have more then 50 employees. I asked and my maternity leave is 6 weeks un paid leave once the baby is born.

Since Monday i have had extreme back pain which eases when i am at home long enough relaxing and laying down. While at the Dr's today he tells me welcome to pregnancy pain you will have this for the next 10 weeks. * blinks * Every night i have not been able to walk to my car with out assistance from Joe ( who has come with me to work since my back started hurting to do any running i need done because i physically can't ) because my left leg would just up and give out from pain and nerve issues i assume. I asked my Dr if i could still work he said since there are no issues with bleeding ( i had had a 3 week period where i bled every Sat morning around 2 am a little over a month ago) or fluid( today in my US my fluid was a little low but with in safe amounts plus i am heavy so good readings can't be taken so they told me to increase my liquid intake * lifts my glass of water*) i can keep working.

Talk about a rock and a hard spot. If i am not working then we will be living off Joe's SSI which now has Medicaid payment coming out of it. We would have been able to pay rent and electric off that, but no longer will be able to pay electric from it. The only payments i still need to finish paying off to make it Rent, electric, and phone would be Arrons $224 and landlord $200 for washer and dryer. That wouldn't include medical expenses for Joe's copay's and gas money to get him to appointments, which is important right now since we are working on him possibly getting VNS ( very exciting because it maybe able to lower the # of sezures he has per day which is 2-3 right now.. he is extremely excited by the possibility of being maybe able to not have a sezure but once a week if not sezure free with meds so he could go to work and drive again) and getting orthroscopic on his knee and finally figuring out the source of the pain in his back. If i am just out for maturnity leave 6 weeks this situation would be fine we could get by cause it would be 8-10 weeks before i got paid again. However, if i stop working early because of pain issues then we are royally screwed because we will only have Joe's SSI, FS, and WIC coming in ( which is why i didn't mention food issues).

We had already taken out Cable Internet Ect from out budget a few months ago. Now the only time i watch tv ( hardly ever ) or get in the net is from work.

Right now i am trying to follow my Dr's advice try to not do things that hurt my back. Which has ment tonight i am experimenting with a different rolling chair. It has helped, but i am already having problems walking because of pain and nerves and this was a short shift. Tommorrow i am going to try a cushy straight backed chair. It's not like i have a hard demanding job Front Desk Rep at a Hotel it is just sitting here answering phones, greeting customers and checking people in and out for the most part. However, i can't make it down the hall to get towels if a customer needs them and have a hard time just getting to the back room if we have any back there ( which Joe has had to do for me the last week ). Hell i can't even get to the darn bathroom with out help which is down right embarassing. Once i am in the br can get it but it takes for ever and again Joe watches the desk for me. Makes me feel like a slacker cause i am leaning on him so much, but he really is liking it.

The owner brought up when would i not be able to work any longer and asked if it would only be 2 more weeks. He is worried about me because when his wife was pregnant with their first she had a lot of bleeding issues after carelessly picking up a heavy object ( not over 25lb but still heavy) which he remembers how scared he was.

I don't make much a pay to set back for a rainy day and still need to finish getting a cloth diaper stash which from my calculations is at minimum $50( indian prefolds ), which is the only thing left i need to finish to be ready for the baby.

I know once i get ready to come back to work my manager has already told me that i can bring the baby with me to work no problem at all. Infact they had already discussed doing this before i brought it up with me working 2nd or 3rd shift. Which is very nice since they hired me pregnant, i had worked here before and they know my work ethic is excellent.

I have been looking through help programs in NC and i have only seen Work First Family Assistance which since i am working and then will be possibly unable to work if i would qualify. Another would have me leaving my home and living in a "home" til i gave birth ,which i couldn't accept since i live in a nice safe environment that i could raise my child in with out constantly worrying and was hard enough to get to begin with.

any advice suggestions?

I don't think i could find a belly band in my size. I can't even find a nursing bra in my size. Or maternity clothes. I guess heavy women don't get pregant * smacks my hands for being smart-alicy*

When i sleep at night i sleep on my right now .. since she is determined to lay on the left even though the Dr says all babies go to the right. I can't lay on my left very long because it hurts to do so. laying on my back is Ehhh, but supposedly thats not good for blood flow to your legs or the baby so i try not to do that.

Ahhh being able to go swimming would be nice... i would probubly get stuck in the darn swimming pool though *lol* HELP i have fallen into the pool and can't get out *lol* The pain makes it hard to walk sometimes i can't imagine trying to get out of a pool while wet.


I know one online program that can help with diapers, but i am sort of leary of it. They get donations of old diapers they say they don't care the condition and then lend them to people for a deposit. I am not super picky about my diapers, but i worry with them being reused like that if they haven't gotten into contact with yeast infections ect. *shivers*

You do need to get to the pool when you can and relax your poor aching body. Pregnancy is tough no matter what size you are and it's even hard when your baby is laying on a nerve. Do a google search for the bellyband - it really works! Take it easy when you can and listen to the doctor - even if he says quit working. Drink tons of water - I know it means more trips to the toliet, but it will help keep the fluid going where it needs to be.
Do look into the programs that available if you do have to quit work - better to be prepared. It is a good think your Joe is there to help you so much - some of us would be loss without our honey's all of the time! Get your supply of cloth vamped up and ready to go and start a small supply of disposables as well -for nighttime and travel needs. It's good that your employer is allowing your honey to come to work with you - and that you can bring the baby! That is awesome! Good luck dear and I am sending you good vibes!!
Dianne :usa:

Sorry to take so long getting back to this ... i have been off for the last 5 days ... Weeee *G*

gg~ My grammie is a sweetie she is making some Flannel diapers like she made me when my mom was pregnant with me..flats i believe.

My mom found some natural something disposible diapers that she is determined to get me for going out. * bleck * I keep telling her i really would rather not.. she could probubly spend just as much on some more Bumgenious 2.0 and they will last through out til the baby potty trains ( depending on if she is like me when i was a toddler i thinned out.. i didn't get heavy til later on )

dianne9106~ the only program in my area is a work first program ( welfare with a twist ) They give you money for 3 mo. and you have to find a job and go to classes. Since i already have a job, i am not sure how that would work out.

However, during my days off i worked on a budget and if i am VERY careful the lowest on money we will be will be $300 in the negative, given that the electric at our new place doesn't go over the max $120 like it did at the old place (unless something was wrong). Giving myself the lowest check amount i have gotten working full time here, so it should be that up to $30 more. Ect.

That doesn't take into effect transportation to dr appointments, copays for doctors or meds for Joe, nor does it take into effect his Flea Market sales. I believe he should be able to pay all his co pays atleast with his Flea Market sales.

Of course my car insurance, car inspection ect all falls in April * UGH * that hurts right there... ends up being $350 right there to keep my car on the road. I over estimated the car inspection and costs with that so if something is wrong it will not hurt as much.

I am still nervious about it, but now i know how much i am looking at.

Oh but in a good light in 3 months( including this one) i will have paid off all the extras and have wittled down our budget to $791 not including Dr visits or meds because i just do not know how many we will have, this month there will be 4 Dr visits for Joe and probubly 2-4 perscriptions at $3 a peice.

I have on sheets of paper to put into a binder by the week budget. Showing a guestimate of what our budget could be at the top and at the bottom the actual. To that i need to add a Balance sheet for each week to write down all the coming and going of $ and what we are going to safe back and what is in pocket so i can keep track of everything.

Because of the guestimate i did i can keep track of how much i need to atleast squirel away so i can pick and choose what i do more wisely over the next few months. If we save every little penny in my guestimate we could save up enough by the end of the year to have 2 months of incase money. Another year from that keeping saving at the same rate we could have a 6 month incase money. Then i could start seriously wittling down Student Loans, Medical Bills, and what other debt i have from getting Divorced. With an infant baby i feel the need to get my nest egg together first incase, because no job i have had has had disability insurance, medical, dental, or heck any "real" benifits.

Joe just heard from a client who wants his fathers old jacket refitted and a bunch of other work done to it. A MAJOR project that had been ROYALY screwed by another person. It's extremely exciting because its a HUGE job and the guy is excited because we are cheap compared to others. We detailed out the work to be done with him ect. And he will be bringing us the jacket this week AND payment UPFRONT. Which all the $ except for materials will be squireled away for during this bad time or i can go ahead and pay off the extras earlier. Although the project will not away the slump that is coming is a great step up!!

I had to re-up my foodstamps here its been a month ago. I called the other day because i had yet to get a letter in the mail, which i thought was a little odd. The worker asked me if i had sent in my paper work. I was like i came in, because i had a question and gave it to you with my bills ect. She was quiet for a second and looked in my file and goes Opps. Never a good thing to hear *LOL* I guess i will see on tuesday if i still am getting food stamps * crossing my fingers * Which i should because between my income and bills there isn't much left.