Dealing with the financial realities of having and raising a baby is difficult for many people. It’s especially true when the pregnancy is unplanned. You likely haven’t saved for this moment, or budgeted for what’s ahead, so how can you get the financial assistance you need in order to care for yourself and your baby?
Thankfully, there are many community groups and government agencies prepared to help women get the goods and services they need in order to raise safe, healthy babies. And it starts with the pregnancy test.
Every if you got a positive result from a home pregnancy test, a medical pregnancy test followed by an ultrasound is the only way to know with 100% certainty during the early stages that you are pregnant. In Gainesville, Sira offers free medical pregnancy tests and free pregnancy confirmation ultrasounds to any woman, no insurance required.
Once your pregnancy is confirmed, you’ll need to find affordable access to prenatal healthcare. The changes your body undergoes during pregnancy require regular medical care to ensure you and your baby are healthy throughout. Nearly one out of every three women experiences some kind of pregnancy complication, so you don’t want to go it alone.
Sira’s client advocates can help you find the medical care you and your baby need. They have a strong community network, including healthcare providers, and can even help you with the paperwork to ensure you get to see a doctor quickly, regularly and at little to no charge, depending on your financial circumstances.
Sira’s network may also be able to provide housing, education, counseling, food support and more, during your pregnancy and beyond.
Adoption is another option for some women who feel they can’t financially afford to raise their child, or who are unable to provide a safe, loving home.
In Florida, when a birth mother chooses to place a baby for adoption, adoption laws state that during the pregnancy and for up to six weeks after, a birth mother may receive financial support from the adoptive family in the form of, “reasonable living expenses […] including rent, utilities, basic telephone service, food, toiletries, necessary clothing, transportation, insurance and expenses,” as well as, “reasonable and necessary medical expenses.”
If you believe you may be pregnant and would like to learn more about the financial options available to you, contact Sira in Gainesville today at 352-377-4947. Our client advocates will gladly answer any questions you have and connect you with the services you need in order to find help for today and hope for tomorrow.