Anyone going through or has gone through their pregnancy with minimal prenatal care? I have been…

I personally have never not had all my prenatal care, and although I understand where you are coming from money-wise, I can't imagine that this would be good for baby. Prenatal issues need prompt attention. Also, if you keep missing appts, they will flag your record and it could cause issues at delivery like DSS involvement or further investigation on your part. I know how long Medicaid can take, it's a pain....Just have the doc office notate in your acct that you are waiting for Medicaid and can't pay out of pocket in the mean time, just so they know what's going on and don't think you are just not showing up. Also if you miss too many appts, your office could dismiss you and you will have to find another doc, and that gets hard after a certain point in pregnancy...some docs won't accept you past a certain point. I hope you find a solution soon mama...good luck!

That must be hard on you to deal with, I haven’t been through that but all I can tell you is to harass Medicaid. They had not approved my case because I was missing a letter 🤔 I called and told them I had not seen a dr and was already 15 weeks pregnant, I applied at 4 weeks, I told them how I was feeling (exaggerating ofc, flare for the dramatics) the same day I logged in to submit the letter they asked for and everything had been approved. I almost started crying but in all seriousness I was super frustrated with the situation, plus that I was puking my guts out. I would go to the er, screw that. In my case I needed fluids because I was dehydrated. Hopefully you can get this taken care of soon, you should have your dr!

Does Medicaid take effect from the day you applied or the day it's approved? Because if it's the first then you should be covered for anything that happens while the paperwork is going through. That's how it is with Cobra, at least.

I was uninsured for the first three months of my pregnancy, paid out of pocket for visits, but I did refuse a few tests because I couldn't pay for them.

Can you find a doctor and explain you situation, some have programs for uninsured patients that give a discount, or they may be able to hold off on bills for a while. Or is there a clinic or Planned Parenthood that does prenatal care nearby? An old friend got charity care (also in NJ) during her first pregnancy, and it covered a lot, but that was 7 years ago.

My last pregnancy I went through the same thing. New area and uninsured. My baby came out just fine at 39 weeks 4 days. My pregnancy before that I had care around the clock and he was premature. Not saying don’t seek care, but try the local health department. Just let them know Medicaid is pending...oh also me currently

Regular prenatal care is definitely I necessity but I understand where you're coming from and how hard it can be planning for a baby while putting yourself more and more into debt because of medical bills. Personally, I believe as long as you are taking care of yourself, taking prenatals, paying attention to your body and baby movements, you're ok with missing some appointments because they don't really start to do anything serious until you're at about 32/34 weeks when your appointments become more frequent. As long as you've had your blood work done, your glucose test and your strep b test, that's basically the most important things done and as long as there's no issues I think everything is alright right now but definitely get on medicaid and get looking into new insurance right away because medicaid only takes care of some things, not everything

@newlywedmama21 I'm not 'missing' any appointments. I don't have them because I don't have a Dr. I went to a clinic to confirm my pregnancy because obviously you need proof of pregnancy when applying for anything. And then I saw a Dr in our area twice, regular scheduled appointments. I paid out of pocket for those. I informed them we were moving, got copies of my records, etc. We moved and my focus was on getting healthcare for my daughter. Which I did, even though it's expensive, it's just important that she is seen regularly. But I can't pay for both her and I to be seen regularly. I've called my counties health department to see if they can help, but paying out of pocket until Medicaid goes through is the only option the offices they've provided me with will allow. I'm not sure we will even be accepted for Medicaid as I make too much money and an offered insurance through my job we just missed open enrollment because we had insurance through my husband at that time. Count your blessings that you have not had to deal with this issue. I have gone as far as emailing our governor's office to ask for help and no one seems to have an answer.

@leslyev92 Girl they definitely hate me in that office lol with all the times I've called. I didn't think about actually getting more in detail about the situation though. I don't think they realize how far along I am or any of that. I thought about going to the ER just to make sure everything is ok so that I can rest a little easier, but truthfully I don't have any pain or much discomfort, I don't want to go in there and lie for no good reason.

I was in a similar situation with my last pregnancy. I didnt have insurance and couldn't get Medicaid because they said I made too much money but I didnt make enough to get my own insurance and I had to wait until I got married to get on my husband's insurance. I was almost 4 months before I had a apt. The problem I ran into was 2 doctors refusing to see me because I was too far along. But my baby girl was healthy and just fine. Made sure I took my prenatals and tried to keep myself as less stressed as possible because I was stressing from not seeing a doctor.

@nomli I used charity care when I was much younger for a medical issue I had. They covered everything but as far as I remember they only came into effect after everything was done. So meaning I got a medical bill and then applied for charity care. I can't find a clinic that does prenatal care, just ones that do pregnancy confirmations. I did just get a number from my counties health department so I'm calling them now hopefully they can work with me.

@thinkinpink I had care with my first under the military so I felt like a queen. Especially because I hadn't had insurance for awhile before that. I went to every appointment, had every test, etc. My daughter was premature and we were both taken care of seriously like royalty. Not for nothing I actually feel better this pregnancy than I did with my first. Just more tired I think because of the recent move.

@emily526, 🤞🤞🤞

I don't remember how it worked for her, I just remember her saying it only covered one ultrasound.

@emily526, continue to seek affordable care but also pay attention to your body. You know what feels out of the ordinary. But seriously try the health department.

@ladyblauvelt.skysmomma I have had blood work done and all of the tests except the glucose test, which I actually never had with my first born either oddly enough. I really just haven't had any ultrasounds or anything like that recently. I can feel my baby moving same as I did with my daughter, but still you never know. That's why I'm trying every avenue I can for help.

@emily526, the services there are free or at a low low lowwww cost lol

Did you just lose a job when you moved? That usually counts as a special enrollment qualification, so you can enroll in a new plan even when it isn't open enrollment. You usually have to pay higher dues but it'd help with all the visits.

@mckennasmommy That's almost my exact situation except my husband is a SAHD so we don't get insurance through him either.

@emily526 it's so frustrating I feel ya.

@nomli No, I work for the same company. My husband had a change in his status in the military. I was under the impression we would just have to pay for Tricare after the status change (because it had been free when he was deployed). However our case manager didn't send any updated paperwork and my daughter's Dr at the time was still accepting our insurance. It was until a couple months later we started getting billed for all those months she was going to the Dr. By then it was too late to enroll with a qualifying event, you get 2 months after the change or hardship. I work in insurance, so trust me I'm kicking myself for not being more proactive about it, but at the time I didn't know I was pregnant.

Well I am now 8 weeks still waiting to see my OB. Which is next week. My insurance doesn't pay for my prenatal care (well not the one I need) so I've been taking some over-the-counter kids vitamins.

This is what I found out.. Meijer will give you your prenatal vitamins for free. So I will be going to get them Saturday.

With my Assurance with my daughter they cut me off at the beginning of my pregnancy to.

So I just used the free clinics until I got my insurance back which were very helpful at that time.

So maybe you can try a free Clinic until you can get your insurance.

Also you are not a bad mom.. You cannot help what is going on..

Also with my son I took the Flintstones throughout that whole entire pregnancy because I couldn't take prenatal care because it's making me sick

@emily526, I feel like it’s necessary to tell them (& even exaggerate) to get anything done. If another week goes by and you’ve yet to hear anything I’d call again. Doesn’t matter it they don’t like you because you call so much, you need to be seen by a dr so you’ll call as many times as you have to. And yeah I know, especially the ER isn’t always the best option but if you feel like you need to be seen then that would be the quickest option at the moment for you.

@soon-to-mother-of-3 We have a planned Parenthood by us, but they don't do prenatal care or anything like that. I contacted the counties health department and they did send me an office that might be able to help so I'm reaching out today after work, fingers crossed!

@leslyev92 What most upsets me is my husband missed all of my appointments with our first and even missed her birth because he was deployed. Now this time there have been no appointments for him to go to and I'm afraid he will miss the birth again because since we've moved we have no one nearby to watch our daughter.

can you go to like a clinic or something that will see you until you medicaid kicks in? i was in a similar situation with my first and i was able to go to this amazing womens clinic until my medicaid kicked in

In my state they call child services if you arent seen i think 5-6 times. No exceptions. Ridiculous since insurance issues and what not arent always in the moms favor to be seen so many times. Im sure everything will be ok tho. Hopefully gestational diabetes isnt a worry. Im high risk due to presious losses only took 2-3 weeks for my medicaid to kick in. Just take your prenatals and enjoy pregnancy. :)