Financial Help for Pregnant Women: 3 Ways to Get Assistance
Having a baby is one of the best gifts in life, but it’s also a big change. Your career, social life, and sleep may end up taking the backseat while you focus on caring for your little one. While you can expect many firsts along the incredible road to raising a child, debt and financial stress shouldn’t be on that list of new experiences.
Thankfully, there are many avenues to find financial assistance. Take a look at the main costs of pregnancy and the different resources that provide financial help for pregnant women.
From nappies, to clothes and pushchairs the costs can vary greatly.
According to a 2023 study by the Yorkshire Building Society, the cost of raising a child up to the age of 18 costs around £150,000 for couples and £200,000 for single parents in the UK.
This works out as around £938 per month.
The cost of prenatal care
When baby delivery costs are so diverse, it’s no surprise that prenatal and postnatal care costs also run the gamut.
NHS maternity care is provided free of charge to women who are:
- considered to be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, or
- exempt from charges (including people who have paid the health surcharge).
However, there is an option for private healthcare and private scans.
Each appointment can set you back and you will have to pay if you want to have a private scan alongside ones provided by the NHS.
Private care, and its additional costs, can be broken down here by Which.
Costs don’t end after giving birth
Without a doubt, the cost of having a baby is expensive. This exciting time can become stressful if pregnancy expenses follow women into postpartum. However, financial help for pregnant women is out there.
1. Government help for pregnant mothers
Reliable government programs can provide help to pregnant mothers facing financial struggles. Financial help for single parents is also available.
1. Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance
Pregnant working women and those recently employed can usually get Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) from their employer or Maternity Allowance (MA) through Jobcentre Plus.
SMP or MA is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks, starting, at the earliest, 11 weeks before the expected week of confinement (EWC) and, at the latest, the day following the baby’s birth. Within these limits working women can choose when to start receiving SMP or MA, unless they:
- have already given birth
- are absent from work due to pregnancy related illness
2) Sure Start Maternity Grant
The Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) is available to help low income families with expenses associated with having a new baby. To make a claim for SSMG, parents must provide certified evidence of the pregnancy or birth(s) from a medical practitioner, this can be a MAT B1. The MAT B1 should be submitted with the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) when a claim is made.
You may be asked to provide a MAT B1, or alternative certified evidence to confirm the pregnancy or birth(s).
3) Healthy Start
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, the Healthy Start scheme can help you:
- buy healthy foods like milk or fruit
- get free vitamins
You need to be claiming certain benefits to qualify.
If you’re pregnant and under 18 you can claim even if you do not receive any benefits.
How to apply: For more information or to apply, visit the NHS Healthy Start website.
2. Fundraising for pregnant mothers
You may be in a situation where you can’t afford to wait for government aid.
Crowdfunding can be a quick and lifesaving solution for those who are pregnant and need help with money fundraising for pregnancy costs. If you’re still looking for ways on how to get help with bills, online fundraising may be a good option for you.
How fundraising can make a big impact
Online fundraising through GoFundMe can provide financial help for pregnant women. By fundraising on GoFundMe, you’ll be able to put more of your money toward items for your newborn or your baby’s future.
How crowdfunding helped these expecting mothers
Many pregnant women use online fundraising to get financial help. These are just two mothers who found crowdfunding relief through community support:
My goal of going to Paris 2024 as a full-time mum
Team GB’s Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne launched a fundraiser after giving birth to her son so she was able to still compete in this year’s Olympics.
She said due to the current cost of living crisis, she wouldn’t be able to have her family with her while she was training. More than £5,000 was raised in support.
Naomi:A new Mums fight with rare pregnancy cancer!
At what should have been such a happy time, Naomi tragically diagnosed a form of cancer related to her pregnancy. A friend of Naomi’s launched the fundraiser to try and support the family financially after this unexpected cost.
Thousands of pounds were raised to support and care for the family.
You can also check out family fundraisers for more inspiration.
3. Organisations that help pregnant mothers
Besides government programs and crowdfunding, there are many charity organizations that offer free help for pregnant mothers. Whether you’re in search of more resources or looking to get involved, here are some organizations that are doing tremendous work.
Maternity Action is the UK’s maternity rights charity dedicated to promoting, protecting and enhancing the rights of all pregnant women, new mothers and their families to employment, social security and health care.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is the UK’s largest charity offering information and support in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood
Birth Companions works to improve the lives of women and babies who experience inequality and disadvantage.
Gingerbread works to provide support to single parent families where needed.cccccbiefuhddrhhkgiijcvghtblgrtidlfribgllbjc
Get help with maternity care costs now
Whether you need to get rid of debt or purchase essentials for the arrival of your newborn, GoFundMe can help. You deserve to enjoy the beauty of motherhood without stressing over medical bills or unpaid maternity leave. Sign up for a fundraiser and start raising money for pregnancy expenses today.