Maternity a basic human right?

A friend of mine — who is thinking of starting a family — recently went shopping for individual health plans that cover maternity and found that the best plan out there (the only plan, actually) had a $5,000 deductible and a $7,000 out of pocket maximum — per person. That’s on top of monthly premiums, of course, which are steep when maternity benefits are included.

Here in California, health insurers aren’t required to cover maternity, and tens of thousands of moms don’t have benefits, reports the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, the average cost of a delivery in the state is $13,000 (that’s the Times figure, which seems low to me, actually).

Maternity benefits are somewhat of a luxury when you’re buying individual insurance — most plans don’t have them and the ones that do are up to five times as expensive as non-maternity plans.

Lots of moms go without coverage, and the situation isn’t getting any better for a few years — here’s why: Continue reading »

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Sure, women have a tough time of it when they get pregnant — there’s all that weight gain, mood swings, and strange cravings (pickles and ice cream?).  Clearly it’s not easy creating another life inside your own body.  Don’t think for a moment, however, that guys have it completely easy during pregnancy.  There’s a lot that goes on with them as well and, as if that weren’t enough, they have to deal with a pregnant woman for nine months.

Continue reading »

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Watch out world, the naked pregnant lady has moved to the Far East.

A pregnant woman letting it all hang out hasn’t turned heads in the states since Demi Moore was still palling around with men her own age. But news that Japanese women are dropping trow for a mama-to-be shot is getting plenty of press.

Why? Continue reading »

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5. This old lady at Target looked at me and shook her head. She said, “You young girls need to see there are other things to do in the winter, and you won’t end up in your situation.” I told her I was in my mid 20s and had been married for 3 years and that my “situation” was actually a blessing!

It’s nice when geriatric strangers walk up to you and call you a harlot.

Recently iVillage asked readers to respond to the question, “What’s the weirdest, rudest or most oblivious thing anyone has said to you while you were pregnant?” The top answers ranged from baffling, to TMI to creepy. Continue reading »

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Did your mom dine on a diet of potato chips, moon pies  and oodles of oreos or did she eat a healthy mix of veggies, proteins and vitamin enriched eats?  New studies are being released that say that we are what our moms ate. And in turn, if you are a mom, your child will be what you ate. It’s an endless cycle of inherited food related ebb and flow. The big news? Continue reading »

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