Pregnant &Single

Ok i see none of the other moms touched this but where is the daddy of all these babies? there is a thing called CHILD support.. Though if you was single before you got pregnant this last time just say i'm not touching that aspect. You can get medical leave< unemployment > for when you are out. It takes 30 days to get any type of cash or food stamps from services.. when you should be getting support for all those babies..
walking away now.. OHH yeah forgot who is taking care of those other 3 kids now??

You should be able to get child support from the child's father to start the instant the baby is born. Talk to a lawyer and get your custody and support documents in place NOW. That should help out.

I'm not sure about food stamp guidelines in TN - you should be able to research online... or just call the office and ask.

Call social services and ask them about the unpaid maternity leave. I also agree with Wickerparkgirl -make sure the father to be knows he's a father-to-be and that you have him LEGALLY bound to pay child support. Just because he says he will means nothing.

the social services person at the hospital you plan to deliver at might be able to help you navigate these and other considerations.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

When I was pregnant with my daughter I was single. While I was on unpaid maternity leave I did qualify for assistance because I had no income. I would assume you would also. Call your local DHS office or look online for requirements.

Good luck & congrats on the new baby!

Do you not get vacation/sick leave through your job? This is how I got paid during my maternity leave (I was the SOLE provider of my family at the time so believe me I needed it). Could be an option if you talk to your HR person.

I think you can get them, but only until you return to work, and as long as it takes to process everything, you may not get it in time. I do agree though with the other posters that you should pursue having the man (or men, I don't know if it's one guy or different dads) help care for them. If they can make them, they can help you take care of them. My son's dad has never been the best with financial support, BUT he definitely helps with childcare.

When I was single with my first child I had a FT job but no paid leave. I did not qualify for any assistance when I was on my 12-week unpaid leave.

And getting child support set up to start when the baby is born is a nice, logical idea but it doesn't work that way. Child support takes on average 4-6 months to get set up because you can't initiate any paperwork until after the baby is born and there's a whole legal process that must be followed.

I do think that things like WIC have pretty generous guidelines that you may qualify for, maybe even now because you are pregnant, even if you're not living at poverty level right now.

Sorry that you're in this situation. It's harder to be a single mom with a job than it is to be a single mom living off of taxpayers. It's really too bad that assistance isn't available on a sliding scale or temporary basis, especially for unpaid leave. This is why we need paid maternity leave in this country, but that's a whole 'nother rant for another day.

You should contact TN department of social services, they should be able to answer your question. Without knowing the eligibility criteria, no one will be able to reliably answer this question.

it is all money based as you know. as long as you have no money coming in yhou should qualify

Yes, it sounds like you'd be eligible for food stamps, WIC, as well as other benefits. Look up your State Human Resources/Services site to learn more.