Maternity Leave Pay - When to Apply For Short Term Disability

Short term disability insurance is a great way to create maternity leave pay, while also protecting your income in case of complications, accidents, and illnesses. Your benefit for normal delivery can greatly exceed the premium you pay when you time the start of coverage properly. Unfortunately, most women wait until it's too late to apply for coverage, and miss out on a golden opportunity. Consider your projected date of conception, the possibility of pre-term labor, and the chances of suffering an accident or illnesses.

Use Disability to Create Maternity Leave Pay

Short term disability insurance is a great way to create maternity leave income. It pays a six week benefit for your normal vaginal delivery, and an eight week benefit for your normal c-section delivery - less the elimination period. Your benefit for normal delivery can greatly exceed the premium you pay, thereby creating maternity leave income. For example, a woman earning $54,000 per year qualifies for a $3,000 per month benefit. Her benefit for a c-section delivery would be $4,100 compared to a monthly premium around $150. A pretty sweet insurance bargain for something you were planning to do anyway: have a happy healthy pregnancy and new baby!

Apply for Coverage at the Right Time

Coverage needs to begin before getting pregnant in order to qualify for the benefit for normal delivery. Most policies contain a nine month exclusion for normal delivery. Plus, pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition. If you wait until you are already pregnant to apply for coverage you will miss out in two ways: you will not qualify for the benefit for normal delivery, and any missed work due to pregnancy complications will not be covered. Avoid missing both of these important benefits by applying for coverage before conception. Don't wait until it's too late.

Another nuance that many women overlook is the possibility of pre-term labor and delivery. As mentioned above, most policies contain an exclusion for normal delivery during the first nine months of the policy effective date. It is possible for your policy to begin before getting pregnant, but for your normal delivery to occur inside the nine month exclusion. If this happens you may miss out on your benefit. For example, you conceive during the first week after your policy becomes effective, and you deliver two weeks early. Your normal delivery just occurred inside the nine month exclusion - no maternity leave benefit. Avoid this dilemma by applying for coverage several months before your expected date of conception. Your return on premium paid will still be well into the positive range.

Remember Accidents and Illnesses

The amazing part of buying short term disability insurance to cover your pregnancy and maternity leave is that it also protects your income in case of accidents and illnesses. You could get sick or hurt at almost any time. Should this happen, you will be very happy that you applied for coverage.

So if you think you may be getting pregnant anytime soon, apply for coverage now. An accident or illness could occur to any of us at any time. Don't wait until after getting sick or hurt. Not only will you miss out on the income protection benefit, you may no longer qualify for coverage.

Postnatal Depression - Is There a Cure?

Postnatal depression (PND) is a mood disorder. The individual affected is not to be blamed, this is a disease. Women who suffer from Postnatal Depression may or may not have a history of depression. The disease can strike without warning anytime after pregnancy, though if you have no experienced any symptoms by the first 3 months chances are you are not part of the one in five women who do.

Postnatal Depression is not something to be overlooked or ignored. Some women have such severe reactions to the disease that they may cause harm to themselves or their new born. It is important to seek immediate medical attention if you have these severe symptoms.

For those women who do not have severe symptoms but are suffering there are many treatments available. Most doctors will prescribe any number of anti-depressants in an attempt to control your feelings. Many mothers do not like the idea of being "hopped up on drugs" when caring for their newborns.

For these women there are natural remedies available including St. Johns Wort which is safe for new mothers but should not be taken in conjunction with prescription anti-depressants. A vital part of treatment is building a strong support system around you and being educated upon your disease.

There are several online message groups that women from all across the world have joined to share experiences and stories. These can be an amazingly helpful tool in combating your own depression. There are also several books available that can explain breathing exercises and other natural remedies for postnatal depression.

Gestational Diabetes Warning Signs

Gestational diabetes warning signs normally appear somewhere between twenty-four and twenty-eight weeks of one's pregnancy. It's the effect of having higher than normal levels of glucose inside of your body which affects the pregnancy and your baby's well-being.

No person likes any sort of problem while they are expecting. Having said that, pregnant women can control their diabetic issues with regular exercise, eating healthier foods and by taking their medication. If you take good care of yourself you'll be able to make sure of a healthy maternity for you, as well as a healthy start for the little one.

In the case of gestational diabetes an individual's sugar level usually goes back to normal after delivery, nonetheless you will have a significantly greater potential risk of acquiring diabetes type 2 sometime in the future. You have to continue to work together with your health care provider to regulate your blood glucose.

Gestational Diabetes Symptoms

Generally there are no kind of symptoms to speak of. Normally diabetes is detected at the time of routine medical tests which are done during a pregnancy. Under rare circumstances, for example in case your blood sugar level has gone through the roof, chances are you may suffer with a few of the common symptoms of diabetes, for instance:

* Urinating with greater regularity
* Persistently being thirsty
* Consistent hunger

Once you're expecting a baby, your personal doctor will incorporate a diabetes check as part of your prenatal care. For those who are discovered to actually have gestational diabetes, or if you should encounter any one of the aforementioned warning signs, you will definitely have to have even more check-ups.

Your health care provider will look at your sugar amount soon after childbirth and again inside of about six weeks to make certain it's gotten back to expected levels. In the event you acquire diabetes, it probably would be smart to get your blood sugar levels looked at on a frequent basis.

A large number of women who have gestational diabetes have healthy newborns. Conversely, in case your diabetes has not been properly handled, it may well result in greater problems when it comes to you and your little one.

Added problems for your unborn baby

* Excessive weight: An excess of glucose inside of your bloodstream will cause your baby's pancreas to generate even more insulin. This might produce a bigger newborn at birth known as (macrosomia). In cases where the child is way too big they may suffer harm during the course of childbirth, or perhaps the expectant mother may need to have a C-section.

* RDS plus Early Childbirth: Large quantities of glucose inside of the mother's bloodstream might lead to an early delivery. Additionally, the health care professional could advise an earlier delivery date in cases where the little one has gotten pretty big. Premature babies could get Respiratory Distress Syndrome rendering it hard for these babies to breathe by themselves. They might quite possibly have to have assisted breathing until such time as the baby's lungs become much stronger.

* Hypoglycemia: In some cases the child might experience low bloodstream sugar levels since they ended up manufacturing high amounts of insulin. In a worst case scenario, one of the warning signs of hypoglycemia is usually seizures. Prompt feedings or an intravenous glucose treatment could bring the newborn's glucose level back again to normalcy.

* Diabetes type 2: Infants have a much higher risk of being overweight and also of developing the much more severe diabetes type 2 down the road.

In the event that gestational diabetes is unattended it can potentially cause the demise of the child while pregnant or shortly after delivery.

Added dangers for the mom

* Hypertension: You will have a far better chance of establishing elevated blood pressure together with preeclampsia and eclampsia. These are extremely dangerous problems which may endanger the lives of both the mom as well as the infant.

* Diabetes type 2: For those who experienced gestational diabetes, you might get it yet again during any future pregnancy. When you age you are much more likely to acquire diabetes type 2, which is a great deal more serious.

You are able to manage gestational and even diabetes type 2 by adhering to a healthy style of living. Listen closely to your physician and focus on looking after yourself by exercising on a regular basis, maintaining a healthy diet and getting to know all that is possible on handling both kinds of diabetes as well as the warning signs of diabetes type 2.

How Can an Attorney Help in a Cerebral Palsy Case?

Cerebral palsy, which is a medical condition, occurs because of brain damage. It also occurs because of improper brain development. Brain development in a human being occurs right from the time of conception by the mother, as the fetus begins to show signs of growth. The brain is the most important organ because it almost controls everything in the human body. Any small damage to the brain can cause tremendous harm to any part in the body. If damage happens in the part of the brain cells that control the nerves and muscle coordination then the child will be born with cerebral palsy.

Damage to the brain of a child can occur anytime while the fetus is growing in the mother's stomach, during birth or right after birth due to various reasons. If the mother has a bad fall which directly results in causing brain damage to the fetus then cerebral palsy can occur. At times during birth, doctors tend to use forceps, a kind of medical instrument used for delivery on the head of the baby. When used with slight force it can cause damage to the brain. Also during birth or while in the stomach just before delivery, due to the mother's high blood pressure, the baby can be deprived of the much-needed oxygen that goes to the brain and this too can lead to cerebral palsy.

It is also possible that the umbilical cord connecting the baby and mother can get entangled around the neck of the baby and thus cause strangulation. This will result in the baby not getting enough oxygen to the brain and this will lead to certain cells in the brain to die a natural death because of lack of oxygen, which is so important for its survival. Leaving the baby too long inside the womb as soon as the child is ready for delivery is likely to cause cerebral palsy in the new born infant.

All these are instances of medical negligence and it is because of this that a cerebral palsy attorney is most required if your child is born and diagnosed as having cerebral palsy. It is the bounden duty of the medical fraternity to make sure that you have a safe pregnancy and the child in the womb is safe. In addition, they should ensure that the baby is born without facing any problems so that it stays healthy and does not end up with this medical condition.

The world over, there are thousands of children who are born with this medical condition and in many cases it is due to the negligence of the medical fraternity. Proper care during pregnancy, excellent delivery methods, and proper postnatal care is all very essential to the safety of the child. If malpractice and negligence is found to be the cause then legal remedy is to be sought, at once and a n attorney needs to be consulted. The attorney will call for all the records and then file lawsuits on behalf of the aggrieved parents. The attorney will fight the case in a court of law and get adequate compensation for the parents so that the money would be useful to help maintain and provide excellent treatment procedures for their affected child.

Ontario Licensed Real Estate Agents and Maternity Leave

Most Ontario real estate agents work solely on a commissions basis. These agents are generally on an independent contractor status making them self employed. The "employed" rules and regulations in the province of Ontario will for the most part, not apply to self employed real estate sales people who decide on taking a maternity leave.

When a real estate agent, Realtor, sales representative, or Broker, considers her maternity leave situation, she will be thinking about her loss of income, existing and continuing monthly expenses, and possibly the option of not returning to realty sales for a longer period of time.

Here is a typical scenario for an Ontario Realtor who is on maternity leave:

Most likely she was a registered real estate agent in Ontario with a franchise Brokerage. That Brokerage is a member of the Toronto real estate board or depending on their location in Ontario, their own local board. As a board member the Brokerage pays its dues including associations like O.R.E.A and C.R.E.A.. Therefore, all agents in that Brokerage will also be responsible for those dues whether active in sales or not. The agent on Maternity leave, then, will also be paying these dues so long as she remains registered with this Brokerage.

Not all franchise Brokerages are equal, but most of them will have certain common expenses or fees that their registered sales agents must pay as part of their agreement. These fees could be desk fees, advertising fees, franchise and transaction fees, fixed monthly office fees or administration costs etc., etc. Although the real estate boards fee and dues are mandatory whether you are on maternity leave or just not active in sales, some Brokerages may allow non payment or waive some of the listed expenses while the agent is on maternity leave.

An agent on maternity leave may have some legitimate concerns about having to pay for the same expenses she did while in the sales field. Another concern may be the loss of income due to her leave. Still another thought may be the eventual feeling, while taking care of her baby and family, that returning to real estate sales will not be something she wants to do sooner but rather, much later on.

There is a lot of flexibility in Ontario with real estate agents ready to take maternity leave. If expenses are going to be a problem, the licensed agent can opt to resign from her current Brokerage and register with a non board member realty Brokerage. She can park her license with a Brokerage that will not have any of the above mentioned fees and dues applicable. This alone will save the agent a lot of money especially if her maternity leave is extended for an uncertain period of time.

Income while on maternity leave is possible whether the realty agent remains registered with a board member Brokerage or non member Brokerage. She can refer business to a fellow real estate agent or Brokerage and agree to accept a referral fee. As long as her real estate license is registered with a Brokerage in good standing with R.E.C.O., she can continue to earn referral commissions paid to her through her Brokerage.

Although maternity leave is not an option for many agents, it's good to know that in Ontario, real estate agents who elect to take maternity leave can do so with a little piece of mind. The reassurance that these agents can substantially reduce their expenses and still earn an income by referring sales to other licensed agents, surely becomes important considerations as they decide to become stay at home parents.

Opting for a Cheap 3D Ultrasound

There are a lot of reasons that you may be looking for a cheap 3D ultrasound. Many people who are preparing for a new baby in their home are trying to save up all the money that they can so that they are prepared for the birth of their new child.

This is one of the main reasons that you may be looking to find a cheap or discounted ultrasound option. While this is usually not something that insurance will cover since it is an elective procedure, you will sometimes find that you can have it done in a doctors office. This can sometimes be more costly though. It is best to find a private facility in order to get your procedure done, because they will sometimes offer coupons and other discounts for you to be able to have the procedure done.

You may ask yourself this question- why do I need to have a 3d ultrasound? Well the answer is easy. There are many advantages to having this done while you are pregnant. Not only are you able to get really accurate imaging of your unborn baby, but you are also able to make sure that your baby is healthy and active in your womb. You may even be able to see a glimpse of what your baby may look like when he or she is born. Not only are you able to see your baby and rest at ease at night, but you are also able to share the images and video of your new baby with your family and friends.
Another good reason to find a cheap 3D ultrasound is that you are able to get some more imaging of your baby other than what the physician provides. Most insurance companies will only cover one or two ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy. Opting for elective ultrasounds will let you capture your baby at different intervals within your gestational period. This is priceless, considering the fact that you are only pregnant once.

There are many options for having this procedure done. While there are a lot of different facilities that offer the procedure, there are also several different places that you can go to find discounted options. Going online is your best option. Some areas are going to have a bigger selection for you to choose from than others. The reason for this has a lot to do with the demand in the area. Most of your bigger cities and metropolitan areas are going to have more providers than your small town cities. You may even be able to find cheaper options in bigger cities.

It may be beneficial for you to take the time to find a bigger city near you in order to book your ultrasound. This will help to ensure that you are able to get a cheap 3D ultrasound. Meet your baby before he or she is born, it is a great way to bond and build that connection with your child early on.

A Sudden Truth: Living After the Death of Your Spouse

Losing a spouse is perhaps one of the most emotionally grueling experiences an adult can go through in their lifetime. The deafening emptiness of your home without your partner, the realization of dependency on your spouse, and the loss of everything that you once shared with-companionship, a friend, a person to turn to for advice-these are hard pills to swallow. For women, especially mothers, this is an unbelievably difficult change in their lives. Being suddenly left to raise the children alone and having to be the sole breadwinner for her now incomplete family is a hurdle many cannot fathom.

As you grieve, however, you realize that this time in your life will not be forever. Things can be done to improve your life and to move you forward out of your grief. Allow yourself time to grieve and mourn the loss of your loved one, but once the tears start to become less, acknowledge the fact that it is time to move forward. The power of positive thinking can do wonders in helping you to get out of your hole and can push you forward to begin your brand new life alone. Here are some ways to get you off the ground:

1. Understand that the pain will not easily go away. Do not be frustrated or fall into a deeper depression if you feel as if your grief is taking a long time. The loss of a spouse is a heavy burden and it will take time before you start to feel normal again. Think positively and know that this time will pass as well and eventually, you will feel better about life.

2. Acknowledge the power of choice. Do not feel guilty about realizing that you want to begin your new life. This means your time of grief is over. Think of the good things to come.

3. Do not think that you are forgetting your spouse. Just because your pain is slowly fading and you are starting to feel better, it doesn't mean you are forgetting your spouse. Believe that they would have wanted you to be happy and fulfilled even when they are gone.

4. Channel your love and affection in other ways. Think positively and realize that you still have a lot of love to give. If you are looking for someone to care for, focus more attention on the children, or get a pet to take you through those solitary rough moments. Pets are great joy bringers, delivering comfort and happiness with just their mere presence. Not only that, believe that you can still find love, and that this is not the end of life for you as we know it.

5. Realize that death is just the beginning. Death is inevitable and by thinking positively, you'll see what the good side of death is. It isn't the end of life but a mere beginning.

Employ some positive thinking to help get your through your situation. See the brighter side of things and not just what's depressing and heartbreaking. There's always a flipside and that is what you must realize.

Carl Mathis, author of Life is what you make it - seven steps to moving forward
For more from Carl go to http://www.carlmathis.com