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PREGNANCY ATTORNEY OFFERS TIPS TO HELP EXPECTANT PARENTS PREPARE
Dateline: September 15, 2005 ... Clarence, NY
Contact Name: Brette Sember
Contact Phone: 716-759-1706
E-mail: brette@brettesember.com
Web Address: http://brettesember.com/
CLARENCE, NY - September 15, 2005 - Pregnancy is a time of great
change. Watching the belly grow and getting the nursery ready are
exciting milestones. However, "Pregnancy is about more than doctor's
appointments and layettes," says Brette McWhorter Sember, retired
attorney and author of Your Practical Pregnancy Planner: Everything
You Need to Know About the Legal and Financial Aspects of Preparing
for Your New Baby (McGraw- Hill, 2005, ISBN 0-07-143877-7, .95).
"Pregnancy is a time of new responsibilities and choices, legally,
financially, and practically. Expectant parents have a lot to prepare
for and many parents are simply unaware of the many decisions they
need to make. My goal is to help pregnant moms and dad get organized
during pregnancy and make informed decisions."
Sember offers these tips for expectant parents:
1. Know your rights. New and expectant parents need to
educate themselves about informed consent, the right to refuse
treatment, the right to a second opinion, the right to ask for
additional newborn tests not required by your state, emergency
leave during pregnancy, maternity and paternity leave options,
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, newborn screening choices,
and your rights with regard to your own and your child's
medical records. Pregnant women have a whole host of rights
that they are probably not aware of.
2. Create budgets. Pregnancy is an expensive time. Not only
are you purchasing an entire new wardrobe for yourself and
paying for frequent medical care, but you're also buying
pregnancy books, paying for childbirth classes, and buying
everything you need for your baby. Creating a pregnancy
budget will help you plan for these expenses. It's also
essential that parents create a parenting budget, so they can
see how much they are going to spending each month when they
add in the cost of diapers, wipes, formula, baby clothes, and
more once they are parents. In addition to this, parents need
to carefully compare their health insurance policies so that
they can choose the one that is most beneficial to them to use
as a family plan. Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are an
important tool that can help expectant parents manage medical
costs.
3. Plan for the future. Pregnancy is the doorway into your
future as a parent. Take the time now to think about things
such as wills, guardians, life insurance, and college savings
accounts. It can be difficult to think about things that seem
unpleasant or far away, but taking a few minutes now to create
plans for the future will allow you to feel comfortable and
know that everything is in place and your family is protected.
4. Ask questions. This is a time in your life when you're
making major changes, so don’t take anything for granted.
Parents need to understand their right to question their
health care providers about treatment and get real answers. If
you're going to be using child care, you need to start
planning before your baby is born. Interview day care
providers using the questionnaires in "Your Practical
Pregnancy Planner". It's also essential to ask questions of
your insurance agent to find out what kind of coverage exists
for a sitter or nanny using your car. Some parents are
unpleasantly surprised to learn that if they don't add the
nanny as a driver, she’s not covered.
5. Get organized. While you're waiting (and waiting and
waiting) for your baby to be born, use this time to get
organized. Do a safety check of your home, including tests
for lead paint and radon. Try different layouts for the
nursery using graph paper and to scale drawings before you
start moving furniture back and forth. Sign up for free
newsletters and magazines so you'll have an ongoing source of
information. Stock your pantry and freezer so you don't run
out of things the first few weeks the baby is home.
"Your Practical Pregnancy Planner: Everything You Need to Know About
the Legal and Financial Aspects of Planning for Your New Baby" is
filled with legal, financial, and practical information from pre-
conception to early parenting. It is published by McGraw-Hill and is
available at all bookstores as well as online. For more information
or to arrange an interview, contact Brette@BretteSember.com.
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