Hello, Amy here.~ ʚ♡ɞ
In January of this year (2024), my husband, Andrew, & I realized / found out that we're having a baby! Our baby's due date is in September, and we've been preparing and getting ready for our little one. This is our first baby, and we're excited, as well as have had our concerns. It's a relief that there are so many resources to help and support parents and their little babies. I want to share some of them here in this post, and I hope that they will be able to help and bring some relief and reassurance to others. I'll be including a variety of such resources, including informational, assistance, and rewards/deals-based, etc.
The creation and development of life is such a beautiful miracle, and it's wonderful to learn about what takes place while that life is developing and to bond with baby. (Yes, you can bond with your baby while they're in the womb; studies show that babies in utero start to taste, hear, feel, see, etc., while in the womb, and newborn babies can recognize their mother's voice from their time in the womb! There are people who even have memories from their time in the womb!)
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, & Children (WIC): I signed up for this program after finding out that I'm pregnant, and started receiving benefits pretty quickly. My benefits include being able to purchase a certain amount of different food items per month (in my particular case, as I'm vegan/plant-based, this includes foods like soy milk, tofu, rice, beans, fruits & vegetables, peanut butter, etc.), and my particular plan is based on the fact that I plan to nurse my child. There are different plans based on planning to exclusively nurse, mixed feeding (such as nursing and formula), or formula feeding. Again, this is a supplemental nutrition program, and it doesn't cover all of the groceries that you may need to buy for your household. (If you might need further food assistance, I recommend researching the CalFresh/EBT program, which offers monetary food assistance.) The WIC program also offers the option to have consultations with a peer counselor on the subject of lactation and nursing. Note: Also, as I'm enrolled in this program, I'm able to receive free diapers and baby wipes from Community Action Partnership (CAP), which brings me to the next resource....
- Community Action Partnership (CAP): CAP offers resources to families in need, such as food, baby diapers/wipes, and other resources. Because I am enrolled with WIC, my husband & I are able to pick up baby diapers and wipes every 2 weeks (he's able to pick them up for us even if I'm not there, because we're both signed up with CAP), and we're also able to pick up food in general (you don't need to be enrolled in WIC to receive food assistance from them).
- Pampers Club: The Pampers Club offers resources and deals for parents who are signed up. When you use the app, you'll receive $30 off for ErgoBaby products and receive rewards (discounts) when you purchase Pampers diapers. They also have a bunch of information about babies and parenting on their website AND their YouTube channel. You can calculate your due date (and take other fun quizzes) and use their pregnancy calendar, read about pregnancy milestones and how to take care of babies, check out their hospital bag checklist, and you can also watch their free birthing classes. They have downloadable guides and stuff that you can print out (guides for pregnancy tracking, creating your birth plan, new parents, breastfeeding/nursing, prenatal exercise, fetal movement tracking, contraction tracking, etc.). There's so much more, and I'd recommend checking it out if you'd like to find out more about it. You can also refer 5 other people (yes, it's limited to 5 referral sign-ups); they'll receive a $2 bonus for signing up, and you'll receive a $10 bonus per referral!
- Enfamil Rewards: Even if you don't plan to feed your baby formula, you can sign up for Enfamil rewards, and they offer many resources and rewards. I've received a bunch of gift cards and coupons from them toward baby things, like a custom onesie, pacifiers, a nursing/carseat cover, baby shoes (for when they're walking and need to wear shoes out of the house), a discount on a Lovevery play kit, etc.
- MySimilac Rewards: For signing up for this program, you can receive benefits nutritional guidance for your baby & yourself and a free/discounted Shutterfly coupon that can be used toward a photo book, but I used my 50%-off Shutterfly coupon for a thermos mug and a card (to keep as a memory). I haven't used the mug for drinking as it doesn't have stainless steel on the inside of the cup, but it's really nice to have a custom mug with all kinds of memories/pictures on it, and it could be used to store things in. (They also give Similac coupons and samples, but I don't plan to use those.)
*to be updated.*
