Several things that certainly helped along the way. The first would be Medical Assistance. Our son qualified right away simply from being born so darn early. Anything that our insurance couldn’t cover was covered by the state. Amazing!

Second, we saved receipts from every single medical expense including the amount we paid out of pocket to doctors and hospitals, our mileage to and from the hospital and to and from any other doctor appointment, and co-pays. Come tax time the following year, we had a very nice deductible which saved us money.

Third, we also qualified for SSI for our son and WIC for both of us, up to a year since I was nursing, and he still gets coupons for both the grocery store and the farmers market today.

A huge help came from the school systems. He also qualified for Early Intervention which helped him receive care beyond the NICU to help his development. This was offered through the school system and for the first year brought an OT to our house once a week and now a teacher once a month to monitor language and play. They have many more programs through this organization to offer which we have not taken, but are happy to have available if we need them. I know of one woman who had someone help clean her house and even watch her baby once a week so she could get out. They also offer free diapers and general supplies for those who really can’t afford them. They also offer resources for a variety of different needs from counseling to financial guidance.

The offer affordable classes for families trough a joint group called ECFE. We are going to enroll our son in ECFE classes which have a wide variety of things to offer children and families with special needs very soon. Plus they offer a drop in play unit any time during the week.

We feel very fortunate to have run into all of these programs and would have fallen through the cracks long ago if not for all these people who helped us out. Still, the current situation with the economy has kept us in a very unstable financial position and the choices we made a year and a half ago are still with us today.

I never would have thought that a family like us would qualify for these programs since we are middle class homeowners, but that’s simply not true. These programs recognize that health care is crazy expensive and most people can not afford the expenses that occur for most income brackets.

Before the pregnancy, I worked full time as did my husband. I went on short term disability during the pregnancy, had home care treatment, and delivered early. I only work two nights a week now and not only find it difficult to find more hours, but feel conflicted about spending more time away from our child. Our current solution since we have cut back nearly every disposable expense, is to have my husband search for a second job to make up for my lack of income.

It’s a hard sacrifice for him since he is a very engaged parent and adores caring for our son but it is what we agree is best for our particular family. I wish there was a better solution and I will be curious to see what other ideas and suggestions others have come up with.

Thank you for broaching this awkward subject and I would be happy to share any more information you need. Especially when it helps other people like us.