I recently lost my job, and am the sole provider for my family. We were approved for food stamps and unemployment, plus we took out my 401(k) so financially we'll be fine. However, that money only lasts so long, so needless to say there is a lot of stress to find a new job. I've noticed that I've been eating more and odd things at odd hours (like chips and cheese at 5:00 a.m. this morning). Plus I'm more emotional than normal (I'm already on an anti-depressant) and more tired than usual as well. Within the last couple of days my breast have started to get tender, and a little worse each day. My period isn't do for about another week. I know that most of the things I'm experiencing could be from stress, however the breast tenderness is what is throwing me off. I don't get tender breasts with my period, ever. The only time I've had this was when I was pregnant with my girls and then very early in the pregnancy. I keep telling myself it's just stress and I need to exercise and control what I eat. It's not that we don't want a third child, it's just that the timing is not right. I really don't have the money to go buy a pregnancy test to have it come back negative, and I know that planned parent hood does them for cheap - but my sister-in-law works there and I don't want to alert the family if it's not positive (especially seeing that my sister-in-law can't have children of her own). Does anyone have any thoughts. Could it all be just stress?? Oh yeah, and we don't have a doctor until the first of February when the medicaid plan kicks in.
There is a place in Ann Arbor that does free pregnancy testing; I think it's called the Pregnancy Counciling Center. Good luck and things will get better, I promise.
If you can find a crisis pregnancy center in your area, they do them for free.
I took a dollar store pregnancy test and it works.
MC
They sell them at the dollar store. I would wait until your period should start. If you are a week or so late--- take a test. Until then, I would act like you are pregnant.
My SIL used a $store test!
You can get a pregnancy test at a dollar store for a buck. Better to know then to not know.
But I would wait until you have actually missed your period. The tender breasts are a good indication of pregnancy...but if you test too soon, you could get a false negative. If there isn't enough of the pregnancy hormone in your system, then it won't register. I actually had to test 3 times before I got a positive when I was pregnant with my daughter 2 years ago. If you are a week late...go to othe dollar store and get a test. I know tons of women who have used those tests.... and it's only $1.
As far as everything else, you really need to take care of yourself. Stress can really wear you down and depletes your vitamin stores QUICKLY. Eat right and get some sleep. It will help you sustain yourself and boost your immune system.
You could try the Health Department. I believe they also do low cost tests and have a Dr you can see. They do it on a sliding scaled based on income. That's what I did when I was in in college and didn't have a lot of $ for things like yearly check ups and birth control.
You could see your doctor and tell them that you have Medicaid starting in February and they should still see you and then bill in February. From what I understand Medicaid will pay bills back for 90 days before you actually have it. Check with your case worker but I'm pretty sure I was told that when my kids had it. Good luck!
Let me start off by saying that I have NEVER had a pregnancy test come back positive, even when I was pregnant with my triplet and yes I got them from like CVS. lol BUT where I am going is that I have seen pregnancy tests at the $1.00 store. I do not know how reliable they are but it can't hurt.
