#TBT: My Body is Not My Own - Reality Setting In

It's Throwback Thursday on Sweet Leigh Mama! I still remember this day - and I still scowl at anyone working at the Target photo counter... ya jerks!

My Body is Not My Own: Reality Setting In
Originally Posted July 17, 2009

At the 12 week mark, it was very clear to me that my body was quickly changing. Bye bye skinny jeans and pencil skirts, hello elastic waistbands. Along with my expanding waistline, my skin had reverted back to the age of 15 with pimples, and my hair seemed to jump to age 50 with the amount of grays that were quickly sprouting. However, I convinced myself that I was the only one who was noticing – that was until one fateful day at the Target Photo Center. As I picked up my wedding thank-you photo cards, I took one out of the box to make sure it looked good before I paid. The clerk took a glance at the photo too, and said sweetly, “The bride is so pretty! Who is she?” to which I responded, “Thanks! It’s me!” The clerk giggled a little as if I were joking and then proceeded to say, “No really… is that your younger sister?” It was like she had slapped me in the face – I was in complete shock! I ran immediately to look for low-ammonia hair dye and the strongest facewash I could get my hands on. This was going to be a long 40 weeks!

How Much Does it Cost to Have a Baby? 2014’s Best and Worst States to Have a Baby in the US

Did you know September is the most popular month to have a baby? Must have been a *real* happy New Year for y'all (wink wink). Prego or not, here's some interesting stats from WalletHub - the leading personal finance social network - which examined the actual costs of giving birth in the United States.

Families in the United States pay the highest birthing costs in the world, according to a report from the International Federation of Health Plans. The average cost of a conventional delivery at an American hospital is $9,775. For a C-Section, it’s $15,041. YIKES!

2014’s Best and Worst States to Have a Baby.

How much will it cost to give birth in the state where you live? What will the conditions be like at the hospital or OB-GYN? WalletHub examined 22 key metrics such as delivery costs, access to pediatric services and the number of child care centers per capita. 

  

	Best States to Have a Baby			Worst States to Have a Baby
	1	Vermont		42	North Carolina
	2	Maine		43	West Virginia
	3	Oregon		44	Georgia
	4	Connecticut		45	New York
	5	New Hampshire		46	Nevada
	6	Wyoming		47	Pennsylvania
	7	Iowa		48	South Carolina
	8	Massachusetts		49	Mississippi
	9	Alaska		50	Louisiana
	10	Utah		51	Alabama

Key Stats

• The average annual infant care costs in the District of Columbia are 4 times higher than in Mississippi.
   
• The infant death rate in Mississippi is 3 times higher than in Alaska.
   
• The number of child centers per capita in Vermont is 9 times higher than in Utah.
   
• The rate of low birth weight in Mississippi is 2 times higher than in Alaska.

• The number of OB-GYNs per capita in District of Columbia is 9 times higher than in West Virginia.

• California has the best parental leave policies, whereas 17 states tied for the worst.

• The number of pediatricians per capita in the District of Columbia is 92 times higher than in Pennsylvania.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, click here:
http://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-have-a-baby/6513/