Lightbulb moment! But which to deal with first?

maureenjscott

Just a thought - I think Tax Credits might need your child benefit number before they can set you up for child tax credit (not sure), so that adds another couple of things to the list for the days following the birth!! register baby and send child benefit forms (i think they give you them in the hospital).

Good luck!
Maureen x

lush_bucket

Thanks maureen,

Thats a great help and fab to know about mothercare and the freefivers site. I have downloaded the forms for the grant, only trouble is I have been carrying them in my maternity notes for five months now to ask my midwife to sign the form but with my brain like a sieve forget every-time. i have an antenatal tomorrow so am finally going to get them signed. I havent got the housing benefit one as I have to get that from the council and it's so far away. I am just so lazy! We will be moving in a few months but while we are still living on my maternity and partners asda wages that will help us out immensly. At the moment I am at the hospital every other day which is costing a fortune so am going to ask the midwife if I can stop going as it's totally unecessary and costing £15 in bus fare/parking a week, all they need to tell me to do is stop eating sugar for a few weeks! Keep praying the baby will decide to make an early appearance but given its mum and dad are late for everything, I think it highly unlikely! Now if we could just be on time with the next debt payments.....

lush_bucket

Order of things to do..

1. Have baby
2. On way home from hospital register baby's birth
3. get home.. feed baby, change baby, apply for CB online - Then mail b/c off
4. Ring tax credits
5. Send maternity Grant form off.

NOTE TO SELF

lush_bucket

Note to self...
Buy stamps and envelopes.. see maureen your a star! I never would have thought of getting them in.

heather38

ctc is based an last years income. i applied for the surestart grant and was turned down because i don't get enough ctc. in fact i was short of the required amount by £9, i kid you not. will you definately qualify? if you do you may also be entitled to free milk/fruit and veg see here http://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/

lush_bucket

Hi heather, yes we will qualify because and I know this is a bit of a scam but I officially only earned 3020 in this country last year because i was living abroad. (That sounds very swish but it was only ireland (rep) I worked and paid tax in ireland, I lived there for a year and a bit before that was UK resident, working and paying tax since I was 16. So my earnings here are very low for the year and my partner only worked part time earning 6795 in the 05/06 year. The year 06/07 both myself and my partner have earned a lot more, but luckily the baby will be born before april so this years earnings wont come into it. Phew! Hope your daughter is doing well and thanks for the advice x

heather38

lush_bucket wrote:

Order of things to do..

1. Have baby
2. On way home from hospital register baby's birthsome hospitals let you register the birth there and then, if not you will need to make an appointment at the registry office i don't think you can just turn up
3. get home.. feed baby, change baby, apply for CB online - Then mail b/c off
4. Ring tax credits i think you need to apply in writing
5. Send maternity Grant form off. i think you need to be in recipt of ctc before you can apply for this. so you may need to wait for your first payment before you can apply

NOTE TO SELF

oh and don't forget to sleep!!

lush_bucket

See! theres so much i have to learn! I already get working tax credit so they said I just have to ring and report the change in circumstances. Here's hoping thats true. So I just have to wait for the amended tc award before applying for the grant.. Sleep? is your little one sleeping well? Thats the part Im dreading. Up until now i have been an 8 hours a night girl! Got to see our baby today and he/she is absolutely gorgeous so I know it will be worth it, but I am petrified!

heather38

lush_bucket wrote:

See! theres so much i have to learn! I already get working tax credit so they said I just have to ring and report the change in circumstances. Here's hoping thats true. So I just have to wait for the amended tc award before applying for the grant.. Sleep? is your little one sleeping well? Thats the part Im dreading. Up until now i have been an 8 hours a night girl! Got to see our baby today and he/she is absolutely gorgeous so I know it will be worth it, but I am petrified!

i used to know what sleep was!!! only kidding she started sleeping through at 6 weeks (Well 5 hours but to me it felt like 5 years!!)
she's 12 weeks now and goes down at 8pm wakes up at 11:30ish for a feed and sleeps until 6am has another feed and goes back to sleep till 9am, my sleep is broken but you do get used to it i promise, you wount sleep in the early weeks anyway coz your lying awake listening to them and you wake up at every cough and sniffle!!
don't be scared i had a great (but loooong birth-36 hours and 20 minutes of pushing(that bl**dy hurts)!!) and i only had gas and air. this coming from the world biggest wimp, the first sign of period pain and i was straight in bed with a hot water bottle!

lush_bucket

I'm hoping to make it through with just gas and air too so fingers crossed. It's nice to hear someone say they had great birth, the baby is head down and facing the right way so I'm a good candidate for one too! sounds like you have her in a good routine, Im very lucky in having a partner who will help no end, he watched the breastfeeding vids much more intently than I did, now Im just praying it was the latching on techniques he was looking at and not just the free boob !!!!!!!