the cost of being pregnant

the economical cost of being pregnant is not something that has ever actually occurred to me because it had never really occurred to me to become pregnant. not a planner and not a worrier, i just tend to drift and carry on to wherever my birth-marked left foot* takes me. 

so do i worry? a little? do i plan? a little. everything in little steps.

being self-employed (freelance) as a writer and video producer with no serious ties to clients meant projects will come as they please, not when i please. although i am thankful that of all the times i've been self-employed, i've never had to market/promote/advertise myself, having a totally dependent human being in your arms (ok, 4 arms, as its BBB and i having a baby, not just me, duh) is going to be a fact of life from a certain point on. 

and oh, i'm only at the pregnancy stage at the moment.  

so far, what i can figure out--

• Php 300 per OB check up, once a month, becoming more frequent as D-day approaches
• scans and tests and whatever else needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby (sonograms/ultrasound at Php700 and will need 1 or 2 more eventually)
• supplements = have been prescribed the following: calcium, folic acid & a multivitamin especially for pregnant & lactating women
• clothing to accommodate my changing body shape
• getting to and from the hospital for check ups cost money too!
• and there's probably a bazillion little additional items that will pile up as the pregnancy progresses. 

let's see how i get on. 


*in Filipino lore, having a mole or birth mark on the sole of your foot is supposed to mean you will be "layas" -- a traveler, wanderer. i have two on my left foot, and i have been traveling quite a lot in the last 8 - 9 years.