I was wondering about doing amniocentesis. If there's fluid there, there should be fetal cells, too, no? Dead or alive? I'm not sure, I don't really know. I didn't have amnio done when I was pregnant.

Did I miss that in the article? Do you know how pregnancy specific a test has to be for her to consent?

Excellent points, and thank you for weighing in. That really sucks...

I don't disagree with you, I really don't.

But how do they know that for certain? It's not like she has to provide a credit report or bank statement. You're probably right that she can't afford any of this medical stuff, and I'm definitely not saying it's okay to scam on medical professionals or anything, but aren't doctors obligated to help patients in some…

I want to know how this all ends. My prediction is that she'll hit her "due date" and start rationalizing about why she never goes into labor. She'll probably insist that the baby was there all along but her body must have absorbed it when it proved unviable.

You're probably 100% right, I honestly don't know- I wouldn't think that being broke is an adequate defense if you're brought up on charges. Which is kind of awful, when you think about it. You're basically stuck between scary debt (I could buy a really nice house for what my daughter's NICU care cost before…

I'm not at all surprised. The nurses that I encountered over our 2-month stay were all amazing women (no idea why there weren't any male nurses in the unit).

It sounds to me like this is just a statement to cover his butt if/when these allegations are proven true or if one of these girls decides to go after Hefner for enabling the assault.

Preemies go through more in their first weeks of life than some people do in their entire lifetime. I was surprised when I found out how common premature birth is, and even though people I know suddenly "came out" as preemie parents when they heard about my situation, I felt lost and alone when my daughter was born at…

Thank God the practices for preemies have changed. I remember a nurse timed my skin-to-skin time with mine and said that I was only allowed 20 minutes because it might overstimulate her. I was heartbroken, but y'know, you want to trust the medical professionals that are keeping your child alive... still, I mentioned…

DO NOT look up the nutrition info. I loved that stuff, too, but ever since seeing those numbers... *shudders*

-pot roast, the way my husband makes it

I love this game. Love. It.

I can only speak to my own observations, but I believe that a surprising number of people don't let costs dictate their reproductive decisions.

So all the things I need to spend money on... dammit, I'm always gonna be poor.

I managed to have my preemie "naturally" (if you don't count the steroids for her lungs or the stuff they gave me to try to slow the labor). I was in labor for roughly 48 hours. It was super, super easy (it hurt, but it really wasn't as bad as people build it up to be) - and I've heard that preemie births can often be…

Thank you for clarifying; I wasn't trying to be an ass, I was just uncertain if people are aware that there are professional midwives with medical training that can provide adequate care.

I've seen so many comments about how midwives in the US aren't regulated. I'm pretty sure they are. The ones I googled in my area are all medical professionals, anyway.

I don't think that's precisely true, at least not in my suburban area. I was looking for a midwife for my well-woman care (my previous OBGYN ticked me off), and literally all of the ones I found via google are educated medical professionals. Maybe I'm just not good at finding these random, unprofessional laypeople...…