Help My Sister Through Postpartum

Hi, I’m Hannah and I’m fundraising for Chanele, my sister. She is a wonderful mother and hard worker, is in need of help to get through her postpartum period. Many of us know that postpartum care in America is minuscule compared to other countries, and the pay is no different. Chanele works over full time managing a pizza restaurant and bartending to support her family, and while she’s healing from her c-section, mastitis, and her incision reopening, she will make around 50% less than her normal income. This is a 6 week period before she can return to work, though healing from a major surgery should be 8 weeks. To make matters worse, her maternity leave pay still hasn’t gone through, despite her applying as early as the state would let her in her pregnancy.

On top of the postpartum healing and newborn period, her partner Corey has a degenerative condition that means he cannot lift their toddler without pain and has left him unemployed. Despite his condition, he is a stay at home father to their 3 year old, and soon to be both boys when Chanele returns to work. He has a spine surgery coming up that will mean he cannot do even light housework for 6 months afterward. His disability pay still has not gone through.

In addition to that, they’ve received a $200 rent increase (making their one bedroom apartment cost $1878 not including utilities). They brought their newborn home to a check engine light in their only car for something that is not an easy fix. And medical bills begin to roll in. Her pain medication after her birth cost $95 alone.

In the midst of all the financial stress, my nephew has been diagnosed with nonverbal autism and this of course means they need to get him the care and schooling he will require.

They’ve tried going through the routes available to them (maternity leave pay, disability (for her partner), in the process of getting food stamps). But they need just a bit to help make this time a little less stressful. They never ask for help, and are extremely self sufficient. I want to help them through this, but I can’t cover their expenses. Anything helps, thank you.