Hi ladies... I'm new here, but wanted to chime in. I have 2 and half year old triplets. I have to be honest... I didn't take the time to do a lot of these offers. I did contact Johnson & Johnson. They sent me a packet of about $30 worth of coupons for free products. i.e. Free Baby Shampoo up to $5, Free Baby Wash up to $5, etc... Some of the companies listed never responded to my request (don't remember now which ones those were) and many simply sent coupons.
Be sure to discuss any programs that are out there with the nurses or social workers in the hospital. If your babies (or those of your friends) are preemies, which is quite likely, and in the NICU for any length of time, then a social worker SHOULD be in touch with you. My triplets were born @ 23.5 weeks so we were approached by a social worker within about two days of their birth and she was pretty helpful on programs that could help. i.e. Ross Lab. (the makers of Similac) have a multiples program where they give you a case, I think, per baby if you have multiples.
Also, if your babies are extremely premature, it's likely they'll be in the NICU for an extended period of time, thus accumulating HUGE medical bills. Obviously NOBODY wants a baby to be born that early, but if it does happen, be sure to ask about programs that help pay those bills. Some social workers may not bring that up even though it's their job. I know of a couple who had a 26 weeker and never heard of that until months after their baby came home. In the state of Texas, if your baby is born under a certain weight (I think it's around 2 lb. 13 oz.) they AUTOMATICALLY qualify for Medicaid, regardless of income. My little ones were 1 lb. 6 oz., 1 lb. 7 oz., and 1 lb. 8 oz., so obviously qualified. This was so helpful to us, as the first EOB we recieved from our primary insurance stated that the bill for ONE of our babies for the first 22 days ONLY was already at $273,000.
In addition to that, in regards to multiples (not just preemies) there are a LOT of groups of mothers of multiples out there. I never did personally join one, just because I felt like I had too much on my plate with preemies who had health issues, but I've been told that these groups can be very helpful when it comes to finding resources as well as sometimes passing on gently used items, such as strollers, high chairs, etc.
Sorry to go on and on. I just noticed this thread was started quite some time ago, but hopefully something here can be of use to somebody.
