To ask if anyone else is struggling on one low universal credit payment?

[Evasmummy2019]

I'm not working at the moment as I lost my job as a palliative care nurse while doing my 8th round of fertility treatment last March. I reacted pretty badly to the ivf drugs and overstimulated my ovaries making me really poorly. Thankfully I got pregnant. I then couldn't get a new job while pregnant as I had HG (constantly suck 30x a day) and then in and out of hospital for fluids etc then with diabetes, bleeds, too much fluid and at the end reduced movements. I had my daughter in December. My husband is self employed so took no paternity leave. He's only been self employed for just under a year and doesn't qualify for the 80% SE (self employed) benefit payment. We were living on £20 a week child benefit between March and April and have no savings as he only earns £1600 per month on average and it goes straight on bills. We've cancelled his van insurance, pet insurance for our dog and cat, reduced our energy bills, suspended our loan repayment and council tax break for 2 months . We get no benefits only child benefit for our daughter. We've been really really struggling. We applied for universal credit and was awarded £629 per month. That only got paid on the 6th of May so we've had to still pay all our utilities etc. And I hope our mortgage break continues as that money will be gone on the mortgage alone if it starts back up in June . Its been very hard indeed and our relationship has suffered. I also suffered a traumatic birth and pnd has crept in.

Ok I'm really confused, and I'm pretty good with benefits.

So the family is a couple and a child under 5? yes?

How much income is coming in to the house from being self employed on a monthly/weekly basis?

Is your mental health diagnosed officially via a health care practitioner?

There's a few things you can look at, a) partner giving up on work all together that way you would all qualify for UC as job seekers, OP you would not be classed as work ready so your money wouldn't change but you'd be expected to fulfill nothing to be work ready, but your DP would.

OP you could look at a ESA and or PIP claim for mental health?

OP you could claim UC and CB and your DP continuing to gain money from employment - this plan however doesn't seem viable as DP is bringing in little to no income.

@ArriettyJones there's other contradictions in other threads about the DH having a car when they met. So surely if you have a car and then later a van...you must be able to drive? Why spend all that money on a depreciating asset that you pay to insure, tax, fuel, and maintain for someone else to drive? Makes no sense to me.

What else has your husband applied for? There are lots of jobs going in supermarkets at the moment, he just needs anything to bring some money in.