Feeling terrible and worried about our finances

[babyonboard]

Hi..bit of a rant here..so sorry!
I was due to finish uni last month, and my bf finished his m.a in january.
then (unplanned..but very welcome!) we discovered I was pregnant.
I have since graduated, just scaping through exaams with chronic morning siickness, and my bf has gotten his first graduate job as a trainee trader.
i have found it impossible to get a job..had a couple of weeks on and off with my temp agancy but this has totally dried up and I know its because I am 5 months pregnant.
Only problem is we have a mortgage of £540 to deal with, plus bills, and my bf only brings home £800 per month after tax. We are getting by with renting our spare room for £300 inclusive at the moment, but we don't want to be sharing close to the due date.
I have applied for benefit, but not sure what i can get as I am soon not going to be able to work which excludes me from jsa, and I really don't understand the system.
we are constantly struggling, and often my bf makes me feel guilty that I cannot bring anything in (he doesn't mean it badly, he just works long stresful hours and has nothing to show for it other than a big overdraft)
i just don't know what i can do..i would like to work from home but it all seems like scams, my family can't really afford to help, and i don't want to rely on them when we are about to become a family ourselves.

Take a trip down to your CAB. They will go through all the benefits (I think you get maternity allowance one JSA stops), and look at applying for WFTC and CTC. Remember you will also get child benefit from the minute baby is born too, which does help.

i thought of that..have been stuck at home with pregnancy problems for a while tho so not gotten round to it. i have just found a number though, so will see if i can get advice over the phone.
if i do something like avon how much will it affect my benefit(if i ever get them)/ and also, do you have to make an initail payment to go into business?
also worried there won't be a good response or call for such things in my part of london..

Get down to CAB. You can't get housing benefit w/a mortgage, but your bf may be able to get WTC. You have to wait for baby to come to get CTC. You should be able to draw Maternity Allowance once baby arrives and possibly NI based incapcity benefit as well. CAB can help out.

Most CAB's can call you back and their telephone numbers are online and in the yellow pages.

yes..we can't get wtc as we are under 25, but will get that and ctc in novemeber upon the tots arrival..
i'm just worried for now, we are getting through the end of the month by sinking into overdrafts and credit cards we can't afford, and i don't want to be abadly in debt with a new baby.
am i righ to feel guilty that my bf is working his ass off and i can't do a thing? i would love to be working, but it seems impossible at this moment

babyonboard, is there anything you could apply for to help buy some things for LO when s/he arrives. I managed to get a maternity grant for DS2 but that was only because i was receiving WTC! Look into it on the internet if you cant get down to your local CAB, or maybe there is a number you can call to speek to someone at your local CAB. You can find out details for your local CAB by going to this and searching for citizen advice.
Hope this helps!

yes i think i will get a £500 sure start grant, which i can apply for up to 12 weeks before my due date.will really help with buying the essentials .
i have been informed i can apply for incapacity benefit, which is great news, and then will get either state maternity allowance, depending on whether i have worked enough days out of the last year, or incapacity will continue along with child benefit. looks good..though i am sure i'll be waiting a while for them to processs it, so another few weeks of being broke and stuck at home i'm afraid!

yes i think i will get a £500 sure start grant, which i can apply for up to 12 weeks before my due date.will really help with buying the essentials .
i have been informed i can apply for incapacity benefit, which is great news, and then will get either state maternity allowance, depending on whether i have worked enough days out of the last year, or incapacity will continue along with child benefit. looks good..though i am sure i'll be waiting a while for them to processs it, so another few weeks of being broke and stuck at home i'm afraid!