Farewell Maternity Exemption Card

The arrival of the Maternity Exemption Card (MEC) in the mail always felt like a right of passage associated with pregnancy. I almost wanted to note it down along in my journal along with mutterings about scans or what I bought for the baby or how I felt, at least with Threeva. By the time I was pregnant with Dimples, I was a pro with the whole MEC thing. The moment I heard it flop on the hall carpet, I dialled the dentist. You get free dental treatment with your card, you see, and as someone who grinds their teeth, free dental care is a big bonus. Saving £50 every time I needed a new mouthguard was well worth the growing agony of pregnancy. I grind my teeth in my sleep and have been known to bite through a mouthguard in a matter of weeks at particularly difficult times. I did have a dental appointment booked this week, my last before Dimples turned one and I had to go back to paying for every check-up and mouthguard and filling.

I also had a doctor’s appointment, to make the most of the free prescriptions, but both visits were thwarted by the arrival of Gastro-entiritis, which struck poor Dimples with a ferocity that caused her to lose over two kilos in weight in a matter of days, about a fifth of her bodyweight, and required a trip to Lewisham A&E on her birthday. Of course I realised there that the cancelled appointments were not worth a second thought, or as Barbra Johnson said,

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.

But I shall miss my Maternity Exemption Card. It treated me well. And there have to be some perks to childbirth, surely?

This post was written as part of the Notes from Home Friday Club. Sadly I missed the deadline due to the poorly Birthday Girl and our trip to A&E, but stop by Ella’s blog and see what others have chosen as their Cherished Item.