Welcome veryrestless.
I would say, get what you are entitled to whilst you are entitled to it. It does not matter that you will only have food stamps a month or two, I am sure your mother would appreciate the additional help those stamps would bring into the household and cut down on her grocery bills.
You have been through alot, a hell of a lot. Please rea the stickies, especially these
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-partners.html http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...bal-abuse.html http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...red-flags.html http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...potential.html http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-clearer.html
There are many more, please take your time and read through all of them. You may not be able to see it clearly right now, but you are in the process of leaving a very abusive relationship. I think that you are like me in that it has taken alot of time to admit to myself just how abusive my relationship was, and how much I was abused and for how long.
I second the idea of individual counselling on all of this. So much has happened to you, it all needs processing and working out with a healthy mind. I found that counselling was a great help to me in regaining my confidence and strength.
Stay with your mum and dad whilst you get support and while you find yourself. Being a single mum is hard - I am one too! If your mum and dad are happy and willing to support you, I would accept their help until you are more settled on the inside and the outside.
Also, in the UK, you do not need to have your child's father's name on the Birth Cert in order to claim the child support. In English law, you are not allowed to put his name on unless he attends with you at the time. Seeing as he had left me at 4 months pregnant, he was not there. However now my daughter is 10, and I still get child support and have been since she was a baby.
I would ask for some free advice on this from your legal aid provider/citizens advice centre. I am sure you can get child support without his name on the cert.
Good luck to you, keep your head held high, be strong for your baby. You can do this, you will do this, keep focused on how you want your life to be.
his past behaviour is a very good indicator of how he will behave in the future.
Keep posting for support - You are NOT alone!
Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx