The federal shutdown won't impact benefits from major programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. But one of the first things that could get hit is the nutrition assistance that many pregnant women and new parents depend on.

It's been crucial for Lucia Graves, who found out she was pregnant back in March 2020, just days before the world shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic. She was a waitress at the time and on her own financially.

"So here I am like, 'Oh my goodness. I have this baby on the way, and now I have no job,' " she says.

Graves lives in Lebanon, N.H. She had pregnancy complications, her daughter was born a month early, and after breastfeeding just a short while, her milk ran dry. It was a big relief when a social worker said Graves was eligible for the Special Sup

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