What is the average medical costs for having a baby?

[kla37]

Wait. Just wait. No newborn needs to be in a drafty house with no AC and smoke in the air. That is just asking for problems. You're not old, he's not old, just hold off. You can't get health coverage for pregnancy after you get pregnant, you have to have been covered for awhile before it will be taken care of. And the co-pays are no joke! Another thing to think about is you don't know what the baby will need. Maybe you would have a great pregnancy and a healthy baby, or there could be a problem with either or both of you. My sister is a NICU nurse and very healthy people can have complications, and so can their babies, and it's not always something that can be anticipated. To hold you over until you can have a baby, get a dog. And make your husband take care of it!

 

[reveriereptile]

Thanks for letting me know about the insurance. I didn't know that. That should put a hold on the having a baby. I might get some birth control. I'm going to tell him about the insurance and that I'll gladly be willing to get pregnant without fussing once the house is built or at least started on.

 

[redhen]

Isnt your hubby a lawyer? I'd just wait a bit till he gets more setteled in his job and you guys are a bit more stable....
With him being a lawyer..that time WILL come someday...

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Get a puppy. If you can successfully raise it to adulthood and care for it, THEN consider having a baby. It sounds like right now you aren't fully prepared for even a puppy.

Children are A LOT of work. They are expensive and time consuming. Pretty much all they have going for them initially is that they are cute.

They are exhausting little suckers though. Get your life in order. Get your finances in order. Move out of your in laws house. WIC and gov't support are in place to help people in emergency need. You shouldn't be PLANNING on using it to pay for your kid. If you can't afford a child on your own, you need to wait.

 

[Southernbelle]

I just had a baby in Dec - all-natural, uncomplicated pregnancy, labor and delivery. Hospital bill was $6000 and OB/GYN bill was $2400. We have very good insurance from my husband's work and the insurance picked up most of the tab, but I still had to meet my deductible and pay co-insurance (not to mention the premiums).

There's ways to save money post-baby. I buy just about everything second-hand, breastfed and cloth diapered all mine. There's a lot of good things about kids, but I'd definately move into your own place before you have any. When it comes to my kids, I like to everything exactly the way I want it and I couldn't do that living in someone else's house.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

All the hospital bills for mine last summer was almost $30,000. Not including OB appointments every other week for 6 months then every week for the last three. You might qualify to get Medicaid if you still dont have insurance by the time you are ready to have a baby. My husband had no problem adding me to his insurance even though I was 3 months pregnant. It depends on your insurance provider.

 

[Katy]

I thought WIC and Medicaid were for people who needed assistance.....not someone who's going to be buying land (cheap or not), building a house and is a lawyer?

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Quote:
X2

 

[HHandbasket]

The average medical cost of having a baby, if you include prenatal care, is approximately one year's salary for a middle-class American. At that rate, in this day in age, having a children is an even bigger decision than in the past.

My youngest son is 23 years old. My insurance paid for his birth, but I had a C-section, had my tubes tied at the same time, and a three-day hospital stay. Even though my insurance paid for it, I saw the bill. For the prenatal care, the C-section, the aftercare team for the baby, the tubal ligation, and my 3-day hospital stay was $11,000. The surgeon's fees were just over $7,000, and the anesthesiologist was about $2,000. Then I had there was the aftercare for the baby while in the hospital which was another $2,000. That's about $22,000, but I must be missing something because I remember it being about $24,000. That was in December of 1987. My out of pocket cost was $0 because I worked at the hospital where he was born, and one of the employee benefits was if we used Blue Shield as our provider and used our hospital's facilities, they waived all copayments and deductibles for employees (pretty neat, huh?). At the time my child was born, my annual salary was $26,000. My hospital bill was almost one year's salary at the time, so figure on it being the equivalent of a year's salary if you end up having to have a cesarean.

 

[KellyHM]

BCBS has a fantastic maternity plan. It's around $350 a month (including the regular health coverage), but all you have to pay is a one-time $35 copay to your OB and $150 for each night you're in the hospital. It beats the heck out of $20G out of pocket.

ETA: And you only have to have it 30 days before you conceive.

However, if I might insert my opinion, I would wait until you get out of that house. It sounds like a SIDS incident waiting to happen with all the smoke and AC problems. Not to mention you'll NEVER have the money for the house once the baby's born. Just my opinion.