Money Hacks For Growing Your Family (Part 2: Delivery)
Okay, mamas! We’ve reached the tough part: delivery. This is when we could possibly derail all of our money saving efforts from the previous 40 weeks, because let’s face it: we are exhausted, our bodies are no longer ours, and now we have to get this baby out! This period is mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, so it’s important to prepare a plan to take control of the delivery!
1. Pre-pay for your delivery.
I know I said to not pay anything until after you review your EOBs, but delivery is an exception. By getting pre-registered at the hospital and pre-paying for your delivery, you could save roughly 20-30% on the total cost!
I saved $500 (20%) on my delivery by doing this! After delivery, be sure to get an itemized bill and audit it against your EOB (see pregnancy tip # 2).
2. Understand that more interventions = more expensive birth.
Birthing, though very natural, can become very medicalized. There are several interventions and “routine” procedures that can quickly increase the cost of your birth/ delivery. Each of these procedures comes with it an extra cost, and generally, each intervention causes a higher chance of needing another intervention.
Things that may cost you extra money and add to your bill may include: induction, pitocin, epidural/ anesthesia, C-section, etc.
The fewer the medical interventions you have, the cheaper your birth will be. Here are some delivery options in order of cheapest to most expensive (generally speaking):
home births with a midwife
hospital birth with a midwife and attended by a doula,
hospital birth with an OB attended by a doula, and lastly,
hospital birth with just an OB
3. Prepare for unexpected billing.
As most women do, you will likely have a birth plan and an “ideal” scenario for how you want your delivery to go. For example, most women don’t plan on having a C-section, but in the case of an emergency C-section, you need to make sure that the surgeon and anesthesiologist will be in-network with your insurance. If you have a midwife, ask her who would be the OB and anesthesiologist in the event of an unplanned C-section. Then call your insurance to make sure they are in-network.
