Our medical bills for the delivery of baby #2 just arrived and so far we owe just over $560. This included a $250 copay plus hospital inpatient charges up to our $3000 deductible. Our insurance rolled over on December 1st and it seems we racked up $3000 worth of medical charges between then and now.
Due to my history of blood clots and advanced maternal age the doctors required weekly ultrasounds beginning in early February. Those radiology services amounted to nearly $900 worth of charges, but those weren’t the biggest hits to our wallet. Interestingly enough my husband’s podiatrist appointments accounted for the remaining $2000.
The good news, (if there can be any good news when talking about medical insurance), is that we shouldn’t owe anything other than co-pays from now until November 31st of this year. I’m going to tell my husband to go to the podiatrist as often as he needs to between now and that time.
Here is a price comparison between my first son’s birth in 2011 and my second son’s birth in 2015. These figures represent the total charged to insurance, not what we actually paid.
| Year | 2011 | 2015 |
| Hospital Costs | $3916 | $4200 |
| OB Costs | $4470 | $5655 |
We stayed in the hospital for two days after the birth of baby #1 but less than 32 hours after the birth of baby #2. Unfortunately I was in labor and delivery much longer this time around: nine hours compared to less than four last time. With my first son I labored at home for as long as possible. With baby number two there were more logistics to work around, like lining someone up to watch my older son and driving to the hospital just after a snowstorm.
Does $10,000 seem like a lot for the routine delivery of a child? Honestly, that number seems quite low to me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve paid so much for costs not covered by insurance over the years. I once received a $6,000 bill for a minor in-and-out procedure.