When we are pregnant with a baby and are in the process of buying all their supplies, we start to realize how costly they can be.  Between buying things like a crib, car seat, clothing, and all the other necessities, the cost really rises.  Although, what can be really costly is the prices of childbirth.  If you don’t have insurance, this can put a huge damper on your budget.  Listed below is an idea of how much a baby costs.

Natural Birth:

If you have a natural and as smooth of a birth as possible, this will be the least costly scenario.  It seems as though someone that stays at the hospital for 3 days, 2 nights and has a natural birth is around $8,000-$10,000.  Although, if you’d like an epidural, you’re adding about $1,000-$2,000 to your budget.

C-Section:

A C-Section is more costly of the two just because it is an operation, and actual surgeons need to come in and perform.  These run around $10,000-$15,000 with no problems.  Of course, depending on the cost of the hospital, each nights stay and their system of billing, each persons bill will be different.  This is just an average based on a few people who have had a C-Section.

The cost of childbirth isn’t cheap, especially if you don’t have insurance or if your insurance doesn’t cover it.  What a lot of people don’t know is that you can get a “cash discount” with most hospitals.  Since so many people don’t pay their hospital bills, hospitals are willing to get anything they can instead of getting nothing in the long run.  So, once your baby is born, I highly recommend that you ask the hospitals if they can negotiate a price for you.  I’ve heard of many people doing this!  It is a great way to save money on your deliveries if your insurance doesn’t cover it, or if you don’t have any coverage at all!