It's no secret: Paying for decent health care in the United States isn't as affordable as many of us wish it could be. It costs a lot of money to go to the doctor for even just a checkup, and never mind paying a visit to the hospital in the event of an emergency. If you don't have insurance, you could be struggling under the weight of all those hefty bills for quite a while!
What is an unavoidable cost for many families is the cost of having a child. Of course, it takes resources to pay for diapers, food, formula, and baby clothes. But even just giving birth is expensive, as demonstrated by two new parents.
The mother and father looked at their hospital bill, and were surprised to find a charge of about $40 for skin-to-skin contact after the newborn was delivered via C-section.
While the parents say they got a good laugh as first, many people who saw a photo of the bill online were outraged…
Reddit user Halfthrottie posted a photo of their hospital bill: Mom and Dad have to pay almost $40 because they wanted to hold their baby after the C-section was performed.
The cost is just one of many that come with giving birth in a hospital.
Many people have reacted to the photo, claiming that the health care system doesn't benefit the people who need it most, even if they have health insurance.
C-sections are common procedures. According to Childbirth Connection, about one in three women in the United States give birth via C-section.
Doctors also highly encourage skin-to-skin contact, claiming the practice has physical and emotional benefits for both Mom and the baby.
"The baby is happier, the baby’s temperature is more stable and more normal, the baby’s heart and breathing rates are more stable and more normal, and the baby’s blood sugar is more elevated," according to the International Breastfeeding Centre. "Not only that, skin to skin contact immediately after birth allows the baby to be colonized by the same bacteria as the mother."
Please SHARE if you feel the climbing cost of giving birth is simply astounding!
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