Health

Unit 10 – Parenting and Paternity Awareness (P.A.P.A.)

A Baby Costs How Much? (100 points)

In subsequent pages, I have provided two tables based on the research I have done:
 For the medical care costs, I have considered both doctor’s visits – prenatal care
as well as hospital costs for delivery of baby. The cost estimate provided
considers and estimates the cost if the parents have health insurance and if they
don’t have health insurance (and in that case the entire cost has to be borne out
of pocket).
 For the baby care costs (first 3 months), I have estimated the amounts needed
for the baby for the first 3 months, as well researched the (approx..) cost per
unit from Walmart website and my calculated totals (including snapshot of the
items).
 At the end, I have written a paragraph with my comments.

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Doctor’s visits – Selected provided: Women's Specialists of Plano (Ob-Gyn)
prenatal care

Prenatal visits and scheduled ultrasound appointments

(The OB/GYN asks that the patient comes in every four weeks, but
toward the end of the pregnancy, a weekly visit may be necessary.
Average cost: $350/visit
Assuming 12 visits to Ob-Gyn $ 4200.00
Tests (such as screening to detect pre-cancerous cells in the cervix
or blood work)-$150 average cost
Assuming 3 tests
$ 450.00
Without insurance:
Approx. total cost (pre-natal care) $ 4650.00
With Insurance1:
1
Prenatal care is usually covered by health insurance depending on
the provider but assuming 10% co-pay $ 465.00
Hospital costs Selected hospital Name: Texas Health Presbyterian
for delivery of Hospital, Plano
baby

(Vaginal delivery without complications)

Average length of stay: 2.5 days
Average daily charge: $5800.00/day
Average hospital stay charge $ 14,500
Epidural charges (approximate) $ 800
Without insurance:
Approx. total cost (Vaginal delivery without complications) $ 15,300
With insurance : 2

Approx. total cost (Vaginal delivery without complications) $ 1530

2
(How much will be covered by health insurance will depend on
the provider/plan but assuming 10% co-pay)
(Cesarean section delivery)
Average length of stay: 5.7 days
Average daily charge: $4300.00/day
Average hospital stay charge $ 24,510
Additional charges for C-section surgery $ 2500
Anesthesiologist charges (approximate) $ 500
Epidural charges (approximate) $ 800
Without insurance:
Approx. total cost (C-Section delivery w add’l charges) $ 28,310
With insurance : 3

Approx. total cost (C-Section delivery w add’l charges) $ 2831

2
(How much will be covered by health insurance will depend on
the provider/plan but assuming 10% co-pay)

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Baby Care Costs (cost to raise a new infant for three months)
Supplies Cost Chart
Diapers, wipes, diaper cream
- 12 diapers per day X 90= 1080 diapers. Need approx 9 boxes of 128 count
box. Pampers Swaddlers Diapers, Size Newborn, 128 Diapers(Walmart) ---- $35
X 9 = $ 315
- Assuming baby needs 3 wipes every time diaper changed.
Count: 1080 X 3=3240 wipes
Approx 5 boxes of 720 count box of wipes
5 of WaterWipes Super Value Box, 720 count (Walmart) --- $43 X 5= $215
- Desitin Diaper Cream X 3 -----$18
$548

Formula
- Assuming infant will take 3 oz. formula every 2 hours (36 oz. per day)
- First 2 months assuming (36 oz. per day)= 36 X 60 = 2,160 oz.
- 3rd month assuming (40 oz. per day)= 40 X 30 = 1200 oz.
Chosen (Walmart) Parent's Choice Premium Powder Infant Formula ($.57/oz)
Cost per first 2 months: 2,160 X 0.57= $1,231
Cost 3rd month: 1200 X 0.57=$684
$1,915

Other necessary items (six bottles, bottle warmer, pacifiers, bibs)

- six bottles: (Walmart) Munchkin Latch 8 oz Bottle BPA Free, 3 ct-$12. 6 ct-$24.
- bottle warmer: (Walmart) Electric Milk Warmer Bottle Thermostat $12
- pacifiers: (Walmart) Munchkin LATCH Lightweight Infant Orthodontic Pacifier
(3-pack) $5
- bibs: (Walmart) Neat Solutions Baby Bibs, 10 count $7
$48

Clothes – enough outfits for three per day – 21 for the week
(Walmart) 4pcs Newborn Infant Kids Baby Romper+Leg Warmer $10
5 sets of above at a cost of 5 X 10= $50
$50
Bathing/Hygiene needs – bathtub, towels, washcloths, lotion, soap, etc.
- (Walmart) Safety 1st Newborn to Toddler Bathtub, White $12
- (Walmart) Gerber Newborn Baby Unisex Terry Hooded Bath Towel, 2-Pack
($10), 3 X $10=$30
- (Walmart) Johnson's Bedtime Moisture Wash, 15 Fl. Oz. 3 bottles ($5). 3 X $5
= $15 $57
Crib, mattress, changing table, car seat, stroller
- crib: Fisher-Price Newbury 4-in-1 Convertible Crib $129
- mattress: Safety 1st Sweet Dreams Baby and Toddler Crib Mattress $29
- changing table: Lolly and Me Universal Changing Table $115
- car seat : Evenflo Nurture Infant Car Seat $60
- stroller: Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella Stroller $25 $358

Insurance
I researched the cost to add a baby to a group policy or to have a new policy for
infant (BCBS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, TX) could be approximately $150/month.
Cost for 3 months: $150 X 3= $450
$450
Daycare – five days per week (Below provider selected)
Babies Favorite Daycare
Located Between Legacy And W. Spring Creek, Plano, TX 75023
$190 /week. For 3 months cost: $190 X 12= $2280 $2,280
$5,706

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Paragraph:
The extensive and time consuming research I have conducted above gave me a clear
understanding for the medical care costs (both doctor’s visits – prenatal care as well as
hospital costs for delivery of baby). I found the regular visits to the Ob-Gyn’s office for
ensuring the safety and health of the mother and the baby (pre-natal care) itself can
cost close to $5000. If the parents have access to health insurance from the employer,
they may get by paying 10% co-pay, and even then, payment of $500 is quite a bit of
money. Hospital costs for delivery of the baby based on the hospital I selected (Texas
Health Presbyterian Hospital, Plano) and going to the actual provider websites to get a
good estimate of costs- I was overwhelmed to say the least. The best case scenario of
vaginal delivery without complications would cost close to $15,000 and for C-section
delivery with additional charges of anesthesiologist etc. would be much higher. The
baby care cost table was eye opening because it makes us consider all of the various
small items needed to effectively take care of the baby, and little things add up. But by
far, the cost of formula and daycare- two critical needs for the baby were the highest.
The estimate of almost $5700 for baby care supplies for the first 3 months is pretty
expensive also. Based on the above, it does make me rethink a previous question that
asked the scenario if I was faced with a situation that my girlfriend became pregnant
what decision would I make. Without a well-paying job and health insurance to offset
the medical costs, it would be very difficult to take care of the baby indeed.

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