If you are a woman who is currently pregnant, wanting to get pregnant, or had gotten pregnant by choice or not yet who wants to know the REAL PRICE to pay for pregnancy, then this here’s blog post is for you. (Although it may not be entirely applicable to you, geologically speaking.)
Pregnancy comes with a great deal of sacrifice. It’s a beautiful thing but behind all that glitter/gold and pregnancy glow, there’s a high price to pay at the end of the day. I admit that we weren’t really prepared for this pregnancy — financially that is. And if you’re the type who lives from paycheck to paycheck, then it’s about time you re-adjust your budgeting and do better in your financial management if you find yourself in this particular circumstance.
You might be thinking, "Boo.. I got a stable job," or "My husband gets a 5-digit salary every 15th and 30th of the month!" Well, let me tell you this. It doesn’t hurt to be really prepared.
We live in a small town (thank God!) and the cost of living here is pretty much half (maybe even a fourth?) of what it’s like to live in a big city. So when I state values in the next couple of paragraphs, do me a favor and do the math by multiplying them either by 2 or 3 or adjust accordingly to where you are located.
The first expense on the glorious road of pregnancy to childbirth is the test. You can have your pregnancy tests via home kits you can buy at pharmacies and drug stores for more or less a hundred bucks, or opt for a more serious check with a doctor and a blood or urine exam which will cost a bit more. Your choice.
I tested 3 times just to confirm my pregnancy. Why? Not because we’re just OC like that, but I didn’t quite trust myself to ever get pregnant. I’ve been told after various medical check-ups that I need fertility pills and since I got PCOS that it may be difficult for me to conceive because I don’t even bleed regularly. Did it have something to do with anorexia or the fact I drank Brazilian coffee coupled with lots of taurine from energy drinks? I really don’t know. My pregnancy, as far as I am concerned, is a miracle. It is a gift. I thank God everyday for it.
Three pregnancy tests confirmed positive. Whopeeee!
And then there’s the prenatal visits. The OB-GYNE told me I was already late taking folic acid & iron supplements and multivitamins for this pregnancy because we found out when I was already 10 weeks with child. Still, Mikko came out perfectly so do not stress yourself so much if you haven’t taken supplements in the first couple of weeks. There’s always time to do so. You got 9 months to go! The most important thing now is to treat your body as a temple. Goodbye wonderland! No more drinking/smoking.
Receipts from prenatal visits. Ours was for PHP200 per visit.
Take note prenatal visits lasts for 9 months as well. Depending on your doctor, you could be charged a lot or you can have Philhealth cover it all. Ah, yes. Philhealth — such a life saver. (More on this later!) But the prenatal supplements + vitamins are not covered, mind you. I took Folicard (PHP7)/Sangobion (PHP16) plus Mosvit (PHP8.70).
Next, there are ultrasounds, glucose screening, urinalysis, blood exams, etc. depending on tests needed to make sure your pregnancy doesn’t involve any complications. During the last trimester, you’ll have the option to get the 3D/4D ultrasound and a biophysical exam as well if needed. And all those I just mentioned do not come cheap. Again, depending on where you would get them, if they are covered by your insurance, or if the doctor is your friend, you might want to stretch your budget or cut down your expenses to be able to afford all those. If my memory serves me correct, here in the province pelvic ultrasounds cost around PHP500 to PHP800. The 3D/4D one that comes with a DVD of images and video is more expensive at around PHP2,500 to PHP3,000.
I’m just happy I know my doctors well enough that they give me discounts during check-ups and such, plus I get to charge my laboratory bills at the hospital under my mom’s name. Our hospital, OSPA-FMC (Ormoc Sugar Planters Association - Farmers Medical Clinic) is a healthcare facility ran by the profit and investments of the sugarplanters. So there.
Anyways, I don’t mean to scare you with all the expenses. I’m just giving you the lowdown. Honestly, I had to switch to cheaper brands of pantyliners, tissue paper, cotton buds, etc. from my usual ones just to have a little extra. Tee hee! Wa-is si Lumen!
Also, you must be prepared for the rainy days. I didn’t see that amoebiasis coming! And it didn’t happen just once, but TWICE!!! So it was rather a big pain in the ass (literally!) if you ask me. You gotta be careful of what you eat. Didn’t they say you are what you eat? LOL.
So let’s move on to the actual delivery date, hospital bills and doctor’s fees! This is where SSS maternity benefits and Philhealth really play a huge and important role. If you ain’t got both, I suggest you hurry up and make sure you got a least one of them or better yet, BOTH!
Take a look at the breakdown below:
Since our Little Mao was born near-term, he had to be put in the NICU for about 3 days to get his condition stabilized. That’s another 12K on top of my own hospital bill. Also there are medications you need to take! So all in all, the gross amount of the bill was PhP85 to 90K! My God. That’s a 15" Macbook Pro! Tee hee. If not for our hospital discount, Philhealth, and doctor’s discounts (Take note, there’s an anesthesiologist, a cardiologist, your OB-GYNE, and an assistant!)… That’s a pretty huge amount to pay! And also I’m really hoping to get an SSS refund this month or the next so we can benefit from that, too.
Of course, it’s a different story altogether now if I had given birth at a birthing center, which I think is also pretty awesome, or if it was at a government/public hospital. I asked my cousin-nurse-midwife-friend how much it would cost to give birth and he told me roughly only PHP3,000! Holy shhhhhh… And if you got Philhealth, some mothers only get to pay PHP500 to give birth at the District Hospital. HOMAYGULAY!
No wonder a lot of women still don’t mind getting knocked up or worry about giving birth to a dozen kids because in some remote places, I think you can even give birth for free (as told by my yaya who gave birth at their house with the aid of a ‘mananabang’!) :P
Anyways, that’s for normal delivery. Mikko Vincenzo was born via C-section so I guess that’s why we had to pay a lot more than the usual. But honestly, the cost is nothing compared to when you see your baby! Come on, you know it’s PRICELE$$! So if you’re gonna ask, am I willing to go through it all over again? I’d say YES… BUT NOT RIGHT NOW. :)
I still haven’t gotten used to all the sleepless nights. Perhaps if we can already win in a diaper changing contest, we might consider going for baby #2. Until then… we have a little juggernaut to nurture and love.
Bottomline is having a baby is a big decision to make. I just hope women out there are responsible enough to take this issue seriously. Because the real issue doesn’t just end with pregnancy and delivery a child, there’s the actual task of raising a kid and being a parent. Are you ready for that?
So if you ask me about the RH bill, I don’t know what to say. I haven’t really thought about it, or even read about it. It’s really up to the woman I guess. Do we really need a law to follow? Or do we just follow our instincts and weigh the consequences of our actions ourselves? Either way, being a mother and having a baby is not easy. Some are born to be super moms, some perhaps aren’t cut out for the job. As for me, I could really use all the help.
But whatever the case may be, nothing beats having a kid of your own and being able to say, "KITA NA JUD KO SA AKO LIWAT!" (Maski simud ra gyud diay naliwat sa ako! Hehe!)
