We all know that children are expensive–that’s a given. What lots of new parents-to-be don’t especially expect is that the process of bringing your little bundle of joy into the world can be a huge expense all on its own. From doctor visits to hospital stays, time off work, special diets and a whole range of miscellaneous expenses, having a new baby friend can be a pricey prospect.

Let’s talk about what you can expect so you can start planning now to save as much as possible — and know what your options are.

Insurance

If you’re pregnant, or planning to become pregnant in the near future, now is the time to look at your insurance policy…what kind of accomodations do they have for pregnancy and child birth? Depending on your plan, your insurance in this department could be comfortably comprehensive…or lacking entirely. Chances are, you might not have even paid attention to that when you signed on with your current policy. Check out your options — if the coverage you have doesn’t measure up to what you need, try to jump ship before you get pregnant, if possible. Switching insurance carriers while currently with child can sometimes be complicated.

Also, this might go without saying, but if you don’t have insurance and are pregnant, this is the time to do it. If you can’t afford coverage on your own, most pregnant women are eligible for Medicare or state-sponsored reduced price programs.

Birthing plans

It used to be that you got pregnant, went to one doctor the whole time, did what he said, went to the hospital, had the baby and bam! Done. These days, women are presented with so many options when it comes to how and where to deliver — and they all come with differing price points.

While most women still choose the traditional OB/GYN hospital delivery route, there are an increasing number of women who want a more natural experience and thus turn to midwives. The cost of hiring a midwife instead of a doctor can range from $3000 to $10,000 depending on if you choose to have a home birth or deliver at a birthing center. Fees typically include check ups, standard lab work, delivery, blood work and post-delivery visits. The can so do a range of other birth-related things that would typically be covered by insurance, such as sonograms and circumcisions. One important point to consider: almost no insurance policies currently cover home births with midwives. However, there are now a great number of midwives affiliated with hospitals who work out of birthing centers who do accept most insurance. As with all of this, just do your homework and find out the specifics for the plan you want to go with.

Hospital stays

Without insurance, a healthy complication free pregnancy and birth costs between $30,000-$40,000. This includes regular doctor visits, tests, delivery and hospital fees. Now you see why you want to have insurance! Even still, check the details of your policy–many insurance companies will charge you extra for things like certain medications, epidurals and C-sections.

Take care of yourself!

Throughout your pregnancy, one of the best things you can do to cut down on unexpected expenses, both pre-natal and in the birthing process, is to really take care of yourself. Your body and bank account are under enough stress as it is–make sure to take it easy, keep getting exercise and eat as healthy as possible. When you’re healthy, you keep your baby healthy–and keeping both of you healthy means spending as little as possible during what can already be quite an expensive undertaking.

What is your story?

When it comes to having babies, everyone’s experience is different. What was your plan with you had a child? How did you go about saving money…or what do you wish you had known that might have prevented you from spending unnecessarily?