
Giving birth in the United States is expensive. With or without insurance, childbirth costs thousands — or tens of thousands — of dollars. According to an analysis done by KFF, “health costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care average a total of $18,865 and the average out-of-pocket payments total $2,854.”
To be quite frank, a lot of the charges are absolute bullsh*t. If you look at an itemized hospital bill, you’ll often see exorbitant charges for basic things, like ibuprofen and vitamins. The charges add up fast, and suddenly you’re facing huge bills, which can quickly turn into medical debt.
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When I was pregnant with my daughter, my birth plan centered around one thing: getting an epidural. I figured, why go through excruciating pain when it’s not necessary? After enduring a few hours of contractions, I requested my epidural when I was six centimeters dilated. The anesthesiologist came into my room immediately to administer the epidural, telling me I should start feeling relief momentarily, with the full pain relief taking effect within 30 minutes.
Ten minutes later, my pain had only gotten worse. My doula convinced the nurse to ask the anesthesiologist to come back — he said he’d re-check me in 20 minutes after he was finished with someone else’s epidural. At that point, it was too late, my daughter was already crowning. Just 40 minutes after getting my epidural, I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to deliver my baby. Delivering no pain relief whatsoever, my epidural had failed.
When I told friends and family that my epidural didn’t work, I consistently got the same question: “Wait, did you still have to pay for it?”

The answer is unequivocally YES. I was billed for the local anesthetic (bupivacaine), the medication itself (fentanyl), and the administration of those medications. Even though it didn’t work, I technically did get the epidural… and billing is all about technicalities.
Nothing is free when it comes to medical care in the U.S.; not prenatal appointments, not childbirth, not even being born. My daughter left the hospital at two days old with her very own medical bills. It’s time for our country to do better by parents and babies.