Baby Number two/Costs

Another option we considered is self pay. Most doctors and hospitals are willing to work with you. And they offer discounts for self pay - around here I think it was 30%. The discounts are very similar to the discounts they give insurance. When we were in a similar situation it was cheaper to self pay than try the private maternity insurance. Our doctor's office set up payment plans, so the costs didn't hit you all at once, but you were paid up for the most part before baby arrived. You may want to look into that option as well. The hospital and doctors office were very helpful with us when were trying to choose.

You have several options -one of them raising an only child, which is not bad no matter who on here would have you believe otherwise. I'm an only child and have lead a very fulfilling, friend-filled life that's never been lonely.

Having said that -if you REALLY want two -and examine your reasons (is it just to give a sibling to your daughter -because that's not a good reason -babies are not like birthday gifts to give your other kids). But if YOU really want another, then you could wait another year or two (you have time) and save up for it during that time. Personally I would not go ahead with the second if it's really going to strap you down financially, because I absolutely hate living that way.

You can also talk to a birthing center and/or nearby hospital about working out a payment arrangement beforehand. I know some places will do this.

The other option is very personal, and not one I would do, but I have a few friends who have done this very successfully (and one was a VBAC). You can look into home birth with a midwife. It will most likely cost you less than half of a hospital delivery. Of course that's dependent on your comfort level with it, any complications you may already have, etc. -but it is an option!

only you can decide this, but from what you've said, it sounds like it would be too hard financially for you. And then you'd have to put a newborn in daycare, that isn't how I'd want to do it. And what if your second did have complications or some health problem. It sounds like you are doing good now. Being an only child is not a bad thing. If it were me, I wouldn't have another. I have two, but my husband has good insurance, and even then things are tight. It's too stressful on the whole family to have that many financial worries IMO.

I encourage you to wait 2 years and discuss it again. During those 2 years you can save, pay off debt, and get your financial situation in order and health concerns addressed. I hope you don't put your child in day care just so you can work and continue spending as you are now. www.crown.org or Dave Ramsey's website can help you stay at home and pay off debt. Your daughter needs your full attention right now before she enters school. Enjoy her to the max for you will never get to relive this stage again.
You are 32, so that gives you a few years before you need to worry about increased risk of a pregnancy based on your age. You really need to address you thyroid concerns BEFORE you have another child. Don't put it off. Make your health a priority because a healthy mom is vital to producing a healthy child. In the mean time, use effective birth control to help decrease the chance of an unplanned baby which will only increase your stress and decrease your enjoyment of welcoming a new addition to your family. I wouldn't worry about the age gap between your daughter and a sibling. Kids can be close and enjoy each other at any age span especially when they are adults when years matter less.
I didn't have my first child until I was 31 (we were married almost 4 yrs ), then my second at 34 and a "surprise" 3rd just before 36. You have plenty of time to enjoy having and raising another child. I've been a SAHM since my first was born. Our household income decreased by 65% when I quit, but we still managed to pay off our home mortgage just 7 years after we built the home. We aren't wealthy, but we live comfortably, we spend less than we earn, and always save some. We have no debt. Hope this helps inspire you to wait, plan, and be content with the blessings that you have now so you really appreciate the ones you may have later. Nurse Midwife Mom
PS: Your cost estimates seem right on. I last delivered in Jan 2010, when I had anormal vaginal delivery without epidural with hospital stay less than 36 hours and the total came to $12000. Insurance covered 90%. Prenatal care was another $3000.

I have a part time job that offers health insurance. In this economy it is often easier to find a part time job through an agency since they can get rid of you when they need to. My part time job was for 3 months and I have been there over 5 years now (they made me a part time employee).
You could look into if the school has any openings. Working at a school is ideal since you would have the same holidays and half days and vacation days as your child.
Depending on your husband's career, there are groups of self-employed people who buy insurance as a group for discounted rates. We did that for a while. I would call an insurance agent and ask what you options are, there may be more, like catastrophic plans that are cheaper but you pay up to xxx dollars and if you need a blood transfusion during your delivery the $50K or more that costs would be covered if you had the catastrophic plan.
Smart of you to think of costs before just becoming pregnant.

Assuming a vaginal birth, there are some lower-cost options than paying out of pocket.

1) a birth at home or at a birth center with a midwife typically costs about $3000-5000, all expenses included

2) some hospitals will charge you less if you have no insurance and/or

3) you can sometimes prepay hospitals and get a reduced rate, because they are guaranteed to get the money with no hassle, no billing, no filing insurance, etc. (just make sure you have all costs figured in; an epidural alone may cost $2000-3000 for the anesthesiologist and all fees, though perhaps you can get a reduced rate if you want to prepay that as well)

It sounds like your estimations for paying the insurance and paying the hospital are about the same, so you could start saving the $800 a month that maternity coverage would cost and use that to pay for the birth, as well as shop around at different doctors, midwives, hospitals, and/or birth centers, to see what the actual costs could be for a cash-paying customer, especially if you pay in advance. Even assuming that the best rate you can get is $10,000, if you could save $800 a month for a year (9 months of pregnancy plus 3 months of "trying to get pregnant"), that would be almost the total amount you would need to pay for the birth.

Another angle is to look at your current expenses and get serious about cutting out extra "fluff" from your budget (you'd probably have to do that anyway, to set aside $800 a month, but maybe you can get even more serious than that), and see if you cut your expenses to the bone, how much you can save. At worst, you'll pay off some of your debt, and at best, you'll realize that you can pay a lot more on your debt than you thought you could, and/or that you can save a lot more than you thought you could, and you'll be able to pay cash for a birth.

If you put that money in the bank instead of paying the insurance company... you can pay out of pocket... and in the next year while you save... your insurance situation may change. Leaving you a nice, tidy little 10k in the bank. Or 20k if you wait 2 years.

I can think of a couple places off hand that offer insurance to part time employees, Kohl's is one of them (the other is a local food chain). You could work there for 1-2 nights/week and get coverage.
We are in the same boat, as my husband is self-employed and we have private, non maternity insurance. If you are paying cash, doctors will almost always give you a reduced rate and let you pay throughout the pregnancy. You can also work out a payment plan with the hospital and their financial aid guidelines aren't as stringent as you may think.
There are also clinics out there that offer a flat rate for everything. Locally, we have a hospital clinic and a midwifery clinic and I believe the cost was around $2500 for a vaginal birth- that includes all prenatal and hospital costs. It is more if you have a c-section. Good luck!

A few things pop in to my head. We wanted to have our daughter at a birth center and it was going to be $5,000 without insurance since they didn't take out insurance. Maybe you should look around a little more, can you qualify for any medical or anything? Also, you can work part time (20 hrs a week) at starbucks and they offer full benefits, (Kaiser). You could work there until you go on maternity leave :)

It doesn't sound like a good time for another LO. I'd hold off, things can always change down the line with different insurance options and stuff. Going into debt on top of debt and having a new baby? Not fun.

Where there is a will (God's will), there is a way. Anyway, the best gift you can give your child is a sibling!:) Good Luck.

First of all I think it is so awesome that you are REALLY thinking this through! Children are such a huge responsibility and so many people just go into it thinking, oh well, we'll work it out somehow.
I'm not sure what advice I can give because it IS such a personal decision. One thing I will say: please do it only if that's what you and your husband really want, don't just do it to give your daughter a sibling. There's nothing wrong with being an only child, in fact there are many benefits. And siblings don't always grow up being best friends.
You can always spend the next few years saving and paying off bills and discuss it again. If you really want a baby you will know :)

Hi J.,

My son was 4 1/2 when my baby was born. I thought I was fine with DS being an only - but when you see the two of them together, it is amazing! I can't tell you what to do from a medical perspective (I really didn't understand the thyroid thing - maybe you should speak with your specialist if there are added risks with pregnancy.) I am so grateful for my #2 - he is a beautiful 17 month old baby. If I could do it all again, I would have had him sooner and probably had #3 by now - but I am 40.5 and it probably isn't too safe to have another at this point.

Really, make your decision based on whether you want a baby or not as long as you can afford the basics for that baby. If you nurse and are minimalist then they aren't that expensive if you don't have to pay for daycare!

Look into a birth center or midwife assisted homebirth. Much, much cheaper and they will often create a payment plan with you.

C.

My son-in-law bought some sort of maternity insurance. It was a separate policy and cheaper than regular insurance. If you are interested, e-mail me and I'll get you and him together so you can discuss what he did and see if its right for you.

I can tell you that having two or more kids can be a financial trial, but the rewards can be tremendous and far out weigh the financial burden. If I had only had two kids my life would be sssssooooooo much poorer and so much lonelier. My number 3 became a doctor. My number 4 has 4 wonderful kids and married a delightful intelligent man. My number 5 won/earned a Disney internship, and may become a disney animator. My number 6 has three great kids and one on the way. She married a man struggling to have his own business. Someday he will be a tremendous success. My 7th and 8th are finding their way and married wonderful girls. I can't imagine how much worse off I'd be if I only had two kids.

Good luck to you and yours.