GUEST: OLIVIA FRIEL

Olivia Friel is a mama, birth and postpartum doula, and a holistic pregnancy consultant. She is the founder of Healthy Balanced Birth, a platform for expectant mothers, partners, new parents, and birth professionals. She provides her clients with information about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood that is specifically catered to their individual needs. She is also the voice behind the Healthy Balanced Birth and Beyond Podcast – a safe space dedicated to sharing stories and resources about everything within the birth space, specifically topics that are not talked about enough. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Note: These numbers are averages as of August 2020 and vary by state and hospital.

Having a baby in Massachusetts on averages costs:

Vaginal birth with insurance: $7,741.64
Vaginal birth without insurance: $14,549.03

C-section with insurance: $11,012.54
C-section without insurance: $19,879.60

Hospitals generally charge more! On average, hospitals charge $15,000 for vaginal delivery and $30,000 for a c-section!

Home births range from $1,500 to $3,000 paid directly to the midwife.

On average, other expenses including supplies, labs and doula can add on an additional $2,000. An epidural costs on average $2,100.

Prenatal Testing such as ultasounds cost on average $280. CVS testing for abnormalities and chorionic villus sampling can cost $1,300 to $4,800. For high risk pregnancies, amniocentesis can cost $1,000 to $7,200.