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Giving Birth in the US—and What You Can Expect to Pay." />
So you’re having a baby! At the end of labor and delivery, you get your bundle of joy—and a bundle of bills, too. It’s no secret that childbirth in the United States is outrageously expensive, but the amount that comes out of your pocket depends on several things: Do you have health insurance? Will you have a hospital birth, a home birth or go to a birthing center? Is it a vaginal birth or a C-section? Will you or your baby be treated for complications, including time in the NICU?
While there are some things you can’t predict, it’s possible to plan for at least some of your childbirth expenses using cost averages from across the US. And making a plan for those expenses is important, especially if you’re giving birth without health insurance and need extra resources to help reduce the cost. Here’s how much you can expect to be billed for pregnancy and childbirth and how to make those bills more manageable.
According to data gathered by the financial experts at LendingTree via hospital data transparency, the US average cost for a vaginal delivery was $13,024 in 2020. But this average is cost before insurance comes in—your personal total cost will vary based on your insurance carrier and the level of insurance you have, as well as your childbirth experience. “The delivery itself accounts for the largest portion of the total cost of giving birth,” says Cindy George, senior personal finance editor at GoodRx. “Your expenses can be especially high if you experience pregnancy complications and/or deliver via Cesarean section.” Essentially, the more complicated birth is, the more expensive it’ll be.
The averages in the cost breakdown below include all related childbirth expenses—not just labor and delivery cost, but also prenatal appointments, ultrasounds, medications, room and board for postpartum recovery, postpartum recovery products, doctor fees…all items that can contribute to your total bill, George says. There are so many list items that it can feel like you’re being nickel-and-dimed. Both the full cost and the itemized expenses can be overwhelming, so we’ll provide as much transparency as possible to help you feel more prepared.
While a bill in the tens of thousands is scary, the good news is that you likely won’t have to pay the full cost, even if you don’t have health insurance. We can’t estimate exactly what you’ll pay out of pocket since it depends entirely on your individual childbirth costs and insurance plan, but here’s an overview of how costs are typically affected by insurance, so you have a better idea of how much of your bill you’ll be responsible for.
The 2020 cost estimate used data from vaginal births that had little to no complications, but what if you or your baby have a medical condition that will require treatment while you’re in the hospital?
Preexisting health conditions, like diabetes or sexually transmitted infections, as well as any conditions you develop while pregnant, like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, will require extra treatment during your pregnancy.
Similarly, any conditions detected in your baby either while they’re in the womb or immediately after birth will need immediate attention, especially heart and lung conditions.
The sooner any maternal or fetal conditions are discovered and treated, the less costly they’re likely to be. So it’s important (for both your health and your wallet) to invest in any early detection tests, especially if you have risk factors for any diseases, and get treated as soon as possible.
If you have a C-section, whether elective or medically necessary, the cost to deliver a baby could range anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000 more than a vaginal delivery, with the national average being $22,646 in 2020, according to LendingTree, including all related pregnancy and delivery expenses.
If your baby is born premature, the extra NICU care can increase your hospital expenses by up to four times the cost of an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, averaging nearly $50,000.
Even if you just get pain medication, it’ll rack up your bill. “The cost of an epidural or C-section anesthesia can be quite high, often over $1,000,” says Dr. Matthew Casavant, a Florida-based ob-gyn. “New mothers don’t always realize pain management comes with a price tag.”
If you’re trying to be budget-conscious, “there are options to reduce this cost, like going without an epidural if medically safe,” Dr. Casavant says. There are plenty of non-medicated pain management options available that will cost less money in the long run, like hydrotherapy, birthing balls and breathing techniques.
The average cost of giving birth in the US may be estimated at $13,024, but that’s the entire country all lumped into one average. Location plays a big part in the total cost, and that average may actually be a lot more or a lot less than what you end up paying. Data from the Health Care Cost Institute shows that, on the low end, a vaginal delivery in Mississippi will cost about $6,500 with no complications (just the delivery, no other services); on the high end, in California, a vaginal delivery with no complications will cost over $16,500.
Even within states, there can be a lot of variation, especially between rural and metropolitan areas. “Living somewhere that lacks access to maternal care professionals can also drive up the costs of childbirth,” George says. “GoodRx research published in March 2024 found that 376 counties in the US don’t have maternal care professionals, and just under 400,000 women of childbearing age live in those counties. People in those maternal care deserts likely had to travel outside their county to give birth, even though doing so while potentially in labor can be risky for mothers and their babies.”
Even without taking the delivery method into account, there’s still a lot of variation among all the other pregnancy and childbirth expenses. Especially for prenatal care, the total cost greatly depends on your health, your baby’s health, how many appointments you have and which tests you have.
According to Healthcare Bluebook, the average total cost of maternity care is between $2,000 and $3,500. While your unique pregnancy experience may not include all of these things, here’s what you can expect to pay for each of these appointments, tests and procedures without health insurance:
Keep in mind that these cost averages don’t include fertility services like IVF or IUI, which can increase your prenatal care expenses by over $10,000. While some health insurance plans will pay for a portion of fertility treatments, not all plans cover IVF or IUI. And some of those that do cover it may require an infertility diagnosis, otherwise you’ll have to pay completely out of pocket.
It’s nearly impossible to estimate how much birthing centers or hospitals charge for each individual service, so just keep in mind the average ranges above. So that you’re prepared, here are some charges you might see on your itemized hospital bill after giving birth:
Some of these line items may be a total surprise to see on your hospital bill, and that’s understandable. “Childbirth is one of the places where lots of folks encounter the world of hospital charges for the first time,” says Dan Weissmann, host and executive producer of An Arm and a Leg, a podcast about the cost of health care. “They can be absolutely wild, [including] charges for allowing mom to hold the baby for skin-to-skin contact, and the $20 Tylenols, of course.”
And don’t be surprised if you receive more than one bill. “Lots of the providers you may see, even if only briefly as they poke their heads into the recovery room to say hi, will send their own bill,” Weissmann says. “Just figuring out who's charging you for what—never mind if the charges are correct—is a total project.”
This is why it’s important to have conversations with your delivery team, hospital billing team and insurance provider (if you have health insurance) before you go into labor, so you can make sure you understand what you’ll actually be charged for.
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Amylia Ryan is the Associate Editor at Babylist, specializing in the topics of health, wellness and lifestyle products. Combining a decade of experience in writing and editing with a deep passion for helping people, her number one goal in her work is to ensure new parents feel supported and understood. She herself is a parent to two young children, who are more than willing to help product test endless toys, books, clothes, toiletries and more.
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