The Cost of Having a Baby

The less interventions used during the birthing process, the less your overall bill will be. While many interventions are necessary, many are used that are not needed during a healthy woman's birthing experience.

"The issue for many women is that a traditional hospital is typically not set up to be helpful to women who want an alternative birth experience, meaning fewer interventions," says Weiss. "So you can try to go to a hospital and say, 'I'm not going to have an epidural.' But the truth is, if you go and get in bed and don't use anything to help you get through labor and are subjected to the same set of skills and interventions—you will likely use the epidural."

Getting in bed, strapping on the monitor, and sitting there until the baby comes out is a very painful way to have a baby, says Weiss. "But that's what the hospital staff knows because the vast majority of hospitals have sky-high epidural rates," she says. "Women who want to give birth in a hospital and want to lower the risks of unnecessary interventions are looking for help, usually in the form of a doula, a professional labor support person that studies have shown help lower the risks of interventions being necessary."