Becoming a mother “was a joy,” said Anna Wilde Matthews in The Wall Street Journal, but paying for the delivery? Not so much. Health insurance covered most of the above-average $17,300 hospital bill, but I was still stuck paying $2,100. Who knew babies had their own deductibles? Many hospitals will estimate your out-of-pocket costs beforehand, but you have to ask.
The costs don’t end at the hospital, said Kristen Gerencher in MarketWatch. Breast-feeding is an “inexpensive and healthful way” to nourish your child, but if you work, “pumping breast milk on the job” can be inconvenient. And some women fear looking less productive. Still, the big health and financial benefits might make it worth the hassle.
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