How many kids do you have?
Only one.
Where did you give birth?
In a private hospital.
What was your experience at the hospital?
It was fantastic. The staff went over and above to assist and even though I was in a semi private room. The mom next to me was discharged on the second day so it was like a super large private room.
Do you have medical aid?
Yes.
How much did your gynecologist visits cost?
My first visit was R900 which was out of medical aid. All other visits we paid a co-payment of R400 and medical aid covered the balance of around R500. From about 35 weeks I went in every two weeks. The gynae charged an additional R500 for the 15 minutes they had me hooked up to the heart monitor machine. There was also a R4000 procedure fee payable at 32 weeks.
How did you give birth?
I had a C-section.
And how much did it cost?
Alltogether in the region of R90 000. Medical aid covered the bulk of it and we paid R11 820.
How did you budget for all your (extra) medical expenses?
I was lucky enough to have my mom and dad assist us with the shortfall. If it were not for them we might have taken a while to pay it off. There were a lot of little expenses which came up to quite a bit at the end.
How did you budget for your baby?
Hubby and I each put aside R250 every month. At the end of it, it became a pretty big amount. Some of it we deposit into a savings account for the baby.
Did you start budgeting before your were pregnant?
Yes, from when we started trying.
What advice do you have for other moms regarding budgeting for the babies?
Every little bit helps. We were literally saving our 5c coins in a jar. Every bonus we received we made sure to put a portion away for baby. We were also very careful with the stuff we bought. I would research for weeks before I settled on something to make sure that I was getting the best possible price. Every time nappies, wipes or toiletries were on sale I would buy a pack. Baby is almost seven months old and I have never had to buy nappies yet I am still making use of the supplies I bought before he was born.
Read these Bright Rock - Love Change articles on budgeting for your baby:
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