Silke Jasso
It’s no secret that hospitals will find any way to charge you an arm and a leg for the most ridiculous things ever. Ask for an extra pillow during your stay? Sure, that’ a $25 additional charge. Want green jello instead of a red one? Sure, that’s $30. Want to hold your baby after a C-section? Sure, that’ will be $39.35.
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Okay, maybe the pillow and the jello charges are fake…but the baby one isn’t. New dad, Ryan Grassley, decided to share his hospital bill with the world, which revealed that he was basically charged for holding their newborn after his wife Lidia had a c-section, welcoming their second son. The post obviously went viral on Reddit.
I had to pay $39.35 to hold my baby after he was born. from pics
What exactly is on the bill? A big ol’ charge that totals to almost $40 titled “SKIN TO SKIN AFTER C-SEC.” Yes, basically this woman got charged $40 to cuddle with her son after going through a major procedure. WHAT! I need some answers here, hospital.
A representative from Intermountain Healthcare, which includes Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah where his wife had her C-section birth, stated that the hospital is indeed an advocate for skin to skin contact after birth. But, the charge is to ensure the safety of both the mother and the newborn baby.
Though the representative couldn’t comment on specifications, she clarified that the charge wasn’t just for holding the baby, rather it was to bring an additional caregiver into the operating room who would “maintaining the highest levels of patient safety.” She noted, “In the case of a C-section, where the bedside caregiver is occupied caring for the mother during surgery, an additional nurse is brought into the OR to allow the infant to remain in the OR suite with the mother.”
It costs $40 to have skin to skin contact with your newborn at the hospital in the US, WTF https://t.co/YVDt0k0bPn
— Nichow 🌠🔥 (@BrattyPikachu) December 4, 2019
Despite the ridiculous charge, the new parents clarified that they had a “positive experience” at the hospital and everyone involved in the birth was “great.” He also noted that a delivery nurse took photos with his camera as he held his newborn son on his wife’s neck and chest.
Making fun of his own post, which had now gone viral, the new father decided to “raise” the $40 to cover the skin-to-skin contact cost. He stated, “I’ve also started a GoFundMe to raise the $39.00 I had to spend for my wife to hold the baby. Kind of as a joke because we are all having such a good laugh over all of this.” The dad managed to raise a total of $145, which I’m sure he’ll probably return since it was a joke. Still, mission accomplished.
I guess this is your reminder to always double-check your hospital bills.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published December 4, 2019..
