By ZISANDA NKONKOBE
THE pitter patter you hear in your house could be more than the sound made by the tiny feet of your little one – it could be the sound of your hard-earned money leaving your wallet.
According to research done by Huggies South Africa earlier this year, raising a baby from birth to the age of 18 could cost you just over R1.6-million.
Broken down, that translates to R7785 a month, or R256 a day.
For a parent without medical aid, gynaecologist visits could cost about R700 per month with the birth at a private hospital going up to R20000 – provided there are no complications.
A caesarian section could cost R26000. These costs do not include the monthly tests administered by the gynaecologist, such as HIV and pathology tests, or payments for the attending doctor at the birth.
When the baby arrives, the new parents could spend more than R4000 for a cot, change table, a bath, dummies, bottles, formula, a breast pump, diapers, clothes, toiletries, blankets, linen and toys.
A 1.8kg tin of Nan costs R285 with a Nuk bottle starter pack costing R480. Vaccinations can cost about R1600 per injection when done by a private doctor.
Added to this will be medical costs or an extra premium added onto the medical aid for those parents that have.
Bruce Janssens, the regional manager of Life Beacon Bay Hospital in the Border-Kei region and Port Elizabeth, said maternity has different packages available for private patients wishing to deliver in a private facility.
“The costs vary dependent on each birthing experience and depending on whether any complications are experienced and the mother or baby need further medical attention. The costs also do not include the fees for the obstetrician, paediatrician and anaesthetist or laboratory.”
“In addition, the mother may request for a doula to be with her as well as the midwife. A doula is a person who assists the mother with emotional and physical support during the birth process. This person is not usually a medical person and has been appointed by the mother,” said Janssens.
For mothers looking for a slightly cheaper birth but not willing to make use of government hospitals, midwife Hannelie Roodt provides a home birth experience through Neobies.
Roodt, a registered professional nurse, said she specialises in pregnancy and birth without complications at a total cost of R9 000. “This price includes pre-natal visits plus the birth. I do a full holistic assessment which I think is very important. We also deal with the entire family and counsel everyone so the entire family is prepared for the coming baby.
“I then do the monitoring of the birth throughout, even if it takes 24 hours. I then deliver the baby and the placenta which I either send away for incineration or give to the parents to keep. I then return to check on mom and baby every week for six weeks. I also help mom if she has any issues with breastfeeding and what not,” Roodt said.
Ursula Coldé, a baby equipment trend analyst and manager at Baby Boom's Attebury branch, said the steep increase in baby goods could be attributed both to inflation and the vast improvements made on baby equipment.
According to Coldé, walking rings used to just be a ring with wheels but these days they have stoppers to keep baby from falling down stairs and to keep them from bumping into furniture.
“It’s the same with prams, they have not only become better but they are much safer too. Most car seats used to operate on weight now they include height as well.
“Cots are a lot fancier now too. They vibrate, they have toys and night lights. Bottles have a bigger range now too,” she said. Besides getting fancier, Coldé said products were now designed to save the mother time.
“Back in the day the mother would stay home for the first two years of the baby’s life but now it’s only three or four months and they go back to work so they need things to save the mother time because she's always rushing.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Little bundles, big price tag
THE pitter patter you hear in your house could be more than the sound made by the tiny feet of your little one – it could be the sound of your hard-earned money leaving your wallet.
According to research done by Huggies South Africa earlier this year, raising a baby from birth to the age of 18 could cost you just over R1.6-million.
Broken down, that translates to R7785 a month, or R256 a day.
For a parent without medical aid, gynaecologist visits could cost about R700 per month with the birth at a private hospital going up to R20000 – provided there are no complications.
A caesarian section could cost R26000. These costs do not include the monthly tests administered by the gynaecologist, such as HIV and pathology tests, or payments for the attending doctor at the birth.
When the baby arrives, the new parents could spend more than R4000 for a cot, change table, a bath, dummies, bottles, formula, a breast pump, diapers, clothes, toiletries, blankets, linen and toys.
A 1.8kg tin of Nan costs R285 with a Nuk bottle starter pack costing R480. Vaccinations can cost about R1600 per injection when done by a private doctor.
Added to this will be medical costs or an extra premium added onto the medical aid for those parents that have.
Bruce Janssens, the regional manager of Life Beacon Bay Hospital in the Border-Kei region and Port Elizabeth, said maternity has different packages available for private patients wishing to deliver in a private facility.
“The costs vary dependent on each birthing experience and depending on whether any complications are experienced and the mother or baby need further medical attention. The costs also do not include the fees for the obstetrician, paediatrician and anaesthetist or laboratory.”
“In addition, the mother may request for a doula to be with her as well as the midwife. A doula is a person who assists the mother with emotional and physical support during the birth process. This person is not usually a medical person and has been appointed by the mother,” said Janssens.
For mothers looking for a slightly cheaper birth but not willing to make use of government hospitals, midwife Hannelie Roodt provides a home birth experience through Neobies.
Roodt, a registered professional nurse, said she specialises in pregnancy and birth without complications at a total cost of R9 000. “This price includes pre-natal visits plus the birth. I do a full holistic assessment which I think is very important. We also deal with the entire family and counsel everyone so the entire family is prepared for the coming baby.
“I then do the monitoring of the birth throughout, even if it takes 24 hours. I then deliver the baby and the placenta which I either send away for incineration or give to the parents to keep. I then return to check on mom and baby every week for six weeks. I also help mom if she has any issues with breastfeeding and what not,” Roodt said.
Ursula Coldé, a baby equipment trend analyst and manager at Baby Boom's Attebury branch, said the steep increase in baby goods could be attributed both to inflation and the vast improvements made on baby equipment.
According to Coldé, walking rings used to just be a ring with wheels but these days they have stoppers to keep baby from falling down stairs and to keep them from bumping into furniture.
“It’s the same with prams, they have not only become better but they are much safer too. Most car seats used to operate on weight now they include height as well.
“Cots are a lot fancier now too. They vibrate, they have toys and night lights. Bottles have a bigger range now too,” she said. Besides getting fancier, Coldé said products were now designed to save the mother time.
“Back in the day the mother would stay home for the first two years of the baby’s life but now it’s only three or four months and they go back to work so they need things to save the mother time because she's always rushing.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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