Health check your finances
How much does it cost to have a baby? Our team is here to help with any questions you have about hospital costs, private health insurance and your Epworth Maternity experience.
When thinking about having a baby, it’s wise to factor in the financial costs. Not only do you need essentials for when your baby arrives, but for most of us, the household income will change.
There’s a lot to think about once you’re pregnant, so taking finances off your to-do list can give you back time to concentrate on your growing family.
The different fees connected with your pregnancy and baby’s birth can include:
- obstetrician fees – these have a Medicare subsidy but charges vary between doctors. Ask your doctor’s practice team for a cost breakdown
- hospital fees – these may be covered by your private health fund
- screening tools like blood tests and ultrasounds
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Maternity and paternity leave
Find out whether your employer has paid parenting leave and add this to any government entitlements to calculate your expected income when your baby arrives. It’s also worth investigating whether you can dip into annual and long-service leave. If you are self-employed, it’s a good time to consider how much time you can practically take off work. Is working from home an option?
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Baby budget
Even the best planned budgets need some wriggle room. There can be unexpected costs when it comes to having a baby. These might include medical care and tests or even birthing classes if they’re not covered by your health insurer. Depending on how far ahead you want to look, you might like to do a rough guess on additional costs of nappies and childcare. Thinking longer term about how many children you’d like to have can also help with financial planning.
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Private versus public
Even though you might not be pregnant yet, it’s worth considering what sort of hospital support you’d like on your journey to parenthood.
Make a list of the things that are important to you and find your best fit.
If you choose to have your baby at Epworth you can expect:
- Guaranteed private rooms
- Premium care and experience
- Four-night minimum stay
- Lactation consultants
- Exceptional menu and dedicated onsite chefs
- Accommodation for your partner or support person
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Private health cover vs Self-insured
If you are considering having an Epworth baby, it’s worth looking into private health cover that includes obstetric care. If you don’t have private health insurance, we also offer the option of self-insuring your hospital stay. Our maternity team will be able to explain what’s involved in either of these options and even arrange a hospital tour.
You can find out more about Epworth Maternity fees here.
Download 'Before the bump' by Epworth Maternity
Planning for your pregnancy
Trimester 1 - Starting well
- Am I pregnant?
- Ask an Epworth Midwife
- Your due date
- Feeling queasy
- Taking care of you in trimester 1
Trimester 2 - Midway check-in
- Your second trimester
- Monitoring your pregnancy
- Baby movement
- Maternity education classes
- Dealing with aches and pains
- Staying active during pregnancy
- Taking care of you in trimester 2
Trimester 3 - The big day
- Will COVID affect your birth?
- What to pack in your hospital bag
- Your birth plan
- Your support team
- Getting ready to come to hospital
- Gen V research at Epworth
- Welcome to the world gift box
Caring for your new bub
Am I pregnant?
Ask an Epworth Midwife – your guide to early pregnancy
Book a maternity tour
Both Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong boast beautiful, state of the art facilities combined with experienced, compassionate midwives and support teams who are here for you and your precious newborn.