How much does it cost to have a baby?
How much does it cost to have a baby?
How much does one have to pay out-of-pocket to have a baby in Finland. Both c-section & vag. delivery and public & private doctors. Looking at future options for our growing family if anyone could help me out. Thanks!
Honestly, the amount you have to pay if you go public health care is so insignificant that it's not worth keeping track off. I kept track three years ago with my first child just for the heck of it and as I recall all of the pregnancy check-ups, ultrasounds, hospital visits and finally the delivery amounted to less than 400 euros. I had a very normal pregancy and a natural delivery.
All that said though, you'll pay an arm & a leg in taxes to "enjoy" these benefits unless you plan on becoming a public charge.
All that said though, you'll pay an arm & a leg in taxes to "enjoy" these benefits unless you plan on becoming a public charge.
I have an appt with a private doctor and my delivery will be a c-section since my first 2 were. I am enrolled with KELA but would like to know the price difference between staying with my private doctor vs going public. I have just heard if you stay in the public system...your continuity of care is not as extensive. Having a c-section and all, I would rather see the same doc every appt and know he will be the one performing the section.
I had a C-section at Katilöpisto in March this year. I must say that the after-care was EXCELLENT. I was so impressed and touched with the level of service and care offered by the mid-wives at the hospital - kind and patient bedside manner to professional and practical hands-on assistance. I was so out of it after the surgery that I could barely stand and the midwife who attended to me was so kind and gentle and took such a good care of me that I almost cried in gratitude (could be the hormones too!)2boys wrote:I have an appt with a private doctor and my delivery will be a c-section since my first 2 were. I am enrolled with KELA but would like to know the price difference between staying with my private doctor vs going public. I have just heard if you stay in the public system...your continuity of care is not as extensive. Having a c-section and all, I would rather see the same doc every appt and know he will be the one performing the section.
We stayed at the hospital for five days - they wanted to keep me under observation and they conducted round the clock check-ups on me with the doctor coming in daily.
Having said that and having gone through the public health system for my first pregnancy, there were times I really wished we had gone private! For me nothing beats the assurance of having your own ob/gyn from the start of the pregnancy to the delivery. You should brace yourself that in the public system, you would be put through several doctors and the doctor on duty on your appointment dates determines your peace of mind.
Of course in my case the feelings of uncertainty were heightened by the fact that I was "allowed" to go 17 days overdue
and it was a frustrating time for me as each appointment was conducted by a different doctor right up to the one who finally decided that I should be admitted to the ward and be induced! I felt I was being shuttled from one doctor to another and having to get re-acquainted with each of them. So, on that note it was rather impersonal.I also felt that in the public system, there wasn't much time allocated for me to ask questions, view my opinions or request for certain actions to be taken - e.g. request to be induced after 7 days or then having an elective C-section as the baby was suspected to be big. I thought the doctors were rather dismissive and looked rather surprised that a patient would question or review the case with them.
I must say though that the surgeons who performed the C-section on me were efficient and skilled. I had no post surgery infection and the scar has healed nicely.
So, on the whole, the plus side - cost is low considering it's a C-section, after-care excellent, surgery itself excellent - only downside at least for me was not having enough communication with the doctors.
All the best!
Last edited by Shazzer on Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jukka Suomi
Re: How much does it cost to have a baby?
NOTHING! compare how much fun it is to wake up every morning with your kids and having fun with them2boys wrote:How much does one have to pay out-of-pocket to have a baby in Finland.
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superiorinferior
- Posts: 2245
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 3:44 pm
- Location: Helsinki
My 2 cents:
Unless you're totally rich (which I assume you're not since you're price shopping), I think it would be ludicrous to spend money on a private birth, as you're already paying for the public one in taxes.
Both our children were born in Finland (Tammisaari and Turku) in the "public sector" and despite complications with each pregnancy, we got two very healthy specimens.
The second, our daughter, was premature by six weeks and received world-class care at the university hospital in Turku. She even got her own room after a few days in intensive care!
I cannt say enough good things about TYKS or the public system here (when it comes to birthin', that is -- because that is where they put all their money into, to keep infant mortality rates among the lowest in the world).
I truly wonder what it would have cost for a 2-3 week stay in hospital for a premature baby in the States.
Unless you're totally rich (which I assume you're not since you're price shopping), I think it would be ludicrous to spend money on a private birth, as you're already paying for the public one in taxes.
Both our children were born in Finland (Tammisaari and Turku) in the "public sector" and despite complications with each pregnancy, we got two very healthy specimens.
The second, our daughter, was premature by six weeks and received world-class care at the university hospital in Turku. She even got her own room after a few days in intensive care!
I cannt say enough good things about TYKS or the public system here (when it comes to birthin', that is -- because that is where they put all their money into, to keep infant mortality rates among the lowest in the world).
I truly wonder what it would have cost for a 2-3 week stay in hospital for a premature baby in the States.
That is a wrong picture. Like it was said, they are the same doctors on public and private sector. I don´t know anybody who has given birth in a private sector. I suppose such people exist somewhere, but what is the point?s it really so? I had a picture, that they are not allowed to do both,
I never really cared that different doctors saw me during pregnancy. After all, it is you own "neuvola" midwife who is the most important person at that stage (and also later). Because if everything is normal you only need to see a doctor a couple of times.