Question How much does it cost to have a baby from conception to 1 year?
Please break it down into these categories: 1. prenatal 2. L&D 3. postnatal 4. "baby stuff" (non medical supplies from clothes to bottles to car seats to maternity wear) Assume normal delivery. Don't factor in loss of work as I'm already a stay at home fiance. Please tell me which state and year these figures are for. Please tell me if your figures are for a small "never heard of it" town or a large city like Philly, NYC, Seattle, etc. I would like to know the "naked" figures, that is, without insurance. If any of you have the complete figures for with and without insurance, i'll take it, to see the difference. If any of you have recommendations for maternity insurance, i'll take that, too. (All i've found so far requires a 9 month waiting period!) I'll take any additional info! Thanks so much!

Best Answer I only had $57 for prenatal care, insurance covered the rest. (excluding ultrasounds) and I honestly dont know what the pre insurance cost was. Labor and Delivery, all natural, no meds but then including a tubal somewhere right around $12,000.00 (after insurance about $900) ( i think the tubal was about $3000 of it..) Personally, I didnt buy a lot of maternity clothes. A good pair of pants from Penny's $40 then I wore yoga pants and oversized shirts and sweaters. (no dress code at work! ) I did have to buy prescription support hose for $80 Basics: these are nice no frills items, you can buy fancier or more name brand and spend a lot more on these items if that is your preference. Carseat $80 Stroller $50 Crib $200 HighChair $50 Bedding $60 - found a great sale, designer stuff can be really expensive, depends on your tastes Monitor $35 Diapers $50-$60 per month I breastfed so I cant tell you formula costs but I know they are HIGH!!! Bottles, liners, nipples etc to get set up probably $40 Wipes, creams etc $10-$20/month Washclothes, tylenol, thermometer misc items $50 Clothes for baby, depends on your tastes; We are pretty laid back and simple so WalMart is just fine for us. I also bought baby clothes on ebay. This amount could be a little as about $200 for the first year depending on what you want to spend and what you "have to have" This also takes into consideration gifts etc. You didnt say if you would have insurance for the baby. Well baby check ups were around $175-$200 or so each I reached my insurance maximum benefit and didnt know it so I am paying on almost $800 in well baby checks that the insurance wouldnt cover Then of course if the baby gets sick (inevitable) Dr office or ER visits, presriptions etc - this amount would be based on your insurance Immunizations- sometimes you can get these free of charge, my insurance capped at a certain amount and we had bills associated with these as well. Then there are the toys and other items that are personal choices. Baby carriers, pack and plays, cradles, swings, etc. You can find a lot of nice gently used items on ebay or at garage sales. This last baby was a "surprise" so we had no money saved or budget for a baby. We arent rich and live paycheck to paycheck more often than not. (we have 4 other kids, two of which are in college!) But we were smart with our money and our little guy isn't lacking for anything.

Question What are the best support hose stockings for women?
Looking for a good pair of hose stockings. Not sure how they work but can I use them while excercising? Wear them while sleep? How do I know I'm buying a good quality ones? thank you

Best Answer Depends on the level of support you need. L'eggs Sheer Energy are light support pantyhose. They also make a more full support hosiery called Active Support. If you are wearing them for medical reasons I would ask your doctor about how often to wear them. Yes, you can wear them while you sleep if you need to for medical reasons. There are also some higher compression support hose made by Futuro that you can find at drug stores. I have never tried them as the lighter support one's do the trick for me.