Editing Childbirth (section)

==Economics==
[[File:Share of births attended by skilled health staff, OWID.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Share of births attended by skilled health staff<ref>{{cite web |title=Share of births attended by skilled health staff |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/births-attended-by-health-staff-sdgs |website=Our World in Data |access-date=5 March 2020 |archive-date=17 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317143050/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/births-attended-by-health-staff-sdgs |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
===Costs===
[[File:Cost of Childbirth.jpg|thumb|400px|alt=Cost of Childbirth in several countries in 2012.|Cost of childbirth in several countries in 2012<ref name="Costs">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/health/american-way-of-birth-costliest-in-the-world.html|title=American Way of Birth, Costliest in the World |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101175649/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/health/american-way-of-birth-costliest-in-the-world.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=1 January 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=30 June 2013|last1=Rosenthal|first1=Elisabeth| name-list-style = vanc }}</ref>]]

The cost of childbirth varies dramatically by country.


According to a 2013 analysis, in the United States the average amount actually paid by insurance companies or other payers in 2012 averaged $9,775 for an uncomplicated conventional delivery and $15,041 for a caesarean birth.<ref name="Costs" /> A 2013 study found varying costs by facility for childbirth expenses in [[California]], varying from $3,296 to $37,227 for a vaginal birth and from $8,312 to $70,908 for a caesarean birth.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hsia RY, Akosa Antwi Y, Weber E | title = Analysis of variation in charges and prices paid for vaginal and caesarean section births: a cross-sectional study | journal = BMJ Open | volume = 4 | issue = 1 | pages = e004017 | date = January 2014 | pmid = 24435892 | pmc = 3902513 | doi = 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004017 }} {{open access}}</ref>

Reporting on costs in 2023, ''Forbes'' gave an average cost of $18,865 ($14,768 for vaginal and
$26,280 for cesarean) which included pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care.  However, many factors determined the costs, including where the woman lived, the type of birth, and whether or not they had insurance.  Even with insurance, average out of the pocket expenses for a vaginal delivery were $2,655 and $3,214 for a cesarean birth.  Variables which determined charges included length of hospital stay, which averaged 48 hours for vaginal birth and 96 hours for a cesarean.  There could be charges for any complications before or after the birth, for example an induced labour costs more than a spontaneous birth.  Babies that had a difficult birth may need special tests and monitoring, adding to the costs of childbirth.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rivelli |first1=Elizabeth |title=How Much Does It Cost To Have A Baby? 2023 Averages |url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/health-insurance/average-childbirth-cost/#:~:text=Giving%20birth%20costs%20%2418%2C865%20on%20average%2C%20including%20pregnancy%2C,insurance%3F%20You%20can%20expect%20a%20hefty%20hospital%20bill. |website=Forbes |date=10 October 2022 |access-date=10 March 2023 |archive-date=10 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310134058/https://www.forbes.com/advisor/health-insurance/average-childbirth-cost/#:~:text=Giving%20birth%20costs%20%2418%2C865%20on%20average%2C%20including%20pregnancy%2C,insurance%3F%20You%20can%20expect%20a%20hefty%20hospital%20bill. |url-status=live }}</ref>

Beginning in 2014, the [[National Institute for Health and Care Excellence]] began recommending that women with low-risk pregnancies give birth at home under the care of a midwife rather than an obstetrician, citing lower expenses and better healthcare outcomes.<ref>{{cite book |author=National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health |title=Intrapartum Care: Care of Healthy Women and Their Babies During Childbirth |location=London |publisher=RCOG |year=2007 |series=NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 55 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK49388/ |pmid=21250397 |isbn=9781904752363 |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715213338/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK49388/ |url-status=live }}{{page needed|date=October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Recommendations: Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies |url=https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190/chapter/Recommendations#place-of-birth |website=National Institute for Health and Care Excellence |date=3 December 2014 |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202225019/https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190/chapter/Recommendations#place-of-birth |url-status=live }}</ref> The median cost associated with home birth was estimated to be about $1,500 vs. about $2,500 in hospital.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/world/british-regulator-urges-home-births-over-hospitals-for-uncomplicated-pregnancies.html|title=British Regulator Urges Home Births Over Hospitals for Uncomplicated Pregnancies - NYTimes.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328080317/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/world/british-regulator-urges-home-births-over-hospitals-for-uncomplicated-pregnancies.html?_r=0|archive-date=28 March 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=3 December 2014|last1=Bennhold|first1=Katrin|last2=Louis|first2=Catherine Saint | name-list-style = vanc }}</ref>