Adoption Costs: Are There Any for Birth Mothers?

Having a baby in the United States often ranks as one of the biggest medical expenses many people will ever experience. While everything from a new maternity wardrobe to the increase in food pregnant women buy factors in to the cost of having a baby, the medical expenses by far outweigh all others. The average cost of giving birth to a baby in a hospital is $10,000. If a Caesarian section becomes necessary - which now accounts for 30 percent of all births - the cost easily doubles to $20,000 or more.

While certainly not the only factor, financial difficulties often play a major role in the choice to choose an alternative to parenting.

By definition, facing an unplanned pregnancy means that you have not been able to prepare for the birth of a child, as couples who plan conception have had the opportunity to do - and even then, many say in retrospect that nothing can truly prepare you for the cost and experience of raising a child.

Regardless, American Adoptions firmly believes that an inability to pay for all having a baby entails should never, ever be the deciding factor between whether a baby lives, or is aborted.