Cost of having child

LegacyUser

Hi all

I am a longtime reader of boards but I have never really posted before but I have a question about the cost of actually having a child under the public healthcare system. In short my wife and I are trying to conceive and at the moment money is tight due to various factors though I am optimistic next year will bring better things. Anyway is the cost of having the baby completely covered publicly or are there other costs one should factor in? Pre birth classes, hospital stay etc? I am just trying to budget for eventualities.

Thanks

January

Public maternity care is absolutely free, no charges whatsoever, if you are an EU citizen.

LegacyUser

Thanks so much!!!

Tabnabs

Main cost is your time. Public queues will be longer so you'll be sitting around more waiting to be seen.

January

Tabnabs wrote: »

Main cost is your time. Public queues will be longer so you'll be sitting around more waiting to be seen.

You can get that down to a fine art Arrive half an hour before your appointment in most hospitals and they'll allow you to check in then, you should be one of the first to be seen then!

How Strange

Yep January I only figured that out after 7 months.

catch me if you can

Everything is free from during her entire pregnancy, doctors visits the works. and up until the baby is 6 weeks.

Nanazolie

Tabnabs wrote: »

Main cost is your time. Public queues will be longer so you'll be sitting around more waiting to be seen.

I went public both times and waited less than my friends who were semi private. Plus because your employer has to give you the time to attend appointments, I didn't mind so much waiting with a magazine!

I found the public care great, everything was free and while it can't compete with private care, it's as good as semi-private IMO. Also, if you have a difficult pregnancy, you'll be taken care of even if you are not paying a cent. A friend of mine had premature twins and she stayed for weeks, all taken care of by the HSE.

Moonbeam

catch me if you can wrote: »

Everything is free from during her entire pregnancy, doctors visits the works. and up until the baby is 6 weeks.

Only pregnancy related doctors visits.


The biggest costs of having a child are far from the hospital costs and more the childcare costs after.

LegacyUser

Again thanks so much for the responses. After the child is born how long do you think mother and baby need together before mother considers going back to work part time, 15 hrs a week max. Wife does not have any contract so no real maternity leave. We have figured out that with our savings we can go about 4.5 months after the birth before we will feel the pinch.

Again thanks

January

Does that include any maternity benefit from the state that your wife may be entitled to??

It's based on her PRSI contributions, so you should look into this also.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/maternity_benefit.html

January

Does that include any maternity benefit from the state that your wife may be entitled to??

It's based on her PRSI contributions, so you should look into this also.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/maternity_benefit.html

LegacyUser

January wrote: »

Does that include any maternity benefit from the state that your wife may be entitled to??

It's based on her PRSI contributions, so you should look into this also.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/maternity_benefit.html

Thank you so much for that link. We really are clueless with all this! Sorry! Our situation is a little complicated. I am self employed with low enough earnings. My wife has been officially unemployed for 2 years after being let go from her last job where she worked for 7 years. She signed on for about 2 months (2 years ago) but decided that she did not want to continue drawing welfare, not because she was too proud or anything but because she started childminding for our nephew for 140 cash a week and she did not want to do anything illegal by claiming dole as well. I know the cash thing is not strictly legal but it is between family members. Also we are very much of the opinion of drawing welfare that there are people out there who really need it more than us, so if you can avoid taking away from the pot then you should. It is just a personal thing.

Anyway would she still be entitled to the maternity benefit even if she does not want to sign back on the dole?

liliq

I went semi- private in Holles street, and if I have any more babies I think I'll definitely be going public!

I've waited up to an hour and a half in the semi- private clinic, and although I've seem the same doctor most of the time, all they do is check urine, blood pressure etc, and have a feel of the bump- I don't really see why I need to see the same doctor each time to do that!

The ante classes in the hospital were great- 1 hour a week for 5 weeks, and are free if you're going public or included in the cost if you're going semi- private... I think this is pretty much the same everywhere but I could be wrong? Anyone feel free to correct me on that one!

I know a few people who went to one day classes and paid a couple of hundred euro for them- I can see that this would make sense to do if it's not easy to get time of work etc.,
I was lucky that my partner works around the corner from Holles st so he could go to the classes on his lunch break, and it cost us nothing extra.

I liked the classes in the hospital, because it seems that each hospital has slightly different policies on everything, and by going to the classes in the hospital they tell you what their specific policies are etc.

How Strange

liliq wrote: »

I went semi- private in Holles street, and if I have any more babies I think I'll definitely be going public!

Congrats liliq, did you have a boy or girl?

liliq

Hehe... too late for a ninja edit?!
I still have 2 weeks left (or less if I can convince this baby to find the eject button and follow the exit lights... :rolleyes: ), so I probably should say "I'm going" rather than "I went..."

Moonbeam

liliq wrote: »

I went semi- private in Holles street, and if I have any more babies I think I'll definitely be going public!

I've waited up to an hour and a half in the semi- private clinic, and although I've seem the same doctor most of the time, all they do is check urine, blood pressure etc, and have a feel of the bump- I don't really see why I need to see the same doctor each time to do that!

The ante classes in the hospital were great- 1 hour a week for 5 weeks, and are free if you're going public or included in the cost if you're going semi- private... I think this is pretty much the same everywhere but I could be wrong? Anyone feel free to correct me on that one!

I know a few people who went to one day classes and paid a couple of hundred euro for them- I can see that this would make sense to do if it's not easy to get time of work etc.,
I was lucky that my partner works around the corner from Holles st so he could go to the classes on his lunch break, and it cost us nothing extra.

I liked the classes in the hospital, because it seems that each hospital has slightly different policies on everything, and by going to the classes in the hospital they tell you what their specific policies are etc.

and my longest wait ever there was 1/2 an hour:)
I will probably go completely private next time though.

January

ooplah wrote: »

Thank you so much for that link. We really are clueless with all this! Sorry! Our situation is a little complicated. I am self employed with low enough earnings. My wife has been officially unemployed for 2 years after being let go from her last job where she worked for 7 years. She signed on for about 2 months (2 years ago) but decided that she did not want to continue drawing welfare, not because she was too proud or anything but because she started childminding for our nephew for 140 cash a week and she did not want to do anything illegal by claiming dole as well. I know the cash thing is not strictly legal but it is between family members. Also we are very much of the opinion of drawing welfare that there are people out there who really need it more than us, so if you can avoid taking away from the pot then you should. It is just a personal thing.

Anyway would she still be entitled to the maternity benefit even if she does not want to sign back on the dole?

You do not have to "sign on" when you are on maternity benefit. The payment goes into your bank account once a week, if you are entitled to it, and that's as much interaction as you have with the welfare office for the duration of the payment. You don't have to sign on every month or go collect it in the post office if you do not want to. I think they may take your earnings into account also though, so I'm not sure how much her payment would be per week... it would be something to take to the local office about though. Especially if it takes some financial pressure off you both and gives her more time at home to bond with baby and recover from the birth.

LegacyUser

Again thank you so much for the replies. We will start looking into this at once.

Ayla

As far as I'm aware, Maternity Benefit is based solely on your earnings in the relevant tax year, so if your wife hasn't been working through the books and paying PAYE/PRSI she may not be entitled to any benefit.

Your wife was making cash earnings from the home (and this is perfectly legal & not declarable/taxable up to a certain point - €5,000/year I think). However, these payments - by their nature being undeclared - do not factor into receiving Maternity Benefit. According to the Revenue, your wife has been unemployed for 2 years now.

Check out this link for all the Rules & details of Mat Benefit:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/maternity_benefit.html

Moonbeam

For childminding in your home you are allowed to earn 15k with out being liable for PAYE but you are still supposed to do a tax return.
If you wife has not being working and paying prsi she will not be entitled to maternity benefit but if you are a low earner you may qualify for fis (family income support) after baby arrives.

How Strange

Good luck liliq! I used to talk to my fella and tell him mammy and daddy were ready to meet him. He arrived 4 days before edd but I think that was just luck!