A Few Questions On Pregnancy!?

Question

Hello all

Me and my fiancee have been trying for about 4/5 months and finally at 4am this morning she got up for a wee and she came down the stairs and said to me 'Guess whos going to be a mummy and daddy' When i looked at the test in was over the moon, Basically just want to know if having a baby is very expensive?? Our first and she is 5 weeks pregnant, Also when is the first scan nowerdays? apparently its all changed or something?? please get back to me

Kind regards Gaz

Answer 1

lol yes extremely expensive apparently the average amount spent on a child AU$250,000 by the time the child has reached 18, of course this would be lower for lower class families like myself. as for scans it will be around 10-12 weeks but she should be seeing a doctor (GP) immediately to start her care in pregnancy. the doctor will let you know what tests need to be done and when. And btw congrats, daddy.

OMG those of you saying "why arnt you married, you should be married" seriously get over it its the 21st century. couples can have children together without being married. ffs its a ring and a piece of paper. big deal.

Answer 2

So, why just a fiancee and not a wife if you have been planning this?  Why have you been planning this if you hadn't researched how expensive it is to raise a child?  Yes, it is expensive. This is in US dollars, so convert to your currencey.

http://calculators.aol.com/tools/aol/bud...

Congratulations, hope all works out for the best.

Answer 3

Congratulations :)

And babies come free.. i'm sure s*x was free, they will actually consume like 2/10 of your annual salary

Answer 4

Ah bless!  You are now officially in the "reality has slapped you in the face" stage!!!  We all get this bit when we first get the positive result on the pregnancy test!!

(I am in the UK - so the following is only relevant for UK)

Right, the first scan - assuming a straightforward pregnancy, is the "12 week scan", also known as the "dating scan" as it confirms the due date.  In reality, it happens any time between 11 and 14 weeks.  The second scan is the 20 week scan, also known as the "anomaly scan" which happens between 20 and 23 weeks.  If there are no complications, you will only have these 2 scans.  If there are any out of the ordinary things going on, you may have more.

Having a baby is as expensive as you want it to be.  There are a million gadgets and gizmos out there designed to take your money and not provide you with much benefit.  Look around for cost comparisons, and don't get sucked in by products that subtily brand you a "bad parent" if you don't get one.  You will find that friends and family will give you a lot of things - new and second hand.  My advice would be to take everything offered (as long as its in good nick, and always get a new mattaress for moses baskets, cots etc - and buy a new car seat for safety reasons).  Once the baby is born, you will be showered with gifts.  Clothes for the baby are the most popular gift, so don't buy many outfits etc, just the essentials - vests, baby grows etc.

Breastfeeding completely gets rid of the need for bottles, a steriliser & formula, however don't let your fiancee be bullied into a feeding system she is not comfortable with.  It can be a good idea to get bottles etc in even if she is planning on breastfeeding just in case it doesn't work out for her or she changes her mind.

Babies get more expensive as hey grow up.  They grow out of clothes/shoes etc at an alamrming rate, and want toys etc.  Your fiancee will also probably want to "do lunch" when she is on maternity leave and join a couple of baby groups that cost money.... These things are avoidable costs, but are fun and keep a new mother sane...

All in all, start saving.  The initial outlay shouldn't be too much, but this is a lifetime financial committment.... school uniform, university, school trips, holidays.... you get the picture.

ebay is also a good place to do shopping.  New and second hand items are competitively priced on there, and if you look for "bundle of baby toys" you will often get people selling off everything you need for a fraction of the cost to keep your baby entertained until the age of 3-4 years.  

You will find that having a baby is like becoming part of a secret club... it is the most wonderful and rewarding thing you will ever do, but it is also hard work at times.

Be supportive of your fiancee through the pregnancy - she might temporarily morph into another person as the hormones rage... Spoiling her with gifts and doing your share of the housework will do wonders for you ;-)

Good luck, enjoy every minute!!

x

Answer 5

Hi and firstly CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

With regards to the scan it's normally at about 12 weeks (assuming you are in the UK) She will see the midwife at about 10 weeks to be booked in and for her first lot of blood tests. For every visit to the midwives a urine sample is needed for on the spot testing also. She will need to see a doctor at about 8/10 weeks to get them to refer her to the midwives. She will then have another midwife visit at 16 weeks for more blood tests and the anomaly scan at 20 to make sure baby is developing well - a very important scan. Providing all is well that this scan she will possibly not have another scan.

With regards to "are they expensive" well that all depends on you.

I am 32 weeks with #2 and so far everything we have bough has been off Ebay and second hand as they grow so fast in the first few months. The only things you are recommended to buy new are the mattresses and the car seat. If your partner decides to breast feed then that's free and these days washable / reusable nappies are all the rage not to mention environmentally friendly.

Our first son is nearly 7 years old nd he doesn't cost much to fair so like i said they only cost what you want them to cost.

I wish you both the very best and good luck. xx

Answer 6

actually the first baby scan is at 12 weeks and yes babies are expensive, so get saving

Answer 7

Congratulations! Having a baby is so exciting. Your first scan should be around the 11 - 13 week mark which will confirm your partner's due date. The next one is at 20 weeks to make sure everything is going well and then the next time is when you see your baby! First thing to do is to book a Dr's appointment and get it all started.

Cost wise babies can be expensive but my husband and I did whatever we could to keep it a minimum. Check ebay - there'a loads of second hand things going on there, freecycle is brilliant as well although you have to be quick to get stuff. There are usually second hand baby sales on most areas, check with the NCT who have pretty good sales. Plus you will no doubt get a lot of stuff from friends and family so I wouldn't worry too much about clothes to begin with.

Baby centre is a good website, and if you sign up they will send you a weekly newsletter to tell you what is happening with the pregnancy - you know when they get finger nails, at point they can start to hear your voice. Apparently they can male voices better than female ones = so get talking to that bump!

Hope everthing goes really well!  

Answer 8

First of all, Congratulations!!

It all depends on your doctor. Some doctors will see her and give her a blood work. Other doctor will not see her at all until she is 8 weeks pregnant and will do an ultrasound.

There is a new test now (that I recomend) that screens the baby for down syndrome and tri18 and it takes an ultrasound and some blood work (it is always good to take those testes simply for a peace of mind and preparation - but you can refuse to take it too).

After the first doctor visit she will have to do some blood work and some is required by law (depends where you live). The tests is no big deal... is just hiv, diabetes, things like that...

Yes baby is not cheap at all! but it is all worth it!

Depending in what she does for work is cheaper for her to stay home with the baby.  

If you have another question you guys can always shoot me an email- I live in Connecticut

Answer 9

congrats, yes they are expensive but worth every penny!

im in the uk and my hospital tends to do 2 scans a dating scan around 12weeks and an abnormality scan around 20weeks

you can pay for private scans in a big fan of a company called babybond i used them for my gender scan and 4d scan and will use them again if things work out with this baby!

u need to get her to go to the doctors he will run through a few things height.weight bp etc them book her to see a midwife for a booking appointment usually done @ home this is where she goes through the family history and starts filling out the pregnancy note which your partner carries around with her to ALL her appointments

Answer 10

Most doctors will do an ultrasound on the first appointment to be sure that the pregnancy is going okay...no tubal pregnancy and they will measure the baby to see how far along she is. Yes,,,having a baby is expensive but don't worry...I did it being a single mother...I took care of TWO so you can do it. Just don't flip out...now is the time to rejoice!!!! Plus she will get a baby shower and it will help with a lot of the thing that baby needs....good luck!!!!!

Answer 11

congratulations, the first scan should be about 12 weeks if not sooner. and yes ur first can be expensive but then it can all depend on weather u want to buy all new stuff which first time mums often do or if u buy second hand..  but look around for sales and the best offers.. again congratulations and good luck..

Answer 12

Yes babies can be very expensive, however, if you join your local freecycle site (www.freecycle.org) you might be able to get some equipment for free.

the first scan is usually around 12 weeks then again at 20 weeks

good luck

Answer 13

um if you all were getting married why couldnt u have waited to make the baby after u were married

please email me so i can know

Answer 14

Some tips for saving money when having a baby -

Look on the NCT website and find out where they're having a local 'nearly new baby stuff' sale - you can save so much by buying stuff there.

Join Netmums.co.uk, and look for your area. There's always people selling stuff cheap or even giving away their old baby stuff.

Don't get sucked into the advertising - a 'grobag egg' is a great idea, but not a necessity. The same applies for many products. Ask around and find out from friends with kids etc what exactly you need.

Breastfeed, if she can. It's cheaper and far more nutritious for baby.

good luck!

Answer 15

Having a baby is not expensive if you know how to budget and do things cheaply like I do. Ebay is brilliant for baby things, I brought a cot bed of there for £150 which included the mattress and a play ball feature (Go on ebay and type Airlie cot bed).

I got my pram from freecycle, and alot of my daughters clothes were given to me. I then breastfed (Though unfortunatly had to stop :() Which saves alot of money as you do not have to buy formula, bottles and stereliser (though you will have to if your fiancee expressess milk).

Re-usable nappies are wonderful, they are not too expencive (the local council usually gives you some money for buying them), and you do not have to go out and buy disposable nappies every week.

Search car boot sales, I picked up a moses basket and stand for £10. If you look you do not have to spend thousands for a baby. I think I managed to get all my daughters stuff for under £500. I still had money left over from my sure start maternity grant, I put that into my daughters child trust fund.

When baby is born, look around for special offers, Cheap baby wipes work just as good as johnsons, I brought 6 packs of ASDAS little angels wipes for £5, for the same price i could have got 4 johnsons ones, also the asdas ones are better on my daughters bum, she hasn't had a rash since she has been on these ones.

Join the boots parenting club, they send you out vouchers, like £10 of a travel system (a pushchair and a carseat together works out cheaper). And you can get a free changing bag when you buy a pack of pampers new baby.

The first scan is usually arounf 12 weeks if there is not complications. Get your fiancee to the doctors so she can be referred to midwifery care, they will also book her scan there and give her folic acid, and pregnancy vitamins.

Congratulations!

Answer 16

depends if your in UK

First scan is around the 12th week, then another one at around the 20th week.

You can go private for others but thoses two are the one's free on the NHS.

Congratulations!

Answer 17

congratulations!!!

~MeL~

Answer 18

First of all, congrats. Secondly, yes babies are extremely expensive- you have diapers, clothes, and the list goes on and on. Usually, depending on the doctor you get your first scan about 8-9 weeks, then not another one until if you want to find out the s*x at about 20 weeks.

Answer 19

Elo Gaz,

Congrats on your great news.

I think it can differ depending on where you live but ideally the first scan is approx 12-16 weeks.

And yes children are expensive....they will depend on your fer absolutely everything for the next 16-18 yrs and even longer in some cases.

Best of luck

Answer 20

the first scan is usually at 13 weeks and baby's are not that expensive.  

Answer 21

congrats to you both!!!

Babies are expensive when you have to start from scratch buying cots, prams etc but im sure its well worth it.

we had our first scan at 9 weeks but that was because i was having pain. normally its around 13 weeks (uk), you see the midwife from around that time aswell.

good luck to you both  

Answer 22

It is very expensive and usually you get your first scan at 12 weeks and second at 20 weeks

congrats and good luck x

Answer 23

see your doctor if ur in the uk, your doc will send a letter to the hospital of your choice to explain your pregnant and wish to have your child there. you should then recive a letter for you and your fiancee to go to the hospital have alook around maternity ward and book your bed for when baby is born. the first scan is about 12 weeks then they give you anoother scan at araound 20 weeks  where you can find out the s*x of baby if wished, but you have to pay around £50 fotr that ive been told. hope ive helped.