If you don't have medical aid cover in South Africa but wish to give birth at a private hospital, you need to prepare for an average cost of R20,000 for a natural birth, and up to R26,000 for caesarean at a private hospital, assuming a delivery with no complications.
This does not include additional professional fees for, for example, the gynaecologist, anaesthetist and paediatrician, which can add R10 000 to R20 000 to the overall bill.
Here are Netcare Park Lane Hospital's maternity fixed fees for 2018, for example.
With normal delivery, a two-day, one-night stay will cost you R15,000, while a three-day, two-night stay will cost you R19,000.
With a caesarean section, a three-day, two-night stay will cost you R21,500, while a four-day, three-night stay will cost you R24,500.
Additionally, if you wish to stay in a private or semi-private room post-delivery at the hospital, expect to pay anything between R600 and R4,500, depending on the type of room you select.
It's also important to note that the fees above do not include the cost of your gynaecologist, anaesthetist and paediatrician and any additional services you may require, for example blood tests.
Here are Mediclinic Southern Africa rates as of 2016:
For a normal delivery, a two-day, one-night stay will cost you about R15,000, and it's about R17,600 for a three-day, two-night stay.
For birth via caesarean, you can expect to pay about R18,500 for a two-day, one-night stay, with a three-day, two-night stay costing you about R20,600.
In addition, there is a nursery fee, delivery room fee, epidural fee if you opt for it, and private ward fees if necessary.
These fees also do not include additional professional fees.
"Having a child is expensive," said Danelle van Heerde, head of advice porocesses at Sanlam Personal Finance. "A practical plan based on a holistic view of the parents' finances cannot be overstated."
Van Heerde has suggested some practical tips to help take the financial strain out of becoming a parent:
1. Make sure you're fully covered
Make sure your medical scheme's maternity benefits offer sufficient cover. If you're not a member of a medical scheme, you can sign up before you fall pregnant. However, most schemes won't sign you up once you're already pregnant.
Remember that there are gynaecology visits, antenatal classes, blood tests — all of which will require money.
2. Start saving for the baby as soon as possible
The effect of compound interest means that the earlier you start saving for the costs associated with parenthood, the better the returns. A tax-free savings account may be a great option, given the benefit of tax-free returns, but no amount is too little to set aside for the number of costs associated with a baby.
3. Make sure you have enough to cover maternity leave
If it's at all possible, ensure that you accumulate savings to supplement your income while on maternity leave, as you will likely not receive a full income from your employer or the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
A temporary income protection or sickness benefit that covers pregnancy-related events will provide cover if you need to miss work during pregnancy or need to extend your maternity leave for medical reasons.
4. Prepare for a premium increase
Most medical schemes if you're giving at a private hospital will require that you add your new baby to your medical scheme immediately, so expect a premium increase as a result of the additional dependant.
5. Review long-term financial plans
Use the time while pregnant to review your long-term financial plans. Start thinking about updating your will, appointing a guardian, revisiting your estate planning, increasing your life cover and emergency fund, and starting an education fund.