Husband Refuses to Pay Half of Childbirth Hospital Bill

Could you imagine going through labor only to discover that your husband doesn’t want to pay half of the hospital bill?

On Saturday (March 4), Reddit user WateryKoala422 shared the story of her first child’s birth. She posted in the “Am I The Asshole” community as a “last resort” because she feared that it could be the end of her marriage. Ironically her husband is a frequent Redditor.

The 32-year-old new mom shared that she and her husband welcomed their first child three months ago after wanting to expand their family and being together for fourteen years. They were in the “newborn bubble of bliss” until the hospital bills for the birth came in the mail. She shared that she and her husband split all of their bills 50/50 and have a joint account for bills, but generally keep their money separate.

During her pregnancy, she planned on having a natural birth at home. However, when she hit 24 hours of labor, she needed to go to the hospital for help. When the bills arrived, totaling more than $8,000 after insurance, he gave it to her and requested that she pay it from her personal savings account, and not their joint one for bills.

He allegedly told her, “You’re the one that couldn’t hold out for a few more hours and jacked up your bill with all [of] your meds and extra night’s stay,” according to him, if she wanted “luxury” she had to pay for it herself.

The poster said that he refused to budge and even called her a “princess” for the “extra add-ons” in the bills. She ended up paying the bill herself, but they haven’t talked much since then. She questioned if it was just hormones or if she was being disrespected.

When people questioned what exactly the extra add-ons she referenced were, she responded back to the comments section. The wife explained that the fees included the epidural, because according to the husband, “I made it 24 hours I surely could’ve lasted 14 more.”

Another charge was the lactation consultant because according to him, she didn’t read enough books. The nursery fee since according to him their child should sleep in the room with him. All of these extra charges were in addition to postpartum supplies and a blood test for a medical condition that runs in her side of the family.

Read the full post, below.

As of Sunday (March 5), the post was closed with the comments section remaining.