Bulsha:- Words, even though I am quite adept at them, were not able to describe my joy and thrill when doctors confirmed that my wife was with child. And that feeling became more indescribable when the doctor informed us that we were going to have not just one, but two baby girls.
Good Lord. The thought that me and my wife would suddenly become parents of two was dreamlike.
Fortunately, we managed to not be overwhelmed by all the excitement and confusion that occurred because of the splendid news. The two of us quickly put our minds together to identify things that would be needed to deliver our babies and the expenses that come along with it. We even wrote down every possible scenario that we could think of: normal delivery, C-section, premature birth, etc.
After conducting our own research, we were forced to face reality: Welcoming two babies was going to be expensive.
If we had not prepared, the expenses would have severely affected our financial condition and might have removed some of the happiness of having babies. Therefore, thorough preparation is a must to avoid this unfortunate state.
Budget revision
Welcoming babies into our lives was a major lifestyle changer, believe me, and only a few events can compete with it. Realizing this, my wife and I immediately reviewed our current lifestyle budget.
All activities in our budget are being reviewed, and whenever there is time and ideas we have discussions on activities that can be done in a more efficient manner, of course without compromising health and quality of life. In addition, to prepare ourselves for the big changes that are soon to come, in the last eight months we lived as if our two baby girls were already living with us.
Emergency funds
Our motto is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Until now life itself has taught us that no matter how meticulously we plan for something, unexpected things are still bound to happen. Plus, most of the time those unexpected things negatively impact our financial situation.
It’s a bummer. Especially in an event as complex as delivering babies. Therefore, it is a good idea, a necessity even, to provide funds for an emergency so the babies can be delivered without significant financial hassles. You will also have additional peace of mind.
Understand your health insurance
I will not sugarcoat it. Medical expenses related to delivering babies (doctor fees, medicine, room, USG) are expensive. Fortunately, my occupation also comes with insurance benefits. Therefore, the moment we knew we were going to have babies, my wife and I diligently read all the information stated in our insurance manual — which we had never read before.
Information that we sought was related to our insurance coverage, the list of hospitals and how to claim/use our insurance. Due to these efforts, we successfully utilized the insurance on our babies’ due date. Although we were still required to pay expenses that were not covered, it was less than Rp 300,000 (US$22), a minor amount.
So, do you need health insurance? Or if you do not have it, have you done what needs to be done?
Baby clothing
Clothes for babies are adorable — even I have to agree — and come in various colors, which make them even more adorable. It was really hard for us, especially my wife, to control the temptation to buy all those cute clothes for our babies. Thus, it is really advised to make a list of what you really need — not want — to buy in order to avoid overspending.
Thankfully, we knew which stores provided quality baby clothing at competitive prices because we researched beforehand. Furthermore, to lessen our financial burden, we bought the clothes gradually —one at a time — rather than at one time only.
For future needs
Last but not least. In my opinion, it is always better to prepare early. Based on my observations, many people start to prepare the funds required for their child's future after they are born. We, on the other hand, prepared before they were born. The reason is because we can accumulate more funds this way — through a compounding principle — and so it will not heavily impact our financial condition in the future. It will also result in less stress.
Welcoming babies is a magical moment; do your best to keep it that way and not be bothered by any financial issues. Thanks to the preparations above, as a result, on Nov. 5 we were able to welcome our baby girls safe and financially sound.
Good luck to all future parents out there.
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Xafiiska Shabakada Bulsha
UK- Leicester united kingdom
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