Hospital Bills

Our surrogate spent a total of 15 days in the hospital for treatment of pregnancy-induced-hypertension (PIH) and pre-term labor.  Hiranandani Hospital was amazing when I asked for updates from Dr. Soni, the OBGYN who will oversee the birth.  I occasionally requested a copy of the most recent bill, and it was provided typically within 24 hours as a pdf.  The 15 day stay included the bed, consultation fees, medication, and supplies.  We have used about 3/4 of the initial deposit, so we will most likely have to either top off the account via wire transfer or pay the balance when we arrive in Mumbai.  Josh and I anticipated this scenario, so we budgeted appropriately and are anticipating a total hospital expense of roughly $4,000 including the birth, NICU time, and the surrogate’s pre-birth stay.  (On a side note, if I stayed in the hospital for 15 days in NYC as a cash paying patient, my bill would probably approach six figures, so getting a bill for approximately $1,400 was almost enjoyable.)

She was released from the hospital last week, and a few days later, she was re-admitted because her blood pressure continues to be a concern.  Pre-eclampsia is a condition that women pregnant with multiples can encounter, and we believe that the hospital is a better place for her to wait than the surrogate housing.  Dr. Soni has indicated that she is doing very well, on a strict diet, and getting very close to her delivery date.  In anticipation of a last-minute flight to India, Josh and I spent the weekend in Richmond, VA, meeting my mother half way to her home in North Carolina in order to pass along our dog.  ‘Butter’ will stay with my brothers and my father in NC until we return from India to claim him.

Mom is all packed and can’t wait to get this party started.  On the day that Rotunda announces our birth (or if we make it to the scheduled C-section date), we will fly mom up to NYC and all 3 of us will hop on the 8:35 PM direct flight to Mumbai.  Obviously this could happen at any moment because the twins are already at 33 weeks, so it’s hard to focus on all of the small things that I have to take care of before we depart.  Oh, and I just got an email from our lawyer letting me know that one of her clients was just able to obtain the baby’s exit visa through the FRRO in Mumbai rather than having to schlep everyone to Delhi.  She believes that we will be able to do the same thing, saving us a rather large travel expense and a few wasted days.  Small blessings.  Thank you to Meg at Amani & Bob’s Indian Surrogacy for keeping tabs on the ever-changing FRRO regulations.  I’ve been glued to your blog since the day our pregnancy was confirmed.

-Matt