Dan Seddon
It was a case of daylight robbery by the US healthcare system when Florida resident Kayla Kosuga gave birth to her baby son.
The 24-year-old recently went viral thanks to a TikTok clip deconstructing the total costs of American childbirth - charged over $40,000 (£29k) for the privilege of safely bringing her child into the world.
In the video, which has been liked more than two million times by viewers, this brand-new mum recalled spending two days in hospital for a vaginal birth (with an epidural and thankfully, no complications).
Fellow TikTokers were having a fit when she revealed the astronomical medical bill.
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"This is how much it costs to give birth in America: $44,318.41," shared Kayla. "I had my little guy three weeks ago, so they definitely wasted no time sending me that bill."
Her itemised receipt popped up on screen next; a private bedroom and board was $10,100, pharmacy was $89.40, anaesthesia was $1,845, and labour room/delivery was $10,275, plus additional charges for the laboratory ($859), specialty services ($585) and extra diagnostic services ($1,347).
"And that's just one bill," she pointed out. "We have multiple bills to go through, guys."
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Due to taking out an insurance policy though, $20,353.62 of the first bill was covered, leaving her and her partner to cover the remaining $4,746.78.
On top of that, the doctor who delivered her baby added on another $4,395.85 to the couple's debt. Talk about taking the shine off a beautiful thing.
Most shockingly was the next revelation; her uninsured baby boy (he'd been in the womb for the past nine months, after all) was billed as well, meaning the family is currently shelling out $2,500 per month on the insurance.
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Over in the comments, Kayla's wallet-stinging story produced quite a reaction.
"I genuinely am curious how low income ppl can afford this," wrote one TikTok user, before a second asked: "America's healthcare system is a joke... how does the newborn have a $12k bill?"
"THE BABY HAS TO PAY TO BE BORN" and "And they wonder why the birth rate is declining," read two more messages.
A woman from California revealed a similar thing back in 2024 by announcing how pricey US childbirth can be.
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Mum-of-two Marina Mogilko was, of course, familiar with the process during her second labour experience, and was rushed into the delivery room almost immediately upon her hospital arrival.
She welcomed her second kid in a smooth 20 minutes, with doctors just needing to stitch her up slightly.
The family was then transferred to a room with a private bathroom, unlimited food, and a bed where Marina's husband could stay for the night. They spent one night there overall but a fortnight later, they were slapped with a hefty medical bill.
According to her Instagram video, in total the parents were billed $36,455.16 for their one-night stay. Thankfully Marina was covered by insurance which paid for the majority of the bill, but she and her husband still had to pay $2,201.29 for giving birth at the hospital.