IN EXCESS
Having a baby can change your whole outlook on life--suddenly the price of car insurance and real estate seem downright reasonable. Here’s a list of the going rates for some of the services and accessories for an L.A. birth:
* Average delivery fees (St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank): Special discounts are available for patients paying cash.
Delivery (procedure only)--$2,300
Caesarean section (procedure and follow-up only)--$3,000
3-day stay--$4,045
4-day (after C-section)--$6,825
* Lamaze classes--$125 for six 2 1/2-hour sessions (St. John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica).
* Private prenatal psychological counseling--$80 to $200 an hour (psychologist Lilli Friedland, Century City).
* Personal fitness training--$45 to $65 (Private Fitness on Melrose Avenue).
* Birthing books--”What To Expect When You’re Expecting” by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff and Sandee Hathaway, $11; “A Child Is Born” by Lennart Nilsson, $19; “The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth” by Sheila Kitzinger, $19.95.
* Cigars--from $35 for It’s a Boy, It’s a Girl boxes to $190-a-box Zino’s.
* Flowers--Conroy’s most popular bouquet for the new mom is “mixed exotic wildflowers with a coordinated color scheme in a wicker basket” at $75.
* Sterling silver Navajo Indian rattle--$85 from the Sundance catalogue.
* Diaper service--$52 a month (Dy-dee Diaper Service, Pasadena).
* Live-in licensed baby nurse--$225 a day (from the Los Angeles Baby Sitters Guild).
* Alpine stereo stroller, with built-in six-disc changer and AM-FM cassette player--$2,500.
