A new mother has revealed the staggering cost of her newborn’s month-long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which totaled nearly $750,000.
Janice Hernandez gave birth to her daughter, Aliana, at the end of October. Shortly after birth, Aliana was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare condition that affects one in 20,000 newborns. PWS causes symptoms like weak muscle tone and difficulty feeding.
Aliana was born via emergency C-section and immediately placed in the NICU, where she spent seven weeks before being discharged.
Hernandez, 25, shared her disbelief with her followers on TikTok, expressing her shock at the nearly $750,000 hospital bill. “I just got the bill for my daughter’s NICU stay—$738,360,” Hernandez said in a video. “Almost a million dollars.”
She went on to examine the itemized bill, pointing out what she felt were overcharges and unnecessary charges. “For example, I noticed they charged me $25 for a tiny tube of Aquaphor, which I still have. I thought the nurse was giving it to me for free,” she explained.
The video has gone viral, amassing over three million views. Many people, particularly those outside the U.S., were shocked by the high cost of childbirth in the U.S. when complications arise.
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