How Your HSA/FSA Benefits Can Help You Have An Awesome Birth & Postpartum

 

If you're expecting a baby and have any Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account benefits available, you're in luck: there are a ton of birth and postpartum extras that are covered by those dollars. From doulas to classes to baby gear, see what your HSA/FSA can provide to help you have an awesome experience!

Guide to Using This List

Most of the items on this list are directly covered by your FSA or HSA with no hoops to jump through. If the item or service is in bold, a letter of recommendation from your healthcare provider may be required as documentation. If the item or service is italicized, a prescription is required.

Pregnancy and Birth Resources Covered by FSA/HSA

When you're growing a bundle of joy and need to save some money, if you have HSA or FSA spending available through your work, you need to check out what you can spend it on! These are some resources for your pregnancy and birth that are covered.

• Acupressure & Acupuncture

• Belly Support Belt

• Birth Doula Support

• Childbirth Classes

• Compression Socks

• Fetal Doppler

• Morning Sickness Bands

• Pregnancy & Birth-Related Books

• Prenatal Chiropractor

• Prenatal & Delivery Healthcare – home or hospital, midwife or OBGYN

• Prenatal Massage

• Prenatal Vitamins

• Prenatal Yoga

• TENS Therapy Unit

• Ultrasounds

Postpartum Resources Covered by FSA/HSA

Once your sweet baby is here, the fun just begins! Here are some supplies and services covered by HSA and FSA to make your postpartum and parenting journey as smooth as possible.

• Breastfeeding Classes

• Breast Pads

• Breast Pump

• Cord Blood Banking

• Depends Underwear

• Lactation Consultant Services  

• Lanolin

• Mental Health Therapy

• Milk Storage Supplies

• NICU Healthcare

• Pads

• Placenta Encapsulation Services

• Postpartum Doula Care

• Sitz Bath

Baby Resources Covered by FSA/HSA

Your baby or toddler can benefit from products and services covered by HSA/FSA as well.

• Colic Relief

• Diaper Rash Ointment

• Formula

• Nasal Aspirator and other First Aid Supplies

• Owlette Baby Breathing Monitor

• Pull-ups

• Sunscreen

• Thermometers

• Vitamins

• Well-Child Exams

How Do I Redeem My FSA or HSA Benefits for My Birth and Postpartum?

In most cases, you will have a “credit card” with a certain spending limit, and you will be able to choose what you spend it on and just swipe the card. The resources listed above in bold may require a doctor's recommendation, so be sure to have that on hand just in case you're asked for documentation later. Or, you may pay up front and submit documentation in order to receive reimbursement.

For a product, you can visit www.fsastore.com to shop for your prenatal, breastfeeding, and infant care-related supplies. They have so many great products to choose from! For a service, check with your service provider to ensure they are approved to receive these payments, then simply pay with credit card (or ask them for receipts to send in for reimbursement).

Nitrous Oxide for Labor Pains

As many first time moms prepare their birth plans, pain management is one of the concerns that most women are apprehensive about. 

"Do I need pain management for my birth?"

Every birth is different and many women experience very little pain through their labor transitions and others need pain management assistance. If you are looking into pain relief options for birth, there are tons of choices that are recommended by health care providers. 

Many hospitals and birthing centers utilize Nitrous Oxide as Pain relief for birth; the same inhaled gas combination that many dentists use for more invasive in-office procedures. 

How does Nitrous Oxide work?

Since this is a gas mixture that is inhaled, it enters the blood stream quickly to help the patient feel more sedated and relaxed through a procedure. Nitrous Oxide can be administered in different strengths depending on the recipient's comfort level.

Because the gas molecules enter the blood stream, this does pass through the placenta to the baby fairly quickly but because it does not leave any chemical byproducts, it is eliminated fairly quickly from the body. Nitrous is fast acting and works through and out of a mother and baby's blood stream more efficiently than some pharmaceutical products. 

Does Nitrous Oxide come with good reviews? 

The results from Nitrous vary with every birth and 20% of patients report the gas providing some form of pain relief, less than 50% find it to be satisfactory and 30% of women find it did not help them. This is a pain management option that has a broad range of results so it's best to consult with your doctor and birth team to see if Nitrous is a good fit for you.

How is the gas administered?

The gas can come from a wall fixture in a hospital setting or in some cases it can be available in a portable canister. With the wall mounted gas, the dosage and strength can be adjusted and controlled but usually won't be able to stretch to a birth suite's tub or shower. With the portable canister, it can be used for home birth and other alternative birth options. The portable mixture is 50:50 Nitrous and Oxygen so for some women it can be too much Nitrous and for others it isn't enough to help them with the pain. 

What are some of the Advantages of Nitrous Oxide for birth?

• Allows a birthing mother to remain in control of their body during birth.
• Using Nitrous places the patient more in control of their pain relief. 
• It does not interfere with contractions and the natural progression of birth.
• The effects are short term and research suggests it leaves no short term effects on mom or baby.
• It can help women remain confident and more comfortable during labor. 

What are some of the Disadvantages of Nitrous Oxide for birth?

• Nausea, headache or vomiting 
• Not a guaranteed pain relief method.
• Some women feel disoriented, confused or drowsy. 
• The oxygen mask can make some patients feel uncomfortable or claustrophobic.
• Any long term side effects are unclear.

Birth Centers Offering Nitrous Oxide for Birth in the Kentucky Area

While Nitrous Oxide isn't new in the medical or birth world, there aren't many birth locations that currently offer Nitrous as a pain management option for birth. In the greater Kentucky area, Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, IN, Clark Memorial in Jeffersonville, IN University of Louisville in Louisville, KY are the only locations that it is optional for laboring parents. 

The choice is yours.

Whether you're researching pain management solutions or choosing a natural birth, finding preferences that make your birth more comfortable and rewarding. It's your birth so feel empowered to make the decisions that keep you feeling confident. 

Ideal Birth

We hear the phrase thrown around in every birth book, on every pregnancy website and almost certainly somewhere deep in each Facebook "Mama" page, your ideal birth.

But, what does it mean?? Does it bring images of a young mom in a hospital bed with her husband holding her hand to your mind? What about a woman leaned over her kitchen counter with a doula standing behind her applying counter pressure to her back, all in hopes of getting some relief through her current contraction? Maybe you envision a beautiful woman with a halo of flowers squatting behind a tree with all of the animal kingdom watching on: just for them to erupt in celebration as her baby crowns; a scene straight from Snow White.

Every baby is different. Every birth varies.

Every woman longs for a different variation of her "ideal birth". For some, the ideal birth could be in the comfort of their own home. Or, maybe it is in a hospital, relaxed with an epidural. For others, their ideal experience is working through those tough contractions and going completely natural. Maybe your ideal birth is even in an operating room with your partner standing by your side during a Cesarean.
 

Regardless of what you envision, do your research, be well informed, and decide what is important to you. Then, work towards that goal!

Know that there are no wrong choices, only your choices.

As I lay on my couch being completely smothered by a little girl who first stole my heart just over two years ago,  I want to share with you my version of this "ideal birth". I did my research and was so fortunate to find an awesome care provider. Together, we made a birth plan. I took a great Childbirth Education Class and put together an awesome birth team. In the end, all of the hard work paid off!

The important things in this video are intangible things that you can't necessarily see. It was my confidence, support, and knowledge alongside the respect from my team and hospital staff that made this my ideal birth. I spent time getting to know my providers so that I could trust their guidance and these are things that are so important regardless of the where, who, how and why of any ideal birth.

Birth Facility: Clark Memorial Hospital under the care of the WomenCare Midwives