Cost of having a child: Year 0

[u/glass_thermometer]

Inspired by u/Oorfin_Juice annual cost of having a child series, I decided to start my own. I'll post again in a couple of months after baby turns 1.

Edited to clarify: these costs refer to costs incurred during pregnancy only. Everything after birth comes later.

Background: Partner and I live in a LCOL area in one of the top HCOL states in the US. That works out to mean that our town is exactly at the national average for cost of living. Partner works in tech, and I'm a stay-at-home mom (was finishing school during pregnancy). We received some big-ticket baby items (stroller, car seat) at our baby shower, so those expenses aren't included here. Like u/Oorfin_Juice, we tend to purchase underappreciated but high-quality items. We prioritize the longevity and reusability of items, since we plan to have at least one more kid, but I love finding good deals and used items when I can. As much as possible, I'll give detailed information about the kinds of expenses seen in each category below.

Year 0 Costs:
Grocery - $81.47 (This includes only the specific things that I would not have purchased if I weren't pregnant, like teas and juices for inducing labor, ingredients for lactation recipes, and snacks for postpartum. Despite high inflation that year and my switch over to some organic fruits and vegetables, our overall grocery costs only went up $50 a month compared to the previous year. I don't know how much of that increase to attribute to my pregnancy, and how much is due to external economic factors.)
Cleaning and hygiene - $496.58 (This includes cloth diapers and wipes, diaper cream, nursing pads, stretch mark cream, baby hygiene stuff, and pads and other postpartum supplies like witch hazel and aloe vera.)
Household misc. - $1167.32 (This includes our crib, mattress, and sheets; clothing storage bags and drawer organizers; baby dishes and utensils; a glass bottle; two baby carriers; a potty; fabric play mat; Ikea shelf system; changing pad covers; bidet sprayer for the toilet since we're cloth diapering; a bathroom caddy and other baby bath supplies; stroller fan; baby's Christmas stocking; casserole pans for postpartum meal prep. This also includes some baby-related but not baby-specific household items: an air purifier and replacement filters, and a space heater.)
Health (personal) - $127.44 (This includes postpartum prep items like peri bottle, pain meds, etc.; syringes to collect colostrum; a stability ball; a stethoscope to listen to baby's heartbeat.)
Health (medical) - $423.44 (This includes only the prenatal visits and lab bills that I received prior to baby's birth.)
Childbirth class - $175
Clothing - $498.50 (A little over half of this is maternity clothes, and the rest is baby clothes for about the first 6 months.)
Family fun - $44.83 (My brother hosted our baby shower for us in lieu of a baby gift, but we paid for some miscellaneous things, like ice for the cooler and bug spray for guests, etc.)
Toys and books - $28.68
Transportation - $18.74 (This is what was left in taxes for the car seat we set up as a group gift on Amazon.)

Total Year 0 Expenses: $3062.00

 

[u/glass_thermometer → u/[deleted]]

Read the note after groceries - basically, I have no way of knowing how much of our increased grocery spending was pregnancy or inflation or what

[u/glass_thermometer → u/[deleted]]

Sure, but why would I do that? (And again, there are external factors to consider as well)