Astudy conducted by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) has found that most couples that decide to have children can easily afford the costs that pregnancy and prenatal care involve, as well as buying baby necessities.
Numbers
According to the study, 97 per cent of Hungarian mothers gave birth in hospitals financed by the state and 56 per cent of fathers were present at the birth. The surveywas carried out on a representative sample consisted of 8287 mothers, who were asked about the period before giving birth, the first moments of becoming a family and their financial background.
The poll established that a pregnancy in Hungary costs 126,000 forints on average, while buying necessary items for the arriving baby 18,.000 forints. However, in the case of a first child, these financials are usually significantly higher. Those couples, howwver, where the mother gave birth birth in a private hospital, incurred an additional average cost of 534.000 forints.
Financial Background
As far as the financial situation of the mothers interviewed is concerned, the poll found that about 5.4 per cent of families with babies are in a particularly good spot financially. 28 per cent can cover the baby-related costs easily, while for 38 per cent covering them is rather easy. About one-fourth of those asked said that they can afford the costs with some hardships, and only 6 per cent of the respondents research live in challenging financial situations.
28 per cent can cover the baby-related costs easily
59 per cent of families receive maternity leave payments, 35 per cent utilize child benefits, and 24 per cent receive child-rearing benefits. 14 per cent of all families receive regular child-protection allowances, while 5 receive child disability support.
Age Seems to Matter
The research dissects the method of giving birth among the mothers. It shows that 57 per cent gave birth naturally, 43 had to undergo Caesarean sections. C-sections are becoming more popular worldwide. The causes behind this include the increasing age of new mothers, inseminations, and obesity. These circumstances all raise the necessity of a C-section.
Looking at the Hungarian data, the age of the mothers significantly correlates to a chance of a C-section. It shows that half of mothers aged 35 or over undergo surgery. Those who are over 40 make up 54.7 per cent, however, those who are aged 25 or less only had to have these surgeries one third of the times.
Risks
Data also shows that fathers were present at 56.7 of the researched births. It also concluded that the better the financial background and the higher education they received, the bigger the chance is for them to be at the birth.
From the babies in the research, on average they were born in the 38th week. 7.6 per cent were born prematurely, however, the extreme cases of premature birth – meaning before the 28th week – was only at 0.1 per cent. The number of premature births was higher among those living in worse financial situations.
Those who were born as the fourth child had twice the chance of preterm birth
Children born as siblings have a higher chance of being delivered prematurely. The data showed that those who were born as the fourth child had twice the chance of preterm birth. While those who live in Budapest only had a 6.2 per cent chance of giving birth prematurely, in towns with a population of less than 500, almost every tenth baby was delivered early. Those mothers who were smokers three months before giving birth also had a higher chance of giving birth early or delivering an underweight baby.
Satisfied but Lacking Sleep
The survey closely examined the period immediately following delivery. 61 per cent of mothers spoke to their mothers on a daily basis, while 57 to their spouse. 39 per cent live with a partner, wile only 4 per cent are raising their babies alone. One third of six-month-old babies slept less than 12 hours a day, 45 per cent of them never slept through the night, while 27 per cent sleep in their parents’ bed.
The majority of women asked are satisfied with their lives, however, 9.6 per cent of them have talked about experiencing anxiety. Mothers raising six-month-old babies sleep 6-7 hours a day on average and wake up 2-3 times a night.
The numbers also revealed that most mothers are staying at home with their children, with only 3.6 per cent working. Working is the most common among women over 40. Almost 7 per cent of them had gone back to work by the time their child was half a year old. A large number of mothers said they intended to go back to their workplaces once the child was 2-3 years old. Of those who had already worked before giving birth, 81 per cent returned to their previous place of employment.
Affordable and Satisfying
In conclusion, the extensive research shows that overall, it is affordable for families in Hungary to commit to having children. Many of them take risks when doing so, however, the numbers are improving and demonstrate that those who chose to give birth in hospitals were safe even if complications arose. The survey also found that in general, mothers are satisfied with the care they receive during childbirth, and most of them return to the job market after having a baby.
