Utah dad crowdfunds $39.95 to pay hospital's extra 'skin to skin' charge after birth

PROVO, Utah, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A Utah dad shocked to be charged $39.35 on a hospital bill for "skin to skin" contact after his son's birth recouped the charge with a humorous GoFundMe page.

Ryan Grassley, 37, posted a photo to Reddit showing the bill he received after the recent birth of his son, Samuel, at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo.

The bill included a $39.35 charge for "Skin to Skin after C-Sect."

"I had to pay $39.35 to hold my baby after he was born," Grassley wrote in the Reddit post.

Grassley told WPIX-TV a nurse allowed him to hold the newborn to his wife's chest and neck. He said their experience with the hospital was overwhelmingly positive and he shared the photo of the bill because he found it "funny and a bit ridiculous."

Grassley started a GoFundMe campaign to recoup the $39.35 charge and he reached the goal in only 10 hours.

"Any money donated over the $39.35 will be put towards a vasectomy because I never want to go though these sleepless new baby nights again," he wrote on the crowdfunding page.

Utah Valley Hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank explained the extra charge in a statement.

"In general, Utah Valley Hospital is an advocate for skin-to-skin contact between a mother and newborn directly after birth. Skin-to-skin is a best practice with proven benefits for both mom and baby. We do everything possible to allow skin-to-skin after both vaginal and c-section births. In the case of a c-section, where the bedside caregiver is occupied caring for the mother during surgery, an additional nurse is brought into the OR to allow the infant to remain in the OR suite with the mother. This is to ensure both patients remain safe. There is an additional charge associated with bringing an extra caregiver into the OR. The charge is not for holding the baby, but for the additional caregiver needed to maintain the highest levels of patient safety."