The costs can overwhelm. She gasps for breath after listing expenses she faces as she raises her baby daughter, Tatyana. It's the walker and the high chair and the swing and all the medicine and the toys and the diapers and . . . The moment an expectant mom heads for her first checkup, the costs start escalating. Whatever the cost, there's little doubt that bearing and raising a child is enough to make most young parents cringe.
Many moms rely on private insurance to pay for most of the cost.
The real problems for teen-agers come later. As children grow, their expenses grow as well, the Department of Agriculture reports. Several programs in the Redding area also provide free diapers, baby clothes and other necessities. In the end, the biggest problem for teen moms may be housing, says Laura McDuffey, a case manager for Northern Valley Catholic Social Service in Redding, which has a program aimed at helping teen parents. And it's difficult for those under 18 to get an apartment.