Hi T.,
I had my 2nd child 2 yrs ago without maternity coverage (we have health insurance but it doesn't cover any maternity). I looked into the cost of just maternity coverage, and it was ridiculous!!
What I did find out is that if you can plan to pay in cash before the baby is born, you will be able to get a reduced fee from the Dr and hospital. For instance, the hospital I planned on giving birth at told me that if I waited until after the birth and was billed for the delivery, it would be anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000 (that did not include the Dr fee for prenatal care). BUT, if I paid in advance, it was less than $3,000! (of course I paid in advance!!). The Dr was the same.
Another option would be giving birth at a birthing center. They are usually run by midwives, and cost around $2,000 or less for all prenatal care and delivery. If she has a healthy pregnacy and is willing to consider giving birth naturally w/out an epidural, this would also be a good choice. BTW, the RH factor would not make her high risk.
I did use a midwife for my 2nd child, but delivered in the hospital b/c my first was delivered by c-section. I loved the midwife and would definately go that route again for another pregnancy. The only thing to be careful about is to make sure the midwife is a certified nurse midwife and not a lay midwife. I'm sure you could find tons of info about midwives on the internet....definately worth checkin into!
If she can find a birthing center and decides to deliver there, I would also recommend hiring a Doula. I had one for baby #2 and she was my savior!!! I would not consider having another child without the help of a Doula!!
OK, sorry so long winded!! All I can say is research, research, research!!! There are so many options out there other than the "norm". Hope this helps!
:-) H.