Help Derek and Lauren pay medical bills

Hi! My name is Taylor and I made this account to help my good friends Lauren and Derek pay for her hospital stay after giving birth to their 3rd son Ira. Most importantly everyone is safe and healthy and thriving. We really appreciate you taking the time to read their story and donate if you can and feel called to. I hope we can free them of this financial burden so they can really enjoy this precious time as a family of 5 now.

Please share with your friends and family!

Here are words from Derek about their birth story;

At the end of 2022. We had our 3rd baby boy. It didn’t quite go as planned. My wife decided she wanted to have the baby at home. We didn’t have health insurance and after having gave birth to two boys already she decided to have a home birth. I supported her decision. It was just us. There was no midwife, no dr appointments, no ultrasounds, nothing. Just us. Lauren went into labor on December 16th. I put my two boys to sleep and now it was just Lauren and I. The contractions were coming on fast. It was happening. We got the bathtub filled and the delivery room was ready (our bathroom) before we knew it we delivered our precious baby! She was an absolute champion through it all! Our 3rd boy was born on December 17th at 1:20 am. Fell right out on the towels on the floor! But that was just the beginning. Time passed and the placenta remained inside Lauren. Over an hour has now passed and I sterilized some scissors and cut the cord. Lauren was still bleeding and the placenta has still yet to be delivered. It’s now 4 in the morning and she is on the verge of passing out, she is non-stop bleeding and the placenta remains inside. There is now blood everywhere. We are both beyond exhausted. I urge her to try and get the placenta out but she has nothing left. We don’t have health insurance so if I call the ambulance we will get hit with a massive hospital bill that we can’t afford. Honestly it’s really sad that I have to hold the phone in my hand not wanting to call 911 while my wife is bleeding continuously. I know the second I call we will be billed $ thousands of dollars. But I realize we need help immediately and my wife’s life is worth more than money. I make the call. The fire department and ambulance arrive within 5 min at 4:30 in the morning. She passes out and they take her away. She ends up spending a day and a half in the hospital. They remove the placenta and give her a blood transfusion. Everyone walks away healthy. But I’m America, everything comes with great cost. The 40 hours in the hospital came with bills totaling over $18,000. We went from nearly a free birth to a massive hospital bill after ONE night in the hospital!