This man was charged $39 to hold his baby. Then he got his baby an amazing t-shirt

Earlier this month a man posted his hospital bill to Reddit , which included a $39.35 (£30.91) charge for skin-on-skin contact after delivery - for a mother holding her child after giving birth.

The bill, showed the charge for "skin to skin after c-sec".

Picture: halfthrottle/imgur

The user who posted the bill said he wasn't angry about the specific charge, more the overall cost of healthcare in the US:

During the C-section the nurse asked my wife if she would like to do skin to skin after the baby was born. Which of course anyone would say yes too. We just noticed it in the bill today.

I was able to hold the baby on my wife's chest. Her arms were tied to the table and the nurse was there to remind me not to let go so the baby didn't fall. She actually took my camera from me and started snapping pictures for me. It was a positive experience for sure.

The nurse even borrowed my camera to take a few pictures for us. Everyone involved in the process was great, and we had a positive experience. We just got a chuckle out of seeing that on the bill.

The reason for the bill was the need for an additional staff member - required to watch the baby for safety reasons before it is taken to the nursery.

With the mother having recently undergone a c-section, laying a baby on her chest required a few things to occur - a sterile area for the baby and a nurse who is ready to catch the baby, and all of this required supervision.

The same user has since posted an image of his child in a 10/10 baby grow.

Picture: halfthrottle/imgur

He said the attention from the bill post was largely unwanted:

My life was turned upside down the week my hospital bill went viral. Things are back to normal now but I think I'll still be talking about this when my kid has kids of his own. It was a crazy week as I was bombarded by calls from radio shows, TV talk shows, newspapers, etc. The attention was fun and overwhelming. I'm happy life is back to normal again.

He made the bodysuit on a custom design website called cafepress, where it is currently on sale:

I had a graphic artist friend named Jordan Youngberg design it for me.

It isn't trademarked, it's just for a laugh.

I wanted a custom onesie with this design on it. I uploaded it to cafepress so I could order one for myself. When people have asked for the link I have given it to them. Read through my comments and you can see that I'm not trying to pimp the design. I understand that it really only makes sense to wear if you're my kid.

Reflecting on the past week, he said:

It was a cool once in a life time experience. For a moment the entire world knew about the birth of my son. For me it was a big deal so yeah I made a t-shirt. I think it's a funny shirt. I get that there are a lot of explanations, but I think the hospital knows it was wrong to charge for this. I have friends who works there and I have been told they will never charge anyone for this again.

That baby's 15 minutes of fame came really early it seems.

More: After having a baby, this woman was charged £31 by her hospital to hold it