A hospital in the Utah Valley charged a mother nearly $40 for allowing her to hold her newly-born baby, a post-natal hospital bill posted on social-networking platform Reddit revealed.

Ryan Grassley, a.k.a. Reddit user halfthrottle, revealed that he and his wife had to pay $39.35 to hold their son immediately after the child took birth via cesarean section at Utah Valley Hospital.

It may be noted here that the “skin-to-skin” practice is viewed to have several benefits. It for instance, is believed to create a deep bonding between the child and the mother.

Grassley wrote that he was lucky because his wife had insurance and most of the costs of the delivery were covered. He added that he posted the bill online because he thought it was funny.

The mother wrote, “When I gave birth, I too, was fortunate enough to have complete insurance coverage. I don’t even remember reviewing the bill … But it’s no wonder folks can’t afford health insurance! Hospitals can charge whatever they want.”

Janet Frank, a spokesperson for Intermountain HealthCare’s Utah Valley Hospital, confirmed that the photo of the bill posted online by Grassley is real. The spokesperson said it’s an actual fee with a reason behind it.