mom2015:


I had my first child at wakemed Raleigh and the bill was on a high side, I didn't use epidural. Your best bet is to use duke regional hosp, the bill is ant half the price of Raleigh. Please avoid other hospitals like a leach.
You don't need a doctor at duke or wakemed, u will use the midwife for ur anc and d available doctor for ur delivery. Baby passport takes any 6weeks and the process is very slow, otherwise it's a really nice and quiet place.
I hope this helps

Pls what's the estimated delivery cost at Duke regional hospital?

mom2015:


I had my first child at wakemed Raleigh and the bill was on a high side, I didn't use epidural. Your best bet is to use duke regional hosp, the bill is ant half the price of Raleigh. Please avoid other hospitals like a leach.
You don't need a doctor at duke or wakemed, u will use the midwife for ur anc and d available doctor for ur delivery. Baby passport takes any 6weeks and the process is very slow, otherwise it's a really nice and quiet place.
I hope this helps

Hi there
Thank you v much for sharing your experience & guiding.
I sent you message(email) , wanna ask some more detailed info
i'll be grateful

Oh okk..thank you!

mumzt:


Yes it does

so here comes part 3 of my testimony, mind you UK is critical of pregnant Women especially Nigerians to go to the UK for childbirth because healthcare is free to citizens and residents via NHS. hence the rigorous check we were subjected to at heathrow airport. so we left UK after the 10 days "layover", i ensured DW wore stuffs to conceal her bump just so BA staff dont ask for a new fit to fly cos the one we got from nIgeria had now gone beyond the 7 days window prior to flying. we checked in and boarded without any issues and thankfully the bump was not notice. we arrived GIA houston and there was a massive crowd i think abt 5 planes landed about same time. i filed the landing card and joinr the queue, we were scaning thru the CBP officers to see the one with the most welcoming face/smile when we were called to go to an entirely different counter on the far left. so we met this latino looking man and the following sonversations ensued
Me: Good day
CBPO: Good afternoon and request for passports and landing card
Me: Handed over passports and landing card (i missed out a section and he pointed it out and i completed it)
CBPO: why did you come to america
Me: Vacation and to have our baby if we have the opportunity
CBPO: Why do you want to deliver your baby here
Me: Nigeria has a very high birth mortality (dint even know if i shld say infant mortality or childbirth mortality)
CBPO: How much do you have
Me: 3700 USD and abt 10k in a bank card
CBPO: How long do you wana stay
Me: I said 10 -12 weeks and DW said 3 months
CBPO: (typed on his keyboard for like 3 minutes and then took fingerprints and photograph for DW)
Me: (Just praying in my heart)
CBPO: Have u contacted doctors and hospitals
Me: Yes and attempted to bring out the burden of proof and all but he didnt seem interested so I refrained from bringing them out
CBPO: did my finger prints, took my photograph and he stamped me in till april 2017 and sent DW for secondary inspection

I asked where i could wait for DW and he pointed towards the exit, I gave DW the ipad, budget sheet, burden of proof etc and told her i will be praying for her. I was praying like i had never did before, I prayed psalm 18 and psalm 24 while i was waiting for DW.

DW said she entered the secondary inspection room and saw a lot of people and she was wondering how long she wld have to wait till her turn. Surprisingly, she was called after just 5 minutes and here starts the miracle.

This time it was a female CBP officer
CBPO: (looks at her passport and saw that DW's middle name is a Yoruba name) Are you Yoruba?
DW: Yes ma
CBPO: "Ka a bo" and "ba wo ni" (meaning "welcome"and "how are you" in Yoruba)
DW: (at this point DW was in shock and cldnt believe this Caucasian woman speaking Yoruba to her, at this point they both burst in laughter)
CBPO: I hope you drank a lot of water while on the plane, You should ensure you take plenty of water while your are here.
DW: (stood there and was shaking and saying) "yess madam" "yess madam"
CBPO: Can i see your bump (DW wore a Jacket)
DW: (removed her jacket)
CBPO: its a boy!
DW: Yes its a boy and how did you know ma?
CBPO I just knew from the shape of your bump
DW: (Stood speechless)
CBPO: Have you contacted a doctor/hospital
DW: Yes and handed her the correspondence
CBPO: (She took it and didn't read through, didnt even look at it)
Stamped her till april 2017 (6 months), returned her passport and other documents. Furthermore, she told her to send an email, if she wana stay longer than 6 months. then she said enjoy your stay, have a safe delivery and make sure you pay your bills.

My beautiful people of NI, Una thank You o! This can only be God!
The formular remains adequate preparation plus faith in God! Glory be to God!
Also worthy of mention are the following VVIPs justwise, Firsttymum, nefertitiram, lobus, nnystc and every other mama n papa, you all have been very resourceful. God bless u all immensely .

Hi Momo13! please how much did you pay for your infant's ticket?was it 10% of "your" return ticket?were you able to book for basinet?please can you fill me in on return waka with turkish airlines..thank you!

Momo13:

I flew turkish airlines back home. The Washington to Istanbul leg was fantastic... Istanbul to Lagos flight was horrible!

Hi,
Its common knowledge that a one way ticket is always more expensive than return. On a given day, a one way ticket can cost more than the entire return ticket. So naturally, return is preferred.

If you prefer one way, then by all means...

Niksie:


@Nnystc @Oye84 Thanks for the info. please is it that one-way ticket they wanted to offer wont work @10% too. i just want to know why one should insist on return ticket.

Cc Prettymi20
Per adding infant ticket:
Heres a guide for you. By God's grace youll be successful like myself and the other mums who used it. Cheers!

Nnystc:

Okay guys.
I was going to post this on my return, as part of a fancy 'missionary journey' post... once I settled down... But that day when I finally settle down doesn't seem to be near the horizon (been sleeping like someone on drugs!). And I realized that the more I wait, the worse for those who may have benefitted. So here goes:

I was able to reduce my infant ticket from earlier quotes of $469 (one way ticket) and $593 (return ticket with option of claiming back cost of one leg).
My flight was on KLM.

How did I do it?
After all the grammar they were speaking, I got inspiration from above to do the following:
1- search flights originating from your departure airport (in my case LA-Lagos-LA). These flights are cheaper than Lagos-LA-Lagos, and as baby is an American citizen, you are within his rights to do this.
2- Baby's departure date should be the same date you're leaving US.
3- For Baby's return date, search the airline website for the cheapest date you can find no matter how close or far apart the outward and return dates are.
4- once you get a good combination, call the airline and tell them you want to add your baby to your ticket. If they ask for the itinerary, give them the dates you have searched. They should then give you a cost of 10% of that booking cost.
If they tell you no seat, be ready to defend ya case. Baby is a lap infant and doesn't need seat, you just want to take advantage of the good deal you found.
5- if they ask questions be ready to defend your position. In my case they asked how will baby use the return leg? My response was that I will either book my ticket to tally with his return leg when the time comes, or claim a refund on that leg, or allow the ticket to lapse if I'm unable to travel on his return date.
6- If you get a good rate pay IMMEDIATELY! No dulling!

After doing this my final ticket cost for baby was $91.66 and it was a non-refundable ticket but I didn't mind.

So far this worked for me on KLM and for another NL mum (who I shared the info with) traveling on BA.

I want to believe it should work for other airlines too.

So ladies, all the best as you try this. Make sure you come and give your testimony when it works for you oh!!!

Ogz and kizzez!!
Cc: Pokompakam

Maximum you can buy per person is 4k for PTA and 5k for BTA, I bought 4k on Monday @N371 and wifey bought 4k @N356 too when she was travelling earlier in September which is the maximum we are eligible for.

Passport was stamped on the last page.

The basic challenge is the amount of time spent attending to one person, without exaggerating they spend averagely >45 mins attending to one person.

With respect to payment…..Though it is displayed they accept cash but on both occasions they refused to collect cash. You need to ensure you have all the money in accounts/cards bearing your name as they refused to accept cards with names different from the person travelling. Also it is important you confirm your bank’s daily POS limit (and ask your bank to increase your limit) as this was a challenge for some people and they couldn’t get all the amount they want. Most cards didn’t allow more than 1 million, and some were even as low as 500k. No one did wire transfer while I was there but they said they can accept it but it was not encouraged as they said they will have to confirm they have received the money in their account before they can proceed.

With respect to BVN, they no longer accept the option of checking your BVN via your phone using the code, they insisted you had to present your BVN card and for someone like me that didn’t have, I used a printout I got from the bank and this was what most people used as well.
Dollars were not given at the counter like they did when my wife travelled in Sept. I got it at the boarding gate.

Got to the airport around 12 noon though my flight was for 11:30pm cos of our experience when my wife was travelling. Was able to get around 10:00pm.

You need to brace yourself as it could be chaotic as the security personnel are not able to maintain order. When I got there, we were asked to write our names by the security personnel and take note of our number on the list. The list was used for some hours before it was discontinued and everyone was asked to line up and the queue will be used (unfortunately, I was away at this point to check in my bags) as this was why I also didn’t get on time.

Based on my experience on the day my wife was travelling and the day I was travelling too, with due respect to all concerned, only one of their four attendants knows what she is doing and very efficient as she spends averagely less than 15 mins attending to one person. She is dark in complexion and will be in her mid 20s or early 30s. The queue she is attending to (no matter how long) is your best bet if her shift is the one on duty. Be on the lookout for her

There is a fair lady who should be in her late 30s…. please do not join the queue she is attending to even if the other queue is 10 times longer as I can assure you all the others on the other queue would have been attended to before it gets to your turn. She leaves her seat repeatedly for over 30 minutes without saying a word to anyone and even when she is on her seat, she spends not less than 1 hour attending to one person. She finds it hard to answer your question ……………. And so on.

The only man in their midst, is not very different from the fair lady but he is better as he stays on his seat though he is also very slow.

The fourth lady in her mid 20s and very very fair in complexion (wears glasses) is better than these other two but it seems she’s got other responsibilities in all fairness to her.

Very sorry for the long epistle….. hope it helps

Topnotch22:


@oye84 pls what it like buying with travelex.... was the maximum you could buy per person 2k each or yu just opted to buy 4k for yourself alone, did it take time??., did you have to get there very early and how soon did you get the dollar, was you passport stamped?? Etc.... I'm sorry for all the questions, I just want to be prepared.
Thanks

@oye84 and Nikkei, thanks alot for the info.. God bless



Maximum you can buy per person is 4k for PTA and 5k for BTA, I bought 4k on Monday @N371 and wifey bought 4k @N356 too when she was travelling earlier in September which is the maximum we are eligible for.

Passport was stamped on the last page.

The basic challenge is the amount of time spent attending to one person, without exaggerating they spend averagely >45 mins attending to one person.

With respect to payment…..Though it is displayed they accept cash but on both occasions they refused to collect cash. You need to ensure you have all the money in accounts/cards bearing your name as they refused to accept cards with names different from the person travelling. Also it is important you confirm your bank’s daily POS limit (and ask your bank to increase your limit) as this was a challenge for some people and they couldn’t get all the amount they want. Most cards didn’t allow more than 1 million, and some were even as low as 500k. No one did wire transfer while I was there but they said they can accept it but it was not encouraged as they said they will have to confirm they have received the money in their account before they can proceed.

With respect to BVN, they no longer accept the option of checking your BVN via your phone using the code, they insisted you had to present your BVN card and for someone like me that didn’t have, I used a printout I got from the bank and this was what most people used as well.
Dollars were not given at the counter like they did when my wife travelled in Sept. I got it at the boarding gate.

Got to the airport around 12 noon though my flight was for 11:30pm cos of our experience when my wife was travelling. Was able to get around 10:00pm.

You need to brace yourself as it could be chaotic as the security personnel are not able to maintain order. When I got there, we were asked to write our names by the security personnel and take note of our number on the list. The list was used for some hours before it was discontinued and everyone was asked to line up and the queue will be used (unfortunately, I was away at this point to check in my bags) as this was why I also didn’t get on time.

Based on my experience on the day my wife was travelling and the day I was travelling too, with due respect to all concerned, only one of their four attendants knows what she is doing and very efficient as she spends averagely less than 15 mins attending to one person. She is dark in complexion and will be in her mid 20s or early 30s. The queue she is attending to (no matter how long) is your best bet if her shift is the one on duty. Be on the lookout for her

There is a fair lady who should be in her late 30s…. please do not join the queue she is attending to even if the other queue is 10 times longer as I can assure you all the others on the other queue would have been attended to before it gets to your turn. She leaves her seat repeatedly for over 30 minutes without saying a word to anyone and even when she is on her seat, she spends not less than 1 hour attending to one person. She finds it hard to answer your question ……………. And so on.

The only man in their midst, is not very different from the fair lady but he is better as he stays on his seat though he is also very slow.

The fourth lady in her mid 20s and very very fair in complexion (wears glasses) is better than these other two but it seems she’s got other responsibilities in all fairness to her.

Very sorry for the long epistle….. hope it helps

[/quote]

I didnt use epidural. In Northside, epidural does not form part of the hospital bill. It is billed differently

Gagat:

For clarification purpose, pls did u use Epidural and was d cost of epidural part of your hospital bill? Pls I will send a PM to u

lobus:


What is your budget?

. I'm also interested, in an accommodation around westchase houston,travelling next week to stay for 2months

[quote author=Nnystc post=50539915]Cc Prettymi20
Per adding infant ticket:
Heres a guide for you. By God's grace youll be successful like myself and the other mums who used it. Cheers!


Thanks so much,

ok true that...thanks.

Nnystc:
Hi,
Its common knowledge that a one way ticket is always more expensive than return. On a given day, a one way ticket can cost more than the entire return ticket. So naturally, return is preferred. If you prefer one way, then by all means...

ubigurl:
. I'm also interested, in an accommodation around westchase houston,travelling next week to stay for 2months

You can send me a PM

My beautiful people of NI, Una thank You o! This can only be God!
The formular remains adequate preparation plus faith in God! Glory be to God!
Also worthy of mention are the following VVIPs justwise, Firsttymum, nefertitiram, lobus, nnystc and every other mama n papa, you all have been very resourceful. God bless u all immensely .[/quote]

You are welcome bro. Regards to Madam

volsea:


Thanks I want to know how good they because they seems to be the cheapest I've gotten so far. I arrived Orlando Florida on Saturday with ease of entry the CBP didn't even notice I'm pregnant. I've been searching for Doctor and hospital since them but the price is very high, though already have appointment with doctoresparati, but the fear of staying alone without any relative for CS is my problem. So if I couldn't get any cheap hospital here I will quickly port back to my elpaso with reasonable price ooo.

she enjoyed her stay all through and she confirmed that she didnt have any issue with the doctor she used. you might want to try out though.

globalcitizen:

My beautiful people of NI, Una thank You o! This can only be God!
The formular remains adequate preparation plus faith in God! Glory be to God!
Also worthy of mention are the following VVIPs justwi, Firsmum, nefertitir, lob, nny and every other mama n papa, you all have been very resourceful. God bless u all immensely .

First of all
I actually admire how u prayed for ur wife.

What God has settled no man can "unsettle".
We give God all the glory.

Walk in singing * Victory belongs to Jesus, Victory belongs to him*
So I am here to give my own testimony. The lord has done it for my family at last. Husband and I went to lagos embassy today. And our interview went thus:
Vo: Good morning
Dh and I: Good morning
Vo: Passport Please
Dh: Presented the Passport
Vo: What do you want to go and do in USA
Dh: Give birth to our child to access state of art maternity care.
Vo: What do you do:
Dh: Hubby answered and mentioned the equipment he used
Vo: Ask me same question
Dw: bleep... Work in Nigeria and mentioned the other country and state all the job responsibilities bla bla bla
Vo: How much is your budget
Me: mentioned the amount excluding accommodation.
Vo: Ask about my husband first degree and other qualifications
Dh: He bleeped it.
Vo: Ask me when I joined my organization
Me: Bleep
Vo: Ask about the hospital and the doctor we are using
Dh and I: La, and we told him the doctor name.
Vo saw that at my last interview that I mentioned I and I told him it's the same just b function as IT manager. Then he started typing profusely and he asked us is this our first child we both answered Yes and he smiled congrats . The next word is "CONGRATS PICK UP YOUR VISA AT THE DESIGNATED BLA BLA BLA. Then he advised to take all documents necessary to Poe and all.

Na so me and my husband dey dance and dey greet everybody sheepishly.

Want to appreciate everyone on this forum can't mentioned all but you all are the best.@ ladyguineverre, Feddy27,firsttymum, justwise.

Note: Gods favour is the key, this is my 3rd time of going for US interview and God took control this time . No document checked also. But we made sure we talk all talkable for our bukka cavity

Next to LA Poe.

Hello all, in the spirit of giving back , this is my POE testimony. first of all, thanks to all who directed me to buy Qatar tickets during their promo, we got a great deal for 3 people at 940 k. We also got PTA from First bank at 343. then sourced for other forex from black market.

Got to MMIA early to check in and do port health. Flew on tuesday 25th October at 30wks with my toddler daughter. I had booked the transit hotel online , so went straight there on arrival at doha and rested till 7am. spent 14hrs to get to atlanta, flight was good, not full with plenty food and drinks.

In atlanta, I did automated processing and met the CBP officer. He asked my purpose , how much money I had and type of food stuff I carried. He sent me to secondary inspection once I declared childbirth. spent less than 10mins there. Was asked how much cash I had , where I was going to deliver and after flipping through my documents, released me to go. only my noodles were seized at agric check point.

I quickly took my bags and left for the exit. my host was already waiting to pick us up. currently resting now, will be going to my final destination by weekend. wishing everyone a great testimony as well.

AdomMum:
Hi Momo13! please how much did you pay for your infant's ticket?was it 10% of "your" return ticket?were you able to book for basinet?please can you fill me in on return waka with turkish airlines..thank you!

I returned with Turkish 2days ago, infant ticket was $78. I paid in naira (40,980) tru their abj office. U can also pay at the check in counter, saw someone doin dat. Flight ws fantastic, bassinet ws provided. Gifts were given to my infants.

Akorkor, congrats my darling! I'm happy for you. The rest of your journey will be a success

Hello e family.

Please is there anyone who got baby a nigerian passport recently by walking in to the embassy regardless of the appointment date given you?

Also, how far apart is the ąppointment date from the time one applies? is one able to choose between dated for a convenient time?

sorry for the confusing questions. Please help a tired first time mom

Earlybird81:


Please anyone who can assist with the above request?

Do u have a dom account? Let hubby fund it... Even if it's just $100. He can buy at blackmarket rate.
U can withdraw and use. If u don't... U prolly might have a relative who does...
Book with airbnb..
And then use their card details to pay.
That's after ur hubby has funded the account

[quote author=Meeracle post=50360011][/quote]

Thanks so much Ozycy, will work with that

Meeracle thanks alot. Tried to google but i will appreciate if u hv a reliable one u can refer me to.

coolcathy:
I'm a Houston December mama in need of an affordable accommodation.will appreciate any good suggestion.

Hello coolcathy we can work together, when are you traveling?

Earlybird81:

Anyone in this blessed forum who can assist us with a place to lay our heads just for one night?We really don't mind sleeping even on the floor....

I think you should ask someone to book a hotel close to the airport from Nigeria for you. Some of these hotel booking sites still quote in Naira and the person can send you the booking details through your email so you can present at the hotel. That seem to be the suggestion i can come up with especially because this is a faceless forum and you may not be able to guarantee your safety even with the one night with a complete stranger. goodluck.

Hawtmom:

Hello coolcathy we can work together, when are you traveling?

Ok...contact me on coolamyh@yahoo.com

Nawa o. All dis on top ur own money?!
Mine was a walk in d park then! It is well with us.

oye84:

... Was able to get around 10:00pm.

[quote author=mamacajah post=50549268]
Got to MMIA early to check in and do port health. Flew on tuesday 25th October at 30wks with my toddler daughter. I had booked the transit hotel online , so went straight there on arrival at doha and rested till 7am. spent 14hrs to get to atlanta, flight was good, not full with plenty food and drinks.

please, how much was the transit hotel and do you know which of their class of economy tickets that do not qualify for he free accommodation in Doha?

TripleKMama kindly ease my confusion before I confuse my sister here, can I buy at travelex and still buy from bank, or I have to choose from one of the above.

To add to the testimony being shared here today, I am here to share that of my DW as she went for her visa interview today. Please see transcript below:

DW: Good Morning
VO: Good Morning, Passport please
DW: passes it
VO: Why are you goin to the US?
DW: To have my baby
VO: Where are you going?
DW: El Paso, Texas
VO: Can I have the bank statement please?
DW: Passes my statement across
VO: Are you doing self-pay or will be taking insurance?
DW: Looking puzzled, Nope. We already made payments for Doc & Hosp bills and I have the receipts here
VO: Oh, really?
DW: Hands them over to her
VO: Why did you choose this hosp?
DW: We researched and had three options, the fastest response was from this particular hosp and they asked for us to search for a Doc within their network
VO: What do you do?
DW: She answered
VO: What does your husband do?
DW: She answered
VO: have you contacted the doc?
DW: Yes, i have the correspondence with the hospital - hands it over. Also, we have made accommodation bookings - hands that over as well
VO: I see you have made all these payments, what if you are not able to go? Do you lose all the money?
DW: The invoice clearly states they are refundable, we made the payments based on the budget sheet we created
VO: Budget sheet? I have never seen one
DW: Hands it over
VO: typing on the keyboard
VO: have you been outside the country before?
DW: Yes, I have been to Dubai, SA and also did my masters in the UK.
VO: Your passport will be ready in four days - hands white paper
DW: Thank you - walks away - wakes me up in the car.

Thank you NL family, you guys have been really helpful, any Feb 2017 El Paso bound mum in the house? Do send a PM.