₦airaland Forum

Regarding Stanbic & getting PTA, been on the matter for over a week. I did have to open an account with them but was told they are out of $ till January and don't know when in January it'll be available. So January travellers like me are in the hot seat esp considering the current $ rates knowing it will not get any better soon. Abeg to those who explored the First Bank Western union transfer...did it pan out?

Thanks everyone, highly appreciated. @ donugapi I'm hitting Stanbic IBTC tomorrow by God's grace...will be back with feedback.....

Hello people...abeg who knows of any banks in Lagos still selling PTA? Know of only 2 banks..Union & Eco....Tried Union bank & was told $$ is only sold to their staffs & spouses for now (who knew it would pay someday to be married to a Union bank staff ) and i dont have an acct with Ecobank, offered to open one but was told I'll need to run it for 6 months to be eligible...any other ideas pls?

[quote author=firsttymum post=40755372]nope.
I'm doing mine in naija.
Ask Dr E for circumcision. Their quote to me was 150... Buh me and hubby wants real naija circumcision and we don't wanna take chances... We don't want corner "preek".

She's the pediatrician u see post delivery. Erm u r discharged they ask for details of Dr(pediatrician) u wanna see post delivery. Oakbend gives u a letter addressed to the Dr.
This letter contain investigations done, child's birth findings etc.
Lol @ "corner preek"...got it....Thanks dear

firsttymum:
rubina khan with clinicare... Google her. Her number is there too u can call to book appointment. But at the hospital before they discharge ur baby they ask for the info.
It's not our Dr that appoints for us

@firsttymum..pls I need a lil more info ..is it this same pd that handled your baby's circumcision, if not who handled it? And as she's not affiliated with Oakbend, you were able to use her only after you have been discharged?

Okay..Thanks dear...And lol @ epidural being the next best thing after jollof rice..

firsttymum:
yes love.... All fees remain d same. She didn't use epidural I did. That's 900. Once I'm done with my bills will post it.

Yeah, saw her earlier post & figures. I'm assuming the prices may have changed & u seem to be the most recent mum there. Guess all fees remain same. Thanks

firsttymum:
ozycy posted the fee breakdown already. I'm still here. I'm not done with my bills. Still lamenting about one of the bills.

Lol...my preferred Dr who I used last year for my first baby has almost doubled his fee. So I thot i'd just try a new hospital entirely that's cheaper & Oakbend seems to be okay. Will make a final decision after I visit Oakbend tho...fingers crossed

anonymousmum:
@IjayMama why are you porting

Hi firsttymum, tried to send you a pm but couldn't. Just want a break down of your bills so far. Leaving for my second missionary journey in a few weeks & I'm hoping to port from Methodist Houston to Oak bend. Any details will help including the Dr you used & Pd...thanks
Also please anyone, how soon can I buy pta? Travelling early January, too early to purchase & would I be attended to?

firsttymum:
Brown and associates are the laziest and slowest of all the d people u have to settle ur bill with. They ain't joking with ur two weeks o. They will tell u two weeks after u r discharged.... And mehn dem no dey play

We've settled every bill. We r just waiting for brown and associates like kilode.

favoredgal:
oh really? so maybe i should just go ahead and buy then..a lot of people have shared unpleasant experience on this thread as per adding baby ticket with wakanow hence my reservations

First week of Dec - 3rd week of Jan

I bought my ticket from wakanow and didn't have a problem on my return. Called the airline & paid 10% of the cost for my baby. You shouldn't have a problem.

Enyinne:
Pls fellow mama that hv done c-section here, I hv a little issue bothering me. Am scheduled for my c-section tomorrow at 37weeks as am considered high risk due to protein in urine. My doc at WHMC told me not to take water from 12midnite today till tomorrow morning 9am when I will give birth. But when I had my son using emergency c-section at premier specialist hospital at vi 4yrs ago thru Dr iwuh he never mentioned that,giving that I gave birth on a Sunday evening that means I hv already chop my rice,with okpomo and drank water and I delivered around 5pm. Pls how did ur doc handle this no water issue before c-section as I normally take lots of water and I don't know how I will survive this throat dryness for hours unending.

Guess the first cs was not scheduled & was an emergency. But when it's scheduled, dr's always play it safe & would rather you have an empty stomach cos some people throw up under anesthesia & could choke on their vomit. I had a scheduled induction last year when I had my baby in Methodist Sugarland and I was warned not to take anything from 12 midnight before coming to the hospital. Guess d dr decided dat cos if LO refuses to come out on her own, cs wld b d next option.I was induced at 2 am & LO didn't come till 4.30pm fortunately thru vaginal delivery tho ...but trust me, when the drama starts hunger will be your last worry. They likely will give you ice chips @ some point to snack on tho...lol

@bbaby84
GC's paediatricians ain't great. My daughter is 13 months & we've used them since our return. We have just been blessed cos she hasn't had any issues except cold. The few times we met the PD, she sounded like she don't know what she's doing. Besides if you are under HMO, you can't see a PD directly. You must see a GP & he must refer you to the PD if he feels necessary or if beyond his comprehension & trust me, he will try not to. We are currently looking for a good Paediatric hospital & least for our LO, while we stick with them till I make my trip.

Hmm @ GC. ..Dat's where I'm registered for prenatal oh. Cant wait to make my trip, i no wan hear story. Not surprised @ your experience MiddyO(sorry for your loss dear), intuitively I don't feel very confident in their Dr's esp their paediatricians. I will show this to hubby to kill his confidence in them so we can change hospitals.
Tho I'm preparing for my second missionary journey, abeg those who have used Methodist Sugarland & were able to pay less than $1500 for anesthesia..tell me how you did it pls. Had my first baby there last year & preparing for a return match @ same hospital cos I can't flaw their services but I can flaw their bills...Besides I called my Dr's(Dr Lee) office to make an appointment & was told his fee is no longer $1500 but $2500..any known cheaper Dr's associated with this hospital and Pd's? Got a bill of over $800 for the Pd's visit in the hospital for only 2 days...excluding visits after discharge from the hospital...can't do that again...Help pls. ..Trying to save some $$$

I had my baby there. They have a fixed rate of $1500 for epidural which is same as anesthesia & you have to pay before delivery. You shouldn't receive an extra bill. You should discuss it with them ASAP. Also may I know what Dr(obgyn) / paediatrician you used and how much you paid.

gaggle:
pls anyone that used houston methodist Sugarland apart from the $1500 epidural fee did you still get $600+ bill from anesthesiologist o. Pls, help b4 someone comes down with a heart attack. Hmmmm

olokings:
It's pain mgt coy affiliated with Methodist Richardson.

Okay...Thanks very much. Appreciated.

@olokings
The $1000 discounted fee you paid for epidural was at a Methodist Hospital? If yes, which please?

Thank you all mamas..xoxo

Hello Nairalanders, been a while. I had my adorable lil princess August last year in Methodist Hospital Sugar land but right now im in panic mode cos I just found out we are expecting another! My baby is due March and my visa expires February ending. I plan to travel to the US in December...how possible is it dat I use 1 visa for 2 babies, and what if I don't get 6 months at the POE...and considering I haven't been to the US since I had my first baby last year, what would my experience at the POE likely be? Please help!

P.S.
I'm a frequent traveller to the US before I had my daughter and I have all my receipts with zero balance so I'm not owing a dollar.

shelly23:
Please I'm still waiting for an answer to my question. I really need help. I've gotten a reasonable hospital and doctor in Orlando, I just want to be sure of what to do about my visa without jeopardizing my chances.

thanks

I renewed my visa via Dropbox and didn't state I was going specifically to have a baby. You are only eligible for drop box if you are applying for the same visa type & under d same circumstances in your previous successful application. Therefore I still applied as a tourist(after all, after having my baby I will still visit the US. Having a baby is just for this trip). But at the point of entry you will inform them that ur current trip is to have ur baby. Your visa type is usually b1/b2. They will stamp u b1 upon entry for medical use. You may want to ask what others think but this is what I did.

anonymousmum: Hi Ijaymama,

I called Methodist Houston Sugarland, they transferred me from one department to another to no avail - no one was able to give me a quote.

I know that you have posted the prices for the hospital here but I just wanted to get confirmation from them directly...

Do you have a number I can call to speak to the relevant person who can give me these quotes?

thanks for your time

2812747080, 2812747000, 2812768562.
Ure wlcm.

@Weaseloo- they take patients up to 36wks. And I flew united, they let u fly up until ur nineth month.

ozycy: . Yes, as for me, d way out is for ur hubby to go to US embassy as soon as u have ur baby, u hv to book appointment wt dem on der website, just search for US citizen stuff like dat on der website, u go see am, den he will pick a date, most times, u will see like d following days date, it's free o, he will carry d notary form der, dey will notarise it, dats all, den he can send it tru courier, mine took abt 3 days to get to me.

Hey ozycy,
Thanks. How long ago was dis? Need to knw if dis is a new procedure. Thanks a lot.

hawtmum: @IjayMama: my husband didn't notarise at the embassy. And i got my son's passport.

Hi hawtmum,
Thanks for the info. How long ago was this tho?

Hi Nairalanders,
Just for clarity, is this true? "Please note that they (referring to the US passport issuing office) no longer accept just any notary from Nigeria except it comes from the american embassy in nigeria"....new mamas who just processed their babies documents shld pls help out.
Also I still need the contact info of any agents in Houston area who can help process Nigerian visa.
Warm regards.

uchetobi: @mollydee88. Congrats and you welcome.

@ijaymama you don't need to expedite anything. Dint they tell you at the hospital how soon it will come out? Go to the relevant county, I assume it's fortbend county since my hospital was also at sugarland. Mine came out 4 days post birth

When you get it call Houston passport office downtown for an appointment (check google for the address), drive down there, submit the relevant document and pick up your baby's passport the same day or the next day.

Then get the Naija visa, using an agent or however you choose. all these can be done in two weeks

Thanks uchetobi....I wasn't informed at d hospital hw long it'll take to get d birth cert but I'll ask.
Wld also appreciate more info or a contact for d agent who cld help get Naija visa...thanks.

anonymousmum: hello Ijaymama,

Methodist Sugarland is looking very attractive to me as I have family in the area...

Please can you provide more information re:

1. I went to the website and saw a loooong list of doctors to choose from. How did you get to meet Dr. Le? I wont mind you sharing what informed your decision to use Dr. Le...
2. When did you reach out to them? I am just a few weeks into the second trimester, i'm thinking maybe its too early?
3. Did they provide you e-mail correspondence before you traveled?

4. Did you have to pre-pay in any way?

Sorry many questions but I'm thinking you seem to have a lot of info since you are on ground.

Thanks, very grateful

Hi anonymousmum,
1)Honestly, I arrived at exactly 36wks and after selecting Methodist Sugarland as my hospital of choice, i went to their site and had to just keep calling several Dr's on the list but some we're booked till next yr or didn't want to take my case cos I'm far gone. So I called d hospital and a nurse recommended Dr Le, dat she could fix me Into his schedule and dats hw I got him. But after selecting him, I heard he is a great Dr esp if you have a high risk pregnancy. Turned out lots of Naija women know and always select him as their ob-gyn.
2) I reached out to them on my arrival here oh. So just make sure u don't come in later than 36wks.
3) I had no correspondence with them nor any hospital prior to my arrival
4) I paid only on my first prenatal visit.
They will need to see you in person before accepting any payments. At the POE, they are aware some hospitals don't accept any correspondence nor cash before the arrival of the patient, so don't be worried if you don't have mails to show.

P.S
Please for mamas who hve had their babies in Texas and hve started processin or already processed their baby's US passport and Naija passport or visa, could u kindly give us info on how to get these docs within the shortest time possible? And wld appreciate any info on how to also fast track baby's birth cert.
Thanks.

Methodist Hospital Sugar Land. I was told I will do only one test, it'll cost $10 and it's compulsory cos I wanna hve a vaginal delivery & they need to b sure I don't hve any infection dat can affect d baby during birth. All my test results from my hospital in Naija was accepted. The Dr's name is Dr. Duc Le. He accepts patients till 36weeks.

Hey Nairalanders, great discussions & great people here who have been very helpful to others. I've followed d thread only for a few wks and I did get some helpful tips, therefore I'll share a few too. Although I'm a frequent traveler to the US , this time I was traveling to have my first baby and I was nervous. Anyways,I arrived on Monday morning, POE Houston. Was asked d usual question abt d purpose of my trip,said summer vacation, then d officer asked if I'm expecting a baby to which I said yes. He told me to step aside and sent me to d secondary investigation rm. I waited for abt 30mins and was called into a rm. d guy asked what I'm in d US for, and I sincerely said to have a baby. He asked if I had contacted a hospital and had any correspondence, I said I hve contacted a hospital but they won't discuss with me till they see my physically, that is their policy. He asked of the name of the hospital, I told him. He asked if I had cash, I said yes. Hw much? I said $9800. He told me to bring it out and hand to him. I did. He counted it one by one, was satisfied and handed d cash back to me. Then he said I shldnt accept any form of aid from d hospital even if it's offered to me and I shld ensure I pay all my bills and issued a zero balance on the receipt from the hospital as I'll be requested to show it on my next entry or visa application to the US. And I was let in. One lesson is to be sincere and the other is to carry CASH not Naija ATM cards cos they can't tell hw much u hve on ur card. Sufficient cash and ur ATM is gd too. Even if you have paid your medical bill in advance, it pays to still have cash on you at the POE.

P.S.
For those coming to Houston, I registered with Methodist Hospital. Their hospital bill is $2538 for vaginal delivery and $3780 for CS. Epidural is an additional $1500 which is optional. And I chose Dr. Le whose bill is $1500 for delivery and prenatal visits which include ultrasound scans and prenatal vitamins. The only thing not included in this package is tests which are not compulsory esp if you have done them in Nigeria. This is a fair deal & my first visit yesterday was gd. Don't 4get to come with your medical report from Nigeria as this will come in handy for the Dr, they won't want to take up your case blindly.
Regards.