₦airaland Forum

Hello Chibertha,

Please can you post what the real itemized bill look like?

Thanks

[quote author=chibertha post=64780803]Good day house @Omodadi2 sorry.

In 2015 Feb I put to birth in Houston at WHMC paid all my bills as per self pay $4000 for me and $362 for baby both well baby well mama 3 days stay.
I paid everything as per the offer before leaving the hospital.
Got my Zero balance letter and receipts for both accounts.
Then my visa expired in May 2015 and I renewed it in October 2015 via drop box.
Now went to renew Jan 2018 via drop box but passport returned and I am advised to schedule an interview ( yet to do that)
So I started arranging all necessary document's "every every " thinking i am good to go, untill a member of the house posted her transcript on how she was denied visa at her follow up interview because of itemized bill.
She came to see what it looked like and I put up what I thought it was only for me to see the real thing. Obviously I knew I didn't have it. So I called the hospital to send mine the reception referred me to hospital patients account services (which is in Georgia) trust me I called sharp sharp , only to be told that my sons account has $4230 debt on it.
Wow I screamed no way and asked why and how but the guy just said it's been there since 3 years.
I went gagas and called the main hospital line again requesting to speak to a financial counsellor (as I could not get hold of the person that signed and issued my initial letter)

Hello house,

Please are there no interview stories anymore? Successful or not? Or what is happening? Please share. It would go a long way. Thank you.

Hello People,
Please I have a few questions, forgive my ignorance;

I currently have a B1/B2 visa expiring in June and I intend to renew via drop-box. However, my passport expires Jan 2019 and my planned trip is in October and I may not be back before the passport expires.

1. Giving the current trend of ‘no passport booklet’, can I travel with my old passport in October even if I have started the process of passport renewal? Just incase it is not ready before I intend to travel. Is this allowed?

2. If yes to my first question, what happens if my passport expires while I am still in the US? And I still haven’t received the new passport.

Thank you.

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy...that's a whole lot to be grateful for. As someone has advised earlier, please apply alone next and your hubby can put in his own application with receipts and all when you are there and have paid all your fees. As for the date, just keep refreshing the calendar like every 10mins, closer dates pop up every now and then and you will be amazed how soon you could have another interview. Be well prepared pls...

sazlex:
Hello everyone,

Please I'm new here, though i have followed this thread for some time now. I am 24weeks pregnant for the 1st time after 4years and its twins. Based on our reading, we got all the necessary documents and applied for visa. Today was the interview date and we were denied visa. Please we intend to reapply but the next available interview date is May 31st. By this time i will be 34weeks and may not get airline approval to fly with twins. Please see transcript below. Please your help/advice.

Do I reapply?

Is it possible to apply for an earlier interview date and I have made another payment today for visa cos they said they want to increase the fees to 100k?

Do I use an agent to enable me get a close interview date?


VO: Good morning
ME/DW: Good morning.
VO: Passport please (We gave him)
VO: What’s your purpose of travel?
DH: To have our first baby after….. (VO cuts in). Was going to saying “after 4years plus of marriage and medical issues.
VO: Where in the USA?
DH: Houston, Texas
VO: What do you do?
DH: explains in details.
VO: Ma, what do you do?
DW: I work in a bank?
VO: A marketer?
DW: No, I work in the……….. unit
VO: What pro..……?
DW: ............explains job role in details.
VO: When are you due?
DW: July
VO: When are you travelling?
DW: May.
VO: Turns to ME, will you be travelling with her.
DH: Yes, to witness child birth.
VO: How long will you stay?
DH: 2weeks.
VO: Have you traveled before.
DW: No, although we were planning to travel to mark our 5th wedding anniversary in May but plans changed when we became pregnant.
VO: Am sorry you are not qualified for visa.
DW: But why?
VO: We are ensuring that only US citizens are in the US at this time and that those travelling have strong tiles to return.
DW: We are just going to have our baby. We have good jobs here.
VO: Am sorry, the interview is over

PLEASE HELP FOR QUICK CONCLUSION….

Congratu;ations MsDenise...you are such an amazing writer aswear! All the best with the rest of the journey

[quote author=MsDenise post=55578269]Hi everyone, jet lag is doing a number on me so I'll drop my POE experience as best as I can.

Flew Emirates at 32 weeks plus with LO. I filled and stamped the MEDIF form via my doctor and sent it to the airline. I got a call from Emirates a day to travel asking that I send my doctors Fit to Certificate since I accidentally missed a section in the form where I was meant to state the nature of my 'incapacitation' ( if that makes any sense). Was only asked for Fit to fly at the airport and I gave out 2 copies - once in Lagos and other in Dubai.

*plowing through*

8 hour flight Lag - Dubai
15 hour plus flight DXB - IAH (almighty HOUSTON )
Not for the faint hearted. The only seats where we could spread out and sleep were at the back of the plane so it was a tough choice between sleep and early disembarkment from the plane. I chose the latter to my ultimate chagrin - 15 hours sitting at an awkward angle is not a good idea. My LO had 2 seats to sleep on so I guess I have a lot to learn from her.


I digress..

Hi dear, please where did you find this?

favouredmum:
Good day house,

Qatar is currently doing a promo.

I jst saw a deal for N790k for an adult and a toddler (September ending to November ending) to Houston.

Hi dear,

Before loads of people see your questions...let me quickly advise you in the nicest possible way. This thread has Part 1-5. You do not even need to go back to 1. You can just start from Part 4 and all your questions will be answered adequately.

First and foremost though, you need to conclude on a budget and a state you would like to be (maybe somewhere you have family or friends to ease your accommodation bills), then you can streamline your search to those states. Page 0 of this thread has some vital info that can help you kick-start your search.

All the best!

TashaStPatrik:
Hello, am new here and a first time mum to be. Am due in Aug and want to give birth in the US. I will be going alone since hubby is busy with work. Pls what are the procedures? Any less expensive hospitals to contact that any of you recommends? How much do i need to have? I do not have a US visa, so i will need to apply for one; What is expected from me in order to obtain one? Pls i just need all the necessary info to give birth in the US.

God bless us all!!

Congratulations Papa! Welcome back. Please i need details on how to get visa on arrival. Will really appreciate your help. Sent you a PM. Thanks.

FADEO:
So missionary Journey completed. Returned to Naija on saturday 25th, march 2017. So here is the breakdown of experience and expenses....

Got to US through Houston POE on the 19th of January with DW and my Daughter.( I shared the POE experience previously)

On the 20th of January, went into Bank of America, Open a Joint account with DW and we were given temporary ATM card immediately while we deposited all the cash with us into the account. (This decision was on of the best decisions we made in the early part of our entry). I also applied for a credit card 2 weeks later as i realised that I cant rent a car unless i have a credit card.

On Medical,
LO arrives at Oakbend Medical center, Fortbend county on the 3rd of March, (2 days after due date) in the hands of Dr E, and while I was aked to Cut the umbilical cord, Nice experience. ( i also shared this earlier and I also commend all women, Una dey try abeg!!!)

Oakbend baby registry applied for a Birth certificate and SSN. While i booked appointement for Passport on the 14th of March as that was the earliest day. ( although i made delay of booking after DW was discharged, you may need to book appointment immediately the LO arrives)

DR E - 1900, Lab- 205 ( Dr E required a Lab test but we paid her)
Oakbend- 2500 (discharged after 2 days)
NICS(pead)- 335 (after 20% Discount)
Pead Visit - 100 ($50 per visit, had two visits)
Lab 49
Birth Cert 46 (for 2 copied, was read after 3 business days)
SSN free (Got it my mail on the 14th-5 business days from birth)
Passport 165 (expedited- visited the downtown office on tuesday and was asked to pick it up on friday)
VOA 180 (applied for visa on arrival on monday 20th and was ready on tuesday 21st, Thanks to Desoul...) Payment for the Visa done at the Nigerian Airport in Lagos, If you dont have a dollar card, you will pay $200 cash but if you have a dollar card you will pay $180

Infant ticket was war with Air France/KLM... I had a quote for $469.... I called over 13 times requesting to book a return ticket for the infant which could have dropped it to about 105$ but Airfrance/KLM no agree. It was annoying at a point cos the supervisor insistent that he has been working for 9 year with the company and it has never been done.... So on the last call, i gave up and put my mind to paying the 469$, which was paid at the airport.
Checked in 12 items (8 bags and 4 baby accessories). Flight was smooth, layover in Amsterdam was 5 hours and was not boring as we made use of the lounge. Touch down lagos saturday 25th, 2017 at 8:28pm.

Immigration was flawless and LO was stamped in for One month with VOA.

ALL ZERO BALANCE GOTTEN for all MEDICAL RELATED EXPENSES.

I hope I covered all areas in detail. Opened to any question. you can private chat me for more detail. Available 24/7 for any related question for anyone in this forum. This forum is a DIY forum, If you can read from part 1 and ask questions for clarity. From Visa application to doctors correspondence to Visa Interview to flight booking to food stuffs question to POE experience To Delivery and Documentation to Returning home and luggage management to avoid paying for extra luggages were all piece of cake due to the level of handful information from this forum.


I pray that God will continue to replenish all pocket of parent that are taking this step for their kids.

God Bless you all

Haba @nerf...you used to be nicer in 2014, biko what happened na?

nefertitiram:
Since you want my response so much here it is.

You concealed material information. Hence you lied.

To avoid further issues. Have the baby in Nigeria then go for vacation after.
Please stop spamming

Congratulations @shakidude, your story is quite an inspiring one. May God see you through the rest of the journey. God bless

shakidude:
Hello all,

Continuation of my experience.

Part 2:

After I was denied the visa renewal in Abuja, I contemplated going to Canada but found out that it takes about 4 month for visa processing and I'm far gone in my pregnancy. Hubby planned to send me to UK (I have a valid UK visa and family there.) since my pregnancy is high risk but me I was skeptical. If we are going to spend that much for birthing, it's better in the US where I get to have d health care that I want and also citizenship for my baby. I decided to try again this time in Lagos (exactly 2 weeks) as earlier adviced then by nefertitiram but I went alone cos hubby was not interested.

Here goes the transcript:

VO: good morn ma'am
Me: good morn
VO: where are you going in the US and why?
Me: Texas and to have my baby
VO: what do you do?
Me: I'm a physical therapist(physiotherapist)
VO: what are your roles?
Me well composed, told him a lot about all I do
VO: nodding and smiling. Okay, let's say I have left shoulder dislocation, how are you going to manage it?
Me: in my mind, I was like, is this a promotion interview or visa interview? Still calm and smiling I told him about how i will first assess him and how I will rehabilitate him till he will regain  functional use of his limb.
VO: impressed. Now glanced to d screen and read for a while. Turned to me and said. I see that you were recently refused in abuja
Me: that's correct
VO: do you know why?
Me: No I don't she no kuku tell me. Na green paper she give me.
VO: I also see that you have applied for all your visas in Abuja. Why have you decided to come to Lagos this time?
Me: like I said earlier. I was refused in Abuja and couldnt understand why and I wanted to reapply as soon as possible and I was under the impression that I will get a faster date in Lagos.
VO: how much are you paying for the birth?
Me: this time, I didn't bother to ask whether na doctor's fee or total. My budget is 20k. About 8500 for the doctor and other expenses
VO: can i see ur Dr's correspondence
Me: handed it over and he read through it
VO: how much did you pay the last time
Me: Though the hospital fee was  4200, I rented an apartment and paid 1500, I flew to Arizona with my husband, I bought groceries and others so if I calculate everything, I will say about 8 to 9k
VO: why are you not going to this same hospital this time around?
Me: this time I'm going alone. I can't afford to stay alone in Arizona without my husband since I have no family or friend there. I'm going to Texas to stay with a friend.
VO: how did you find out about this hospital
Me: smiled and answered. I did research online.
VO: He began typing for so long ooooo and I'm like wow! I hope he's not going to deny me again. Na so I begin fire prayer
VO: looked at me and said excuse me ma'am. He went inside with my passport oooo. I knew i had done my best and he was impressed with me. So maybe he went inside for further discussions. I continued praying and asked God to take control.
VO: came out much later with a bright smile. Congratulations ma'am, your visa has been approved. At that point, I went to Cloud 7 abi na 9 self.
Me: thank you, thank you.

I prayed before I went and friends and family prayed with me. I give the glory  to God for directing me to the right person and staying with me throughout the process.

Conclusion: If you are really convinced in your heart that you have not done anything wrong, never lied during your application or interview but was still refused, apply again, go with confidence and state your case. Most importantly, avoid Abuja embassy now if you are pregnant and going for visa renewal, they already have a mindset for refusal and it would be very hard to convince them.

Good luck to others.

Lmao...I know right.

I am an October mum too using Dr Z and Oakbend in Houston. I used Dr La and WHMC in 2014 when i had my daughter. Hoping for an equally awesome experience at Oakbend this year.

favouredmum:
LOL @ Morning sickness. Not same for everyone.

Hello everyone, sorry is it just me or has Oakbend reviewed their prices again? i am seeing $2,750 for vaginal and $3,950 for C-section reviewed on the 14th of March. Anyone else with a recent quote from them? Please share. Thanks

Good morning everyone, i honestly think you lot are being too hard on her. Remember, she just had twins via C-section and was given a ridiculous bill. There is something called post-partum depression which she may be struggling with and she may not be thinking clearly for now. We know she made mistakes and is still probably making more now but some words of encouragement and correcting her in love will do her more harm than good in this difficult situation.

My 2 cents.

nefertitiram:
Congrats on your twin babies. God bless and keep them.

As your mind is already made up I don't understand what you want from us here. People with experience have chipped in.

Travelling at 36 weeks is a no no with multiple pregnancy. No doctor in this world should declare that fit to fly. God forbid if you were turned back at the POE which grammar will you speak? As your doc hubby was on board meaning what? He will be able to deliver you abi? It is as easy as that?

You did not sign the contract with Ben taub for the cheaper self pay rate before delivery hence you lost that window of opportunity.

Why are you arguing WIC and Medicaid with nairaland members? Save the argument for the Visa officer during renewal.

You simply did not plan well for this journey and it was God that took control if not it would not have been a funny situation.

Congrata once again.

Hello everyone, please i need a little help. I have tried contacting Dr. Ezekiel via the hope womens clinic email address but i am not getting a response. Can anyone pls help with an email address i will get a response to? Also, tried calling the office phone number but no response. Thank you.

Hello Mamas

damidamsel:
@Kween2014... tx 4 ur response. No m yet to give birth but will be due anytime soon and we luv for him to be there to witness it as this is our first. I v paid d doctor and hospital bill so i scanned a copy of d receipts to him. The docs he has are as follow
1. Payment of Dr's fees
2. Payment of hospital fee
3. My data page n visa page
4. Dr and hospital correspondence
5. Marriage cert and change of name as my passport still bears my maiden name
6. Copy of budget sheet i made b4 traveling though i didn't need it afterall
7. His employment letter, leave letter, 3months payslip and 3months bank statement with substantial funds in it though we don't really need much funds as almost all things has been taken care of.

We wld be staying with my mum so no hotel booking. What else might u suggest? Looking at ur list though, i think i shld send him a copy of my return ticket also.

I honestly think you have it covered. I actually forgot to mention the marriage cert and change of name bit cos i did that as well.

They can see clearly from their system that you are there and all the claims are verifiable. I don't think he would have any issues at all.

damidamsel:
Hi NLers.....pls has anyone had DH apply for visit visa to witness birth of child after wifey was already in the US? Pls what documentation were required and what questions were asked. I am asking on this thread since its related to childbirth.

Kindly advise if u v been in this situation or if you know someone on this thread who has been so I'll contact d person. If this has been talked about before (though can't rbr seeing any as i am an ardent reader), pls just refer me to d page and I'll readup. Tx

@damidamsel, have you had your baby yet? Hubby applied for a visa after i had my baby cos he wanted to come assist me with travelling back home with the baby so the documents he took along were;

1. Photocopy of baby's birth cert
2. Photocopy of baby's data page
3. Letter of invitation from me
4. My visa page
5. His bank statement (though the money in it wasnt a lot at all but this did not matter)
6. My return ticket

He was actually told to come back with the receipts of payment of hospital and doctor which he did the following week and visa was granted without any hassle.

favouredB:
For mums that used Houston please educate us on where exactly to notarise the consent letter. Must it be at the embassy or can we use any notary public. Thank you and God bless you all for all your valuable information

Hallo, Houston passport agency accepts notarisation from the high court, I did mine at lagos high court and had no issues.

PetMe13:
@Kween thanks a lot. Of course it helps alot. Good to hear firsthand experience. How much did u pay ur paediatrician including all the newborn tests? Did u use epidural?

For now, I have only paid 189$ to my ped for all the care and tests while in the hospital. This fee is discounted as long as you pay within 1 week of discharge. However, he will be seeing my baby in 2 weeks, I don't know what that cost will be yet.

As for epidural, no I didn't but Its 1200$ and I hear it can be discounted also.

Teemotun:
Hello everyone,
Pls has anyone flown arik air in recent times and wat is the maximum weeks dey allow pregnant women fly?
I have my ticket already to new York using arik air and I ll be 32 wiks on the date of travel...Pls advise me cos Ve heard that they bounce people alot.thanks.

Please don't fly arik, my cousin was bounced at the airport on Sunday at 31 weeks 4 days despite the fact that she had her fit to fly letter. She was also headed for New York.

Hello Petme and upgradedmom, apologies for the late response, it's baby duties . WHMC is 2500 for vaginal and 4000 for CS. Please be aware that this is already discounted for a self pay patient on the condition that you make full payment before you are discharged... Please this is very crucial. This is inclusive of Bill for mum and baby as long as there are no complications, I had no reason to pay extra at all.

Like I mentioned earlier, I used Dr la so I don't really have any information on other Drs who use the hospital.

I had a baby girl so I did not circumcise. My paediatrician is Dr Zietz who is also really amazing and took care of my baby throughout our 2 days stay in the hospital.

All in all, my experience was amazing, nurses were sooo helpful and supportive before and after baby.

Hope this helps.

Hello everyone, praise God with me... My baby arrived last Wednesday 5:34pm at West Houston Medical Center and Dr La via normal delivery. Mother and baby doing fine. Experience was fabulous all the way, from prenatal visits to the delivery itself and 2 days postpartum stay in the hospital.

I will be happy to answer any question regarding the hospital and doctor.

I wish all expectant mums a safe delivery.

@ Web005, thank God for ur stress free entry. I'm also using WHMC and Dr La. I've had 2 appointments with him and my third is today. It's been fantastic all the way. Hope to jam you one of these days. All the best.

Hello beautiful people, pls I want to make a clarification oh. Is it true that the letter of consent that needs to be notarised and provided when applying for the baby's passport (if the father is not present) can be gotten even before the baby is born?

I was hoping to tell DH to sort that out and send it even before the baby arrives so as to fast track the document processing cos a friend said her hubby was able to leave the portion for date of birth blank and still got it notarised, she filled the portion herself after she gave birth and used it to process the passport.

Please help.

[quote author=shelly23 post=26910818]Congratulations! I pray we all have it as smoothly IJN.
Please which doctor/hospital are you using in houston?
[/quote

@ Shelly, I'm using Dr La and WHMC

Hello everyone, reporting live from Atlanta enroute Houston to the glory of God. This thread has been more than a blessing so I thought it wise to share my experience.

Background: I renewed my B1/B2 visa via drop box when I was already pregnant and later sent an email to the consular about my intentions, I got the standard response. I travelled yesterday at 33 weeeks, 6 days with Delta airline.

MMA Lagos: No one asked me for anything at the lagos airport, I was a bit pained sha as I had my fit to fly with me which i paid 10k for at the hospital ...anyway, better safe than sorry.

My Flight experience: it was fantastic....when I got to the gate, I used preggy face to ask if I could be upgraded to economy comfort with extra legroom (usually costs about 25k more), the lady nicely told me to be patient and she would do all she can. After boarding was over, I was upgraded ...lesson: never be too shy to ask, u deserve a priority treatment

At Atlanta poe: God took control, I was directed to the queue of a black young lady who at first looked mean but I just kept praying for favour.
Immigration officer: Good morning, what are you in the US for?
Me: To have my baby and a little vacation
IO: oh really, ur first?
Me: yes pls...
IO: where do u work?
Me: I work at.....
IO: Congratulations, do you have a doctor here?
Me: Yes, I do...in houston
IO: Have you made payments?
Me: Yes I have
IO: do you have your receipts? Can I see them?
Me: Yes I do (as I brought out my burden of proof envelope to remove the receipt, she just grabbed all the docs from me and scrutinised them one by one...docs include; my letter of appointment from doctor, receipts of payment from doc and hospital, email to the embassy and response, email correspondence with hospital and doctor, return ticket)
IO: who will help you with the baby after you give birth?
Me: My mum, she got in a few days ago.
IO:Where will u be staying?
Me: At my brother's house, he lives here.
IO: what does he do?
Me: he works with .......
IO: How much do u have on you?
Me: $3, 500
IO: do you have your credit card on you ntoo?
Me: yes pls
IO: in case of any complications, hope you can afford it?
Me: yes I can
IO: Where is your husband and what does he do?
Me: He is back in Nigeria and he works as a ......
....And so after the long epistle, i was stamped in B2 till April next year.
IO: Congratulations on ur baby.

All these took about 10 mins but no sec inspection and my luggage was not searched. To God be the glory.

oyinkay123: hello all, its my first time here, i went for my interview on tuesday, i told the VO i will be having my baby in the US. after all the questions and answers session, the VO requested for my evidence that i've contacted a hospital in the US, which i then handed over my email correspondences to her. after going through it, she said i should contact the hospital and equest for a detailed budget for delivery and then return to the embassy on thursday, which is tomorrow. she gave me a form to come with. what are the assurances of getting the visa.

@oyinkay123, like Phema said, your chances are really high as long as you do what is being asked of you.

Get a breakdown of the expected cost of delivery from the hospital and prepare a spreadsheet based on this and funds available in your account statement. All will be well.

I don't get it, so where is the right place? Besides it's not an advert, it's only for those interested to make communication easier since we would be using same hospital same time. Sorry oh mr Justwise!

@ Beebee and folusho, I will also be travelling early October to Houston. Using whmc and Dr La, would also wanna hook up. Maybe we can form a bbm group or something. Just thinking.