₦airaland Forum

firsttymum:
My baby is on permanent jetlag... Dude plays and seriously refuses to sleep during the day... But at night he crashes en... Sometimes u have to wake him up to eat. Unlike when we were in d US when. He keeps us awake at night and sleeps during the day.

Will consider the rechargeable batteries option. Getting original is my fear.

Happy new year

Happy new year.

Please get the plug adapter if you can. But make sure you always use it with a step down adapter for our naija voltage.

The suction of the pump is better with the adapter than with the batteries (the cost of which adds up pretty well over time).

Let the batteries serve as back up whenever you can't use the adapter e.g when u are out of the house.

omogedudu99:
My dear people,

Here is thanking God for another wonderful delivery experience.

Our lovely princess arrived on Friday Nov 13 at Centennial Medical Centre, Frisco;

Discharged and now awaiting BC and other documentation.

Will post details of our final bills later. Wishing all the awaiting mamas and daddies God's abundant grace.

Blessings.

Dear NL Family.

Compliments of the season and Happy New Year to everyone. Congratulations to all recent new mamas/papas; successful visa and POE stories, etc.

Its been terribly hectic for me since I got back to naija so I couldnt provide updates until now. Apologies.

I flew back to lagos on Dec 13 with United. It was very easy adding baby's ticket with United Airline even though I bought the ticket on wakanow. Paid $381.3 for my baby's ticket.

My final medical bills for Vaginal Delivery are as follows:

* Health Central Women's Care Frsico (Ob/Gyn). - $2500 (covers lab tests, 2 scans and prenatal supplements)
* Centennial Medical Centre Frisco - 2day stay at hospital for mum & baby - $3918
* Pediatrician (for hospital stay) - $696.66 (negotiated from $1,366)
* 2 week lab test (PKU) for baby @ Centennial Medical Centre - $38
* Village Pediatrics (after discharge from hospital) 2 visits - $237

Total:$7,389.66

Firstymum, thanks for the headsup about the increased baggage allowance for infants. I did some last minute extra shopping and was able to enjoy my baby's 2 bags allowance.

@MiddyO, how are you and your LO? Hope you are doing great. I sat beside your mum on my flight. Did she tell you? She was really awesome and helped me carry my daughter several times during the flight. Please extend my thanks to her.

The exchange rate and limit on transaction value on the Naija Mastercard almost messed me up. I was waiting to have my baby before doing most of my shopping cos I wanted to be sure of my bills first and that i was really having a girl. Thank God for the PTA that I bought before travelling and the fact that I had bought most of the heavy stuffs like wipes and diapers online in October. I got Amazon to deliver directly to the shippers who shipped it to Lagos by sea.

I had an awesome experience with the most wonderful hosts but I'm just so glad to be back home with my baby and that everything has ended well.

I wish everyone a wonderful 2016 and the safe delivery of all our babies (physical and spiritual).

Blessings

LI:
5 weeks. Others have done it for younger and older.

Great! That even supports my argument. Why should anyone pay $600 when you can pay N2000 for the same service?

My dear...If not that I got the service free of charge, I would have come back to nigeria to do the circumcision o!

It is way too expensive, but I guess it won't matter to most of his regular patients. They have insurance and won't have to pay out of pocket like we would.

favoredgal:
To the best of my knowledge Jewish is the same as Naija o!

Well...circumcision itself originated from the jews. So if any set if people will be the experts, it should be the jews.

The procedure employed by the jewish pediatrician was different from what obtains back home. He used some handheld equipments and the whole process was like a minor surgical operation.

I think the hallmark of the naija style is the plastic ring that is used. They didn't use the plastic ring for my boy but the shape and look came out like the naija style...If not better sef

firsttymum:
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".

To me, the issue on circumcision in the US is not so much about the style.It's the cost that is more of an issue for me.

The cheapest quote i got last year in Houston to do the naija style for my son was about $250 - when you can do it far cheaper back home.

Thank God my cousin got his pediatrician friend who is Jewish to do it pro bono. The guy charges $600 for circumcision normally. I would have had to come back to lagos to do the procedure.

Apple19:
Hullo everyone. Congratulations to all new mamas and papas, successful Interviews and POEs. Pls, I have a question to clarify,...Initial plan was to go to Houston,( though it has not really changed) but hubby got a friend in Dallas and now want me to change (but the fear of Oyinbo for POE na the beggining of tinkin for me o) cos of accommodation. Now, at my interview I gave correspondence from Houston. So

1. How do I change to Dallas and not have issues with CBP??
2. And won't this affect my going back?
3. Must I get appointment from Dallas/Houston (cos I've not booked any appointment in Houston) for POE's sake??
D

You have the right to change your mind. But thankfully for you, both Dallas and Houston are in the same state of Texas. So that shouldn't be a problem.

You may not really need a Dr's appointment for a specific date per se. I think an invoice that shows the details of the DR & hospital and costs will suffice.

If you would be booking ur flight to Dallas or using the dallas address on ur landing card, then I'd advise you to get quotes from Dallas. You can always tell the CBP the reason you changed your mind.

However, its not easy getting correspondence from Dallas but your hosts can get quotes from the hospital n Dr and forward to you.

Wish you all the best.

firsttymum:
For those who have to pump milk, did u pump on the plane? if yes how did u do it.

Hello firsty,

It's better you nurse directly. Get a nursing cover and try to get an aisle seat and you are good to go.

ozycy:
Tanko $300, cheapest so far.
How come nobody hv found anything cheaper than this

If one has between 2 to 3 weeks before departure to naija, you can do it yourself without using an agent.

We processed our children's visa ourselves. No agent used.

iolite88:
Welcomed my triplets on the 1st of December to the glory of God got discharged 2 days later from The Hospital of Providence East Campus (El Paso). Mama and baby girls are doing great.

Congratulations dear. Triple blessings on you and yours.

iyoyoworl:
Just a quick question please. Does a baby need to have his eyes opened when taking passport photograph to apply for his US and Nigerian passport. My boy is just 2 weeks old n na for night d guy dey like to shine his eyes.

No. His eyes do not need to be opened. They accepted my daughter's pictures with her eyes closed at the US PASSPORT office.

MiddyO:
To God be the glory our long awaited baby boy arrived in the early hours of 29th of Nov! Mom, baby & daddy are doing great! God of restoration has done it again!

Congratulations MiddyO. God bless you and your family. I'm happy for you.

oyibo4real:
...

To God be d Glory, our PRINCESS arrived exactly two weeks today(13/11/2015) at Oakbend hospital thru Dr E. The whole experience was quite different frm wat is obtainable in Nigeria.

Once again, thanks 2 ds wonderful family, it wouldn't hav bn easier/possible wtout u guys.

Congratulations dear. God bless your princess. She and my daughter were born on the same day..

My dear people,

Here is thanking God for another wonderful delivery experience.

Our lovely princess arrived on Friday Nov 13 at Centennial Medical Centre, Frisco; 4 hours before Daddy and big brother arrived via DFW Airport.

Discharged and now awaiting BC and other documentation.

Will post details of our final bills later. Wishing all the awaiting mamas and daddies God's abundant grace.

Blessings.

FFFB:
Hello ALL , pls can any one share details of a good doc and hospital in Dallas , probably frisco /piano dallas , thisis needed very urgently .

Expecting your response my pple

Hi,

You can check my post on the last page of Part 2.

firsttymum:
The Lord that does what no man can do.... How excellent is His name.

I'm a Mother... I give God the praise.

Wow! Blessed be God.

Congratulations! God's blessings on the little one.

bmanbaba:
I was able to persuade them to send it to a relative in US. What they sent is a letter quoting their fees and also stating that my wife has an appointment with both the financial department and a doctor on a stated date. My concerns: Is this good enough as the Preached doctor's/ hospital's correspondence?The letter was signed by a financial counsellor, pls do I need to push further for any other correspondence or Document. I just want to be sure Wifey is good to go.

Your wife is good to go. I used an email sent to my friend on my behalf at the notorious Houston POE and it was accepted. It was the financial counsellors that sent the mails too.

Just be sure that your wife's name is mentioned in the email. That is, the Dr appointment is in ur wife's name

Chicagomum:
My POE story


I sat for 1 hrs, 2hrs, 3hrs! At a point i was like what is happening here? People that came after me were cleared and they left me there. I went to meet one of the officers and he told me they group the cases based on severity. That those that came after me and have been cleared had minor cases.

Finally after about another 20 mins an officer called me. He was like you stated you will be staying for 9 weeks; We stamped you in for 10 weeks.

Went to the exit submitted my declaration form as I was about to go the Customs guy noticed I was pregnant. He said Madam please step back. My eyes nearly poped out of my socket.

Me: Gave him my passport and he handed it over to another officer. The officer scanned it and recorded something and gave it back to me and told me I was free to go.

Just excited I made it down here against so many odds. Make una help me shout 3 halleluyahs

Yes o. They will attend to people with less serious cases before us - e.g people on visa waiver programs (UK , etc) and people from American territories who are not residents or citizens of American but get visa on arrival.

10 weeks is tight but its still workable as long as baby cooperates and comes in good time.

Hope you do not have too many weeks to your EDD so that you can deliver the baby, do your documentation and leave before the 10 weeks are up.

With the last encounter you had, I will advise you to be prepared with extra copies of all your receipts of payment when you want to come back home. I remember a mama sharing about the stress they gave her at the point of exit.

Congratulations all the same. You have overcome and will continue to overcome. Wish you the best as you wait for the arrival of ur baby.

betty1983:
Oakbend peeps, i noticed everyone had NICS on their bills, are all babies sent to NICS ?
Thanks

NICS is an acronym for newborn intensive care specialists. They are the neonatal(pediatric) practice that oakbend uses for the care of newborn delivery including the hearing test.

The acronym sounds like NICU neonatal intensive care unit where babies requiring special attention arw taken to. but they are different.

Hope you understand better now?

Tobermom:
In other matters, i had my baby on the 22nd oct. Was discharged on the 24th . had her paed visit on the 28th , settled our bill on the 29th ( it still stood at the 6500, only addition was 275 for labs) Got the short form of her BC from the office of vital records on the 30th. Applied for us passport same day but was asked to collect on 2nd nov. Applied for naija passport 2nd nov and collected both passports on the same day. Also ssn came in by mail yesterday. So with this, My american dream/ journey which has had its fair share of highs and lows is coming to an end. I leave for naija on friday. Yay!!!! Baby will be 2 weeks 1 day ( i told you ozycy that you are my mentor . i cant wait to hold both my babies, ive so missed my 5 yr old and im glad his crying spells will finally be over. Thank you Lord!

Congratulations dear. We join you in the praises to God. May His grace continue to abide with you and yours.
Blessings

Enyinne:
anonymousmum ,Fortunately awhile ago, my discharge nurse called to check how am doing and I told her my feelings but she said since I hv no hbp and temperature is still within range that I shldnt worry.just what u mama's told me now. My breastmilk is nt coming thru and am afraid it might cease up which made me to order mothers milk and fenugreek from amazon to see how it will help.

@Enyinne,

U can use a towel with VERY WARM water to massage the 'you know what'. Or stand for a while under a very warm shower.

These can help a lot to relieve the engorgement and make the milk flow...

Pele

Enyinne:
Pls does anyone knows how to.handle this situation. Am 6days post partum and am feeling empty, lost my appetite and now am having fever.. what can I do now as I don't hv a malaria tablet and I can't buy from pharmacy. Pls any solution to this. Thanks

Hi dear,

Its not likely to be malaria......... but a lot of women feel feverish post partum.

I remember I also felt feverish during the first week post partum. I called the doctor and she told me to take a thermometer reading of my temperature. She said I shouldnt worry too much if its not more than 100degrees but I should take the Tylenol they prescribed at my discharge.

It may also be that your milk has not come in....but i think you should call your doctor and discuss your symptoms just to be sure its not an infection, especially if you had a CS.

Hope you feel better soon. Blessings.

firsttymum:
bassinet is free... If you are traveling internationally you can't do the lap child tingy

Now if u r taking ur own bassinet might not guarantee you a seat where ur bassinet can b installed.

@firsty

Yes, you can lap your baby on an international flight. No regulation against that. It just a lot more convenient to use the bassinet, that's all.

Moreover, you get to carry the baby on the lap if you don't succeed in getting a bassinet assigned becos of "oversubscription".

bbiz:
Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

Hi bbiz.

Bassinet use is free. Nobody has to pay for it. You are entitled to it once you pay for baby's ticket. But it's subject to availability on first come first served basis.

tosinajib:
Good morning people,

I got PTA yesterday at Sterling bank at the rate of 199. I plan on going to travelex to get some more dollars. Does anyone know if am qualified for dollars from travelex bearing in mind that I just collected PTA from the bank?

You wont be qualified if you have bought the maximum $4000 PTA for the quarter ($5000 if BTA).

If you still have some time before travelling, you could look out for friends or family members who want to buy PTA or BTA but won't fully utilize their own quota. They can help you buy additional dollars.

Otherwise, buy the rest from black market or use Mastercard

Anywayz, i called them again and after searching their systems ova & ova, they didn't find any record/bills for my wife. ... I hope they are no setting me up sha.. so I no go fit renew my visa again [/quote]You know, apart from the hospitals and Drs, these other consultants are not so efficient in their billing systems. I remember that when my son was about 2 weeks he did a lab test at the diagnostic Centre at Oakbend. The bill did not come till we left for naija. I also made several calls to the lab office from naija but they kept telling me that I had no outstanding bill.

The bill came eventually several weeks later ($35 or so) and my cousin paid for me.

It would have been reported to the authorities as unpaid if I didn't have anyone who was looking out for me.

queenestty:
Pls oo. I get to confirm somethg ooo. Pls my people on this journey that are back home.

In the US passport for baby, theirs a page for the bearer signature, since baby cannot sign, pls how is this done properly. Is it just the parent signature unbehalf of the baby or signature and relationship i.e signature (mother).

One of the parents would sign on behalf of the child and state relationship. My hubby signed for our son on the US passport.

favoredgal:
dont want to buy from wakanow because of adding baby ticket later

U don't need to go through wakanow to add baby's ticket. You can contact the airline directly

Adiahabasi:
. Can't remember the exact prices but 5-6bottles of the wash and shampoo,and 3 bottles of lotion could serve you for a year...they range from 6$ to 12$ each...compare prices on amazon and walmart before buying....N.B...for the first few weeks,natural oils like coconut or olive oil seem to be best for babies skin..A black nurse advised me on olive oil...got it for $10 from the food section @ Walgreens...was very good for my LO's skin.

@Popri.

Yep. I concur

My son used 1bottle of the wash for like 2 months. So 6 to 7 bottles would be okay for a year. I ended up giving out the body lotions and moisturisers. Found out that good old 'Ori' (shea butter) mixed with olive oil was better for him.

In addition, I recommend you buy about 2 packs of the baby excema therapy cream. It was the only thing that cleared some irritation he developed on his skin a couple of times.

Dear admin/moderator,

Kindly permit me to add my voice to the pleas of those requesting for a relaxation of your rules on this thread.


I found out during my search for a Dr. & hospital in Dallas that its mostly people from minority groups (hispanics, asians, african americans, etct) that would understand the reason why someone would want to come down in late pregnancy from her home country to deliver in america.

Thus, apart from agency organizations like dotoresparati, I'm not sure how many american Drs. or hospitals would be willing to come advertise on this thread.

Apart from the "immigrant friendly" cities like Houston & El paso, its very hard to get info from elsewhere.

I also dont think the fear of hospital and Drs increasing their prices should be an issue. At least some other people would still benefit before such increases are effected. Once a "discoverer" has locked down the hospital package for him/herself, it wont be bad to share.

Time is of essence so please let's continue to encourage one another with relevant and new info becos these opportunities may not continue forever. Especially if Donald Trump and the likes have their way.

God bless all our hustles .

Tobermom:
So after the extra smooth POE experience, the temporary season of hunger games and eventual house swap, my lil one arrived early hours of this morning at wyckoff heights! Its a girl! ( thank God, didnt want any bruce/caitlyn jenner things after buying too much pink!) and it was through a VBAC too. God is indeed very faithful. I thank Him cos it has ended in praise!

Congratulations. We bless God

cinakin:
sorry to ask,but why do you want to go to dallas....do you have a host there or you will rent an apartment? because there are other places you can get doctor"s letter from...

Yes.
@Amgizzie

Why do you want to go to Dallas or Miami? What's the attraction for you?

El paso and Houston are cheaper and more straightforward cities for you to consider. Especially if you don't have anyone you can stay with

MiddyO:
Thanks! I did, but buying online seems a better option for me.

My dear, hope your phone is not a smart phone that only accepts the tiny size sim.

It happens that I have to make the trip to the store so they can cut the sim to size. After waiting 1 week for the delivery of the pack o!