₦airaland Forum

9jabiggurl:
Firstly, I was not asked for my maternity leave letter but its advisable to have it handy....we never can tell.

Secondly, I hear it differs from state to state but in Chicago the 2 times(2012 &2014) i had to notarize, my husband used just a lawyer somewhere in Ikoyi close to his office while my friend in another state said she was asked to use the notary public at the embassy. so you may want to play safe and use the notary office at the embassy...just to be on the safer side.

My two cent

blessedbeu1:
Hi Bloggerina,
Thanx alot for the info, pls I also intend to use Dr huynh at WHMC av mailed her n waitin for reply.
Where did u stay after delivery dat is apartment or wt family over dr. Pls if rented apartment kindly help wt info for anyone close to the hospital.

Latolly:
Phew !!!!!! I finally got to the last page and last post....Kudos to me after 2 straight months of stuffing my preggy brain with info. I must say i salute all the contributors and moderators here. A big THANK YOU for the time and the patience in answering all questions posted. You guys have done extremely well for newbies and ignoramos like me! Congrats to all the new mamas and about to be mamas.....The good Lord will see us all through and our labour of love will never go to waste. Please two things i need clarification on...1. The question US contact on my visa form... pls do i put my doctors name and organization as my us contact or do i use a relatives name. 2. I intend using Dr Fagbohun..pls do i have to contact oakbend hospital myself for documentation purposes for embassy use or am I ok with Dr Fagbohuns email correspondences. Thanks and God bless!

Latolly:
All the gurus in the house abeg help mi o.....dont leave me to my faith ooooo, I dey beg unna o to help me answer these questions..ejoooo, biko.....una do well

feddy27:
I think you are ok with Dr Fagbohun's correspondence because it is the doctor's they need not necessarily the hospital. Hope this helps

raii:
@blogerina, I dey o. Been reading from the sidelines and chilling for my interview.


With the rising rate of the dollar I am beginning to be afraid o. Who knows any bank that is selling PTA cos most banks aint selling.

sayoberry:
phema.. pls who is the letter addressed to?

Hi all,
I am here to share my story with you. I have given birth in the USA before and that time I had not seen nairaland. It was my biggest ignorance and I suffered due to that. This time I searched online and this forum has helped me immensely. I have kept myself awake all nights reading all the info and this helped me get to the USA now.

I did not know that baby born in USA is American national. My brother had his son in 2012 in USA and their visa and Poe was very smooth. When I saw that I planned to have my first baby also in the USA. While my sister in law was in USA I applied with my brother and got 5 year multiple visa. I was 2 months pregnant that time. It was my first baby.
Everything went really well with my sister in law and I expected my entry will be smooth and It is a piece of cake.
I decided to travel with my sister in law and her American baby as she knew the USA well, after she had come back just 5 months ago after birth of her son.
I entered the USA through Chicago o hare and as I didn't know that I have to say the truth I said that I came for visit and my Poe experience was just two minutes and I was out.
Meanwhile my sister in law as we were on same flight was on another counter and the officer was asking her questions. I saw that it took her 15 min at the desk and later she was taken to secondary inspection. I waited n waited and after 1 hour the lady at the baggage asked me why I was waiting. As I was in USA the first time I did not know much what was happening. I just knew I will not tell anyone I am coming to give birth. She went to the room and secretly told me to pick my bags n leave as my sister in law would be sent back.
I left the area and moved to domestic where I had a flight to houston. Meanwhile the officers were really harsh to my sister in law. This was very shocking as we had no idea of this treatment. She showed all her bills are paid and officer told her that if she is pregnant then they would not let her go. Then she started checking bags, and saw a paper that stated my name and pregnancy test. I had kept those in her bag as I thought my bags may be checked. I never knew that parents of American citizens have to go through all this scrutiny.
For about 3 hrs I roamed around the airport worried about my sister in law, I did not know anything about USA and had never travelled this far alone. At last they searched me through my name and found me at the airport.
The lady officer was very hard with her words but I was superconfident. She told me that I have made this a meal ticket and why I was hiding. I told her I was not hiding and pregnancy was not a crime neither was I asked at the interview about it. She told me that why I don't ask my own country what is a crime and go there. I told her blatantly not to do racial discrimination against me and involve my nationality in it. That's when she completely completely lost it and told me do u want me to send u back right now? That was it. I became really quiet after that. She took me to the secondary inspection room and told her mates I'm telling her about discrimination. I had already been stamped for 6 months at that time. She was angry at the officer who stamped me and another officer told her I'm just 28 weeks so they can give me time.
While I was not there she was telling my sister in law that they would put her in lock up and kept scaring her, kept typing n all. Then she just wrote on my i94 form that my stay is limited to 6 days from the 6 months stated. She stamped my sister in law with the stamp for 6 days too. Mine was written by hand though. She told us to leave in 6 days or she will put us in jail.
I was devastated. My dreams were shattered. I went to houston and my brother told me to get a lawyer. My lawyer filed an extension for me and I cost a lot to file extension for me n sister in law but I waited for my approval. My lawyer told me it will take 3 months and I gave birth withing those three months at memorial hermann southwest. My best experience and with the best doctor and staff. I cannot imagine going anywhere else. I have birth in oct 2012 to my daughter and left USA, was given approval as I left USA before the decision was made. But Chicago airport was a nightmare for my sis in law how she was treated with a 4 month old baby and another child. It was also a very very bad experience for me. Probably coz I had not done my homework, we had not realized it is harder after having an American citizen to actually visit USA.
Now I am again pregnant. This time I did my homework and read everything on this forum.
I had not slept well as soon as I knew I was pregnant coz I was expecting same treatment with American baby and awful history.
I decided to fly early so I am not obvious. I wrote a letter to embassy but I was not given a response, only told that this is not their concern it is upto the cbp officer to judge. So that didn't help. Btw I'm not in Nigeria.
I kept 10000 cash on me. I prayed to God to help me. I kept doctors appointment. My first baby's bills- all of them. My hotel booking. My return ticket. A few articles recent cases of gynecological errors in my country. BAnk statements and flew at 23 weeks.
I read on forum about NYC so I kept it as my Poe.
I met the officer and he was Chinese origin. Asked me what I was here for. I said medic treatment. He asked me what treatment? I said childbirth. Asked me why I wanted to have birth in us? I told him my country was not so developed and there were many cases of bad practice. He looked at me with wierd look. I was stuttering as I was expecting so much more. He said ok and was checking his computer. I told him myself that I have doctors appointment and he asked which doctor and I told him. He asked why and I said I am satisfied from my first baby delivery. He said ok finger prints and stamped me for 6 m. He asked if I had more that 10k I said yes and asked to bring my baby on camera and within five minutes we were done. He did not check a SINGLE Document. Not my previous bills too. Glory to be my LORD. It was just prayers and research. And thanks to nairaland all of you. I went out and the baggage guy saw my form and asked me what I was here for and I said medical treatment he said ok. I wasn't showing so it didn't raise eyebrows and I declared cash. Went to domestic and then flight to houston. Newyork city rocks!!
I am now in houston and transport is expensive. I am not using yellow cab, instead I am using a company uber which is all over the world. Just download the app and ur taxi will arrive in minutes and much much cheaper than yellow cab. Can use this in almost all cities in the USA. Just for u all who are going to use transport in USA. I had my first ride free upto 30 dollars and I enjoyed it. You can use the promotional code sesshj to get your first ride free. Thankyou nairalanders!!! I love u all. I am now waiting to pop.

pattyreal:
UBA, Zenith & Access r selling. As @ mon d price was 174.78 4 UBA, Access was 175... Raii hw far wit ur visa? where r u headed 2 nw? Houston, atlanta or MIHS?

raii:
I no get account with those banks o. Can i buy without having an account with them?

I don fix interview date for the visa. I am headed to Phoenix all things being equal.

Shawbabe:
Nobody wan answer me for accommodation close to Gwinnett, for Georgia. Una no want make I give birth in yankee eh? My American baby

Shawbabe:
Nobody wan answer me for accommodation close to Gwinnett, for Georgia. Una no want make I give birth in yankee eh? My American baby

raii:
@blogerina, I dey o. Been reading from the sidelines and chilling for my interview.


With the rising rate of the dollar I am beginning to be afraid o. Who knows any bank that is selling PTA cos most banks aint selling.

baslone:
With all this issues, I don't seem to figure out anyway to proceed. I don send email to them- if nothing sensible, off to Chicago be that!!

raii:
I no get account with those banks o. Can i buy without having an account with them?

I don fix interview date for the visa. I am headed to Phoenix all things being equal.

9jabiggurl:
.

do you have any Dr in Chigaco? hospital?

pattyreal:
UBA, Zenith & Access r selling. As @ mon d price was 174.78 4 UBA, Access was 175... Raii hw far wit ur visa? where r u headed 2 nw? Houston, atlanta or MIHS?

bmay:
hello Shawbabe. I'm due in april and intend using gwinnett as well. Although I'll be staying with family in Cobb County which is about 1hour drive from Lawrencevillle; I have a friend who lives in lawrenceville and provides accomodation. When are you due, I would love to have someone to plan with!

isysleek:
UBA doesn't do PTA anymore. Just called a friend that works there.

But I heard Diamond still does PTA.

bloggerina:
Hello,
I stayed with family but pls if you eventually get details of accomodation near WHMC I'd be interested pls. Thanks

Shawbabe:
Nobody wan answer me for accommodation close to Gwinnett, for Georgia. Una no want make I give birth in yankee eh? My American baby

pattyreal:
Pls UBA still do. Ma sis inlaw got hers yestrday cos she's travelling nxt week. So mine will wait.

Babatwi:
Hi Phoenix mamas and mamas to be. Pls does any one know of any cheap accomodation around MIHS that is less than $700/month that i can book for without an American iID card and SSN. Pls i need info urgently. Thanks

bloggerina:
Hmmm, that hospital circ fee of $150 can be deceptive. In yankee they actually consider circ to be a procedure (surgery) for babies so they will bill you accordingly. If you go with the 150 offer you see on that their paper, you will eventually realise that $150 is just the hospital's fee, u will get a separate bill from the doctor that performs the circ + a separate bill for the anaesthesia too. That's 3 payments. So letting your obgyn do your baby's circ if that option exists is by far your best bet and wayyyy cheaper too. Dr huynh will charge you $255 only and that's all. No extra bill from hospital or anywhere.
A friend of mine that used the $150 hospital offer ended up spending $800 by the time all the bills came so she's the one that explained to me and told me to just respect myself and stick with my obgyn's circ. I was glad I took her advise.

By the way, one extra tip for you - the pediatricians recommended/suggested by dr huynh's office are highly discounted (because the have smth like a partnership with her) and cheaper that the hospital's pedi. So as soon as you are admitted for delivery or as soon as your baby comes out, make sure you tell dem your pediatrian's name. Tell every doctor & nurse attending to you o. If you don't name any specific pedi, the hospital will assign you one by default and the bill will be gangsterrr!
All the best mama.