₦airaland Forum

firsttymum:

3pm local time or 3pm GMT?

bubelahot:
Hello mamas in the house. My missionary journey is over. All glory to God.back to naija after
  10 wks.came into Houston on the 13th of April with emirate. Flight was long on my way to Houston 16hrs..... but thank God the flight was empty so I stretched out well. POE was uneventful. Gave birth  at Houston methodist and my Dr was Dr Dama aka Dr Z. Was already 8cm by the time I got  the hospital but when it was time to push,ha I no get strength again but God saw me thru.meanwhile the cord was around the baby's neck so with each contraction the heart beat reduced. Thank God I put to bed within 40mins of getting to the hospital..
Houston Methodist is top notch. Services are better than oakbend. The price difference is $35. However a compulsory epidural fee $1500 is paid which is refunded if not used. No additional charges becos I didn't use their pediatrician.got a visiting one which I paid $150.
Got my zero balance from all the different docs involved. 
Flew emirate back n my whole 5 luggages  was checked in. No extra payment becos I Don dey sweat for the extra money wey I go pay....
Layover was 15hrs but the hotel reservation was gd.no regrets with emirate. Baby's ticket was 10% of mine so it was $77 and i changed my date which cost like $50...
Thank God for everything. 
Dr fee. 2600 with a further 20% discount 
Ultrasound $150
Test $270
Hospital.  2535
Pediatrician $150
Hope clinic hospital for baby's 1st visit + test. $100
Passport $165
Nigerian visa $360.. Used an agent
Birth certificate $23
Good to be back home. ...
Wishing all d preggies safe delivery......
All the mamas in the house una do well oooo.I salute una....

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE device

Hello dear, congrats on the safe delivery of your baby. Please the Houston Methodist is it the one in sugarland or is there another one. Also how did you contact the Dr and the hospital. Do have their email address? Thank you and welcome.

Abi oh!!!?
Pls help us ask....
Is it GMT Or PST or EST or CAT?

3pm is different throughout the world.

XX01:
3pm local time or 3pm GMT?

jgirl22:
hi everyone;
went for interview today and was refused, below is my transcript, will be grateful if more light and future suggestion can be said about my interview.

Vo. Whr re u going in the US
Me. Huston Texas
Vo. Reason
Me. For a youth programme and to have our baby
Vo. Is dis ur first child
Me. Yes
Vo. have you been to any other country
me. yes, Dubai
Vo. What do u do
Me. An accountant at XYZ coy bt my husband will be sponsoring the trip ( I reached out to my file to bring out my letter of introduction from office and hubby she said hold on)
Vo. Hw long have u been wrking
Me. A year ans a mnth
Vo. Hw long have you been married
Me. 6mnths
Vo. What does ur husband do
Me. Self employed,runs own company he is in2 importation and distribution of various brands of cosmetic products.( as she was typing i reached out to my file to give her the coy registration and list of directors and his passport data page, next words i heard was;
Vo. Sorry ur visa is nt approved the piece of paper will explain it to you

I had my budget sheet, hospital correspondence, invitation from the birth center, receipt of my initial deposit, airline reservation, marriage certificate bt she didnt ask for any document, whenever i tried to bring a document for her to look at she says hold on

I highlighted what i think could have been better answered.

Nexttime put birth first...she may not have heard you and may think that you r being dodgy.

Your working for just a yr and half maks it look like you dnt hv strong ties. Nextime probably included whatever experience years ypu hav gained weda as staff or as employer.

Lastly your hubbys business is probably better stated as "owns and runs an export business" not sure "self employed" carries weight.

But in d end there is no right or wrong answer. Visa issuance is at VO discretion.

Udiboy:
Who has used to Qatar and slept over in Doha?
Can you go eat at a buffet in the morning?
There's is a layover of 8hrs 30 minutes and they only give meal ticket if layover is over 11 hours.
They gave hotel accommodation via email sent to me but I wanted to know since we there sleeping over and waking up in d morning can I go for free breakfast?
Getting to Doha 11.30pm and departing 8.15am for Baltimore.
Anyone used Qatar airways before?
Please her make person no go shop 500$ food for breakfast

Usually when they giv you hotel stay it comes with breakfast as long as your coach back to the airport doesnt depart before hotel time for breakfast

phummy2:
Air France will ask for fit to fly from port health cos they refused the one I had from my hospital so I had to get from port health before I was fully checked in.

Hmmmm.
Me thinks differently.
To each as they (AF) please.

I doth not show any fit to fly
Neither doth they (AF) asketh!

(Medieval English)

XX01:
3pm local time or 3pm GMT?

the airline local time

Ajujuju2:
I highlighted what i think could have been better answered.

Nexttime put birth first...she may not have heard you and may think that you r being dodgy.

Your working for just a yr and half maks it look like you dnt hv strong ties. Nextime probably included whatever experience years ypu hav gained weda as staff or as employer.

Lastly your hubbys business is probably better stated as "owns and runs an export business" not sure "self employed" carries weight.

But in d end there is no right or wrong answer. Visa issuance is at VO discretion.

Gbam

Welcome back bubelahot.

Ulo01

Ok lemme borrow the famous Nairaland quote:
"In the spirit of giving back..."

So my 2nd missionary journey is over and was successfully completed in 8weeks.

Left naija @ 33.5 weeks on an AF flight through Paris to Houston. POE was smooth; less than 3mins with no 2ndry inspection and at agric, met an aggrieved Akata but i done waka pass.

Used Dr.Dama Ziworitin, who was exceptional and quiet endearing. Gave birth at 39.4 weeks, B.C was gotten in 3days, US passport in 48hrs, ETC in 3days. Basically was dne with documentation in 1 week. Left for naija with baby @ 3wks.

Fees and charges ($)
2655 - doc (plus tests)
3500 - hosp (Oakbend)
150 - scan (Oakbend)
950 - epidural (US Partners)
555 - nics + hearing test (NICS)
86.40 - labs (Brown and Associates) mom and baby
100 - external paediatrician (post discharge)

165 - US passport
320 - E.T.C
14 - babys passort picture
23 - B.C

198.40 - AF baby ticket

Circumcision...done here in naija!

I sign out, grateful for it to be over with all ds dollar madness

Wow, Congratz Ajujuju2. in 10,9,8,7,6....(Expect PM bombardment from expectant mums in the house).lol Congratz on your safe delivery once again.

Ajujuju2:
Ok lemme borrow the famous Nairaland quote:
"In the spirit of giving back..."

So my 2nd missionary journey is over and was successfully completed in 8weeks.

Left naija @ 33.5 weeks on an AF flight through Paris to Houston. POE was smooth; less than 3mins with no 2ndry inspection and at agric, met an aggrieved Akata but i done waka pass.

Used Dr.Dama Ziworitin, who was exceptional and quiet endearing. Gave birth at 39.4 weeks, B.C was gotten in 3days, US passport in 48hrs, ETC in 3days. Basically was dne with documentation in 1 week. Left for naija with baby @ 3wks.

Fees and charges ($)
2655 - doc (plus tests)
3500 - hosp (Oakbend)
150 - scan (Oakbend)
950 - epidural (US Partners)
555 - nics + hearing test (NICS)
86.40 - labs (Brown and Associates) mom and baby
100 - external paediatrician (post discharge)

165 - US passport
320 - E.T.C
14 - babys passort picture
23 - B.C

198.40 - AF baby ticket

Circumcision...done here in naija!

I sign out, grateful for it to be over with all ds dollar madness

Please mama what is Oakbend's nicu calculation like.

firsttymum:
For the pediatrician alone I'm switching hospitals. I hate oakbend nicu calculation...


Congratulations and God bless.
I'm sending u a pm as per pediatrician

herrik066:
Wow, Congratz Ajujuju2. in 10,9,8,7,6....(Expect PM bombardment from expectant mums in the house).lol Congratz on your safe delivery once again.

Lol. N d first is urs

mismarshal:
Please mama what is Oakbend's nicu calculation like.

it's not a day per 24 hrs o. It's calendar days... If u like give birth 11:56pm 10th for example they calculate as a day.

Ajuju2,

Abeg is Dr Z cheaper than Dr F? And the rate u quoted above is different from the rate on Dr F list of hospitals. Bikonu clarify. Cos epidural is lesser for u

Ajujuju2:
Lol. N d first is urs

Congrats Ajujuju2, where did you stay, can you assist !

Phc peeps looking for Pta, should go to Ecobank , Mothercat Trans Amadi Branch, ask for Mr Evans, I was there today but I didn't meet the criteria, which is having an account for a minimum of 6 months. Their rate is N283 to 1dol.

Wow... Thank you.

firsttymum:
it's not a day per 24 hrs o. It's calendar days... If u like give birth 11:56pm 10th for example they calculate as a day.

Ajujuju2 Awww congratulations

hahaha...so how will the 6 weeks apply to everyone?
I could agree to the Tuesday 3pm one but not 6 weeks before my flight. Lwkmd!

firsttymum:


Modified* the airlines local time

Congrats. Thank God and welcome back.
No place like home

Ajujuju2:
Ok lemme borrow the famous Nairaland quote:
"In the spirit of giving back..."

So my 2nd missionary journey is over and was successfully completed in 8weeks.

Left naija @ 33.5 weeks on an AF flight through Paris to Houston. POE was smooth; less than 3mins with no 2ndry inspection and at agric, met an aggrieved Akata but i done waka pass.

Used Dr.Dama Ziworitin, who was exceptional and quiet endearing. Gave birth at 39.4 weeks, B.C was gotten in 3days, US passport in 48hrs, ETC in 3days. Basically was dne with documentation in 1 week. Left for naija with baby @ 3wks.

Fees and charges ($)
2655 - doc (plus tests)
3500 - hosp (Oakbend)
150 - scan (Oakbend)
950 - epidural (US Partners)
555 - nics + hearing test (NICS)
86.40 - labs (Brown and Associates) mom and baby
100 - external paediatrician (post discharge)

165 - US passport
320 - E.T.C
14 - babys passort picture
23 - B.C

198.40 - AF baby ticket

Circumcision...done here in naija!

I sign out, grateful for it to be over with all ds dollar madness

Helo MamaToks
I called the MLL, and I was told the fee before 27weeks is $750 and after 27weeks onwards $950.
I will like to know the full details of how you managed the doctor, paeditrician, tests, etc as well as baby's documents.
Can you share with me your email so I can send you a PM.

Thank You.

MamaToks:
This my write up is dedicated to the Glory of God and for the benefits of humanity.

First of all, I want to thank God for directing me to Nairaland in my quest to give birth in America. In the same vein, may the Lord bless Justwise, uchetobi and thababe for their personal push in giving me the courage to go ahead on my choice of hospital. God will reward Skelemba for starting this thread and the person who made mention of the possible use of Birthing Centres in the USA. For the lady who first birth at Del Sol Hospital, El Paso, Vivianoba for discovering MIHS and the lady who suggested birthing at Grand Prairie Dallas, thereby making it realisable to birth in America without 'breaking' the Banks or taking loans; you all are the guiding lights.

This is bumzespecial before the tsunami that hit nairaland and there had been delay in giving back because my hands have been full as I know I'll like to write a 'lengthy epistle'. My story is going to be in parts for easy read and digestion, so relax with your bottle of groundnut and your cup of wine (lolz). I will be breaking some 'old Myths' about birthing in America, so please, have an open mind and pick the ones that will benefit you. I went, I saw, I conquered and came back victorious and triumphantly, so whatever tip you get from my write-up is borne out of an experience. So don't hesitate to take some step after this, as nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The Road to America

I had my B1/B2 visa late 2013 for tourism purpose as a family, a month after I discovered I had taken in so couldn't go for the vacation that year due to morning sickness, though hubby went for conference a month after we got it. He is a frequent US traveller while I was a first timer though being to other countries together.
Families and friends suggested I use the visa for birthing purpose, so I stumbled on to Nairaland early 2014 in my bid for research. Read from page 1 for an informed decision and made up my mind on what I wanted in terms of the city to go juxtaposing it with the funds at hand. Considering the fact that before getting the visa I didn't plan to birth in the US in the first place but when the chance presented itself, I wanted to pay my bill and come back in peace and be able to enter the US again. With the help of info I got from here, I wrote to the embassy on change of intent and for my record to be updated, got the usual response and this further gave me the courage to move on.

My Choice of Hospital
I stream lined my search to Phoenix and El Paso, I wanted to go to MIHS but preferred El Paso as a city having researched it as a peaceful and quite affordable in terms of living. So I got University Medical Centre (UMC) with a choice of using the Midwifery option. This led me to a clinic Maternidad La Luz (MLL), the birth place; they specialise in womanly delivery with the choice of using water birth and a host of others as birth plans to relieve the woman of labour pain rather than the medical intervention. This was good by me as I'm not really a fan of the epidural thingy and didn't want a situation where I could be forced to go for a CS for a no just cause. After reading up on the place from their website and their reviews, I sent a mail to the clinic requesting for a tour once I arrived El Paso before making up my mind.

POE exprience: Flew Air Maroc to JFK with my 3years old toddler then, it wasn't a bad experiment and journey was short. Told the officer I came to have a baby and asked how much I had with me of which I replied $500. He was obviously in a hurry to go as it was their closing hour, we arrived around 6pm, so he handed my docs over to another guy in their inner chamber. He asked same question and I told him my mission, he asked for supporting documents like change of intent, accommodation, hospital, statement of account and return tickets, I gladly showed everything to him and he was impressed and praised me for my honesty, we also shared some jokes. Though $400 was stolen from my $500 cash at LaGuardia by an impostor Military officer who was trying to help me book my local flight on his laptop...story for another day. This made me to travel by road (as suggested by the thief) to El Paso the next morning as I couldn't afford the exorbitant fare at the airport since I didn't book ahead. (Road trip was fun).

FASTForward...
Arrived El Paso, made a tour of the clinic and was ok by it, I had thought if my mind wasn't at peace with it I would go to MIHS as I already booked appointment with them, so had to call them to cancel it after settling down.


Though was meant to stay at His Grace Lodge but wasn't ready at the time, so I majorly stayed in Intown Suites and made some lasting friendship from across the globe.

The city of El Paso
I was given so many nicknames by co-sojourners due to my disoveries of the city and how to move around by Metro Bus...some called me 'The General of El Paso', to some I was the Iyalaje of El Paso and to some others I was called Ojukwu Eji Aba...lol! The Church (RCCG) stood for us all and had a name for me as well, 'Kingdom Helper'.
Should you need places to hang out, dine or shop in El Paso, feel free to ask.
I did Nigeria passport for my son on my way back to Nigeria in NY.

I hope I didn't leave any part out? Should you need clarification on any segment of my write-up or some other things, please do not hesitate to ask, though hardly come here now cos my hands are full but inbox or a mention should alert me.

NB: There are other Midwifery Clinics in El Paso and in Houston, in fact all over Texas and other States. I have read here how some people criticize Birthing Centers operated by Midwives, by saying they will rather give birth in Nigeria. I would like to burst your bubble, the difference is clear, America Standard cannot be watered down in any practice, we must put God first in everything and let your faith speak for you. I gave birth to my daughter in Mother and Child in Ikeja Lagos, with the hope that the owner who happened to be a Gynecologist would take my delivery, I went into labour middle of the night, it was the midwife on duty with the assistance of a young GP that took my delivery.
Besides, Midwives usually take deliveries in the UK, so nothing to fear as long as it's an uncomplicated pregnancy.

I'm free now, as I promised myself I would give back, come what may..thank God for hubby for his constant reminder as well.

I hope I didn't bore you all with the Epistle. Thank you and God bless.

MSG FROM STANBIC BANK

Dear Customer, You can now check our daily int'l card rates at www.stanbicibtcbank.com. .Our international card rate is currently N310/USD1 and the rates vary periodically. For enquiries, please Call 012709676.

Used Airfrance and was not asked for any fit to fly also. Even though I have one from a private hospital on me.

Ajujuju2:
Hmmmm.
Me thinks differently.
To each as they (AF) please.

I doth not show any fit to fly
Neither doth they (AF) asketh!

(Medieval English)

Had one*

Can someone help with affordable accommodation close to oakbend hospital in houston?

Hello good pple,

Pls, my husband runs his own law firm and he is sponsoring my trip, is he to write the sponsorship letter on his firm's letterhead or the letter should be written on his own personal letterhead i.e. his name.

2ndly, can i rely on his firm's bank statement or his personal bank statement or both.

NB. I'll also take along my bank statement.

Thanks alot for the help